http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk Your chance to voice an independent opinion about Elmswell Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:27:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1.2 http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=11#comment-196 Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:30:09 +0000 http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=11#comment-196 What a great Parish Council Chairman Haughley have got, he really knew his stuff and put the Consultant in his place. The guy from Wetherden also put over a good reason for not having any expansion. Where was the Chairman of Elmswell Parish Council? http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=11#comment-195 Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:27:33 +0000 http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=11#comment-195 I felt sorry for Councillor Storey she is a local and tried to keep the balance but the villagers felt so strongly that the had beed treated as idiots by the consultant proposing the expansion. He just talked about averages, estimates, possible calculations. The villagers talked about actuallities. Only 17 houses were designated to suffer What a lot of rubbish. http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=11#comment-194 Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:22:27 +0000 http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=11#comment-194 Well what a great turnout at the Blackbourne as villagers vented their anger at the proposal to expand the Lawn Farm Quarry. Councillor Jane Storey did her best to chair the meeting but the villagers were adamant with a resounding NO WAY TO THE EXPANSION. Basically the presentation failed to convince anybody that the the project would not harm the village. The guy from the Council gave scant respect to the possiblity that our house prices would be affected and was unable to guarantee pollution wouldn't be controlled, drinking water wouldnt be polluted, Lorries wouldnt drive through an already busy village and the concrete crusher wouldnt created noise pollution for the majority of the day everday for 30 years. The County Councillor from Mineral & Waste Department gave an impression to the village that deal had already been done due to his overwelming support for the consultant David, who was certainly not a local with the way he treated the audience with contempt. http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=9#comment-20 Thu, 29 May 2008 22:14:40 +0000 http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=9#comment-20 I have had time to consider the proposed development of part of the Bacon Factory site since the Village meeting last week. If a development was to go ahead now, on the site I got the clear message that the District Council planners would not be powerless to stop it but may reduce the number of houses from 200 because of traffic concerns. No necessity for a Link Road. The Planners were clear that Elmswell would have to accept some new development to help meet Central Government house building targets. At the meeting we were given figures that around 500 houses would have to be built to fund the proposed link road. Some would be need to be built on green field sites. The route of the link road coming out at the Alms houses was heavily criticised as moving the traffic "bottleneck" from one part of the village to another. To provide a link road to, for example, the Norton Road at the roundabout at the bottom of Church Road would necessitate the building of more houses...... Those additional households would need more facilities and infra-structure in the village e.g.: Doctors surgery, green spaces, larger school. How would these facilities be paid for? By the building of yet more houses? From the meeting It seems that Elmswell has two possible futures. Somewhat bigger, without a link road or huge with a link road. I have had a look at the District Council proposed Core Strategy (on line). See below . From my reading of the figures priority would be given to developing "brown field sites" e.g.: the Bacon Factory. But 450 houses on green field sites from 2010 - 2025. So build the link road, put them on the green fields around Elmswell. Would make the life easy for our Planners! Policy CS 8 Provision and Distribution of Housing Provision is made for allocating greenfield sites for at least 2,132 homes and associated infrastructure in Mid Suffolk over the period up to 2025. The release of land for housing will be phased to enable continuous delivery of housing for at least 15 years from the date of adoption and to ensure that priority is given to use of previously-developed land. Broad Distribution and Phasing of Housing Allocations for 15 Years Housing Supply - indicating amount of housing on previously developed land and on new allocations of green field land as "urban extensions". http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=2#comment-18 Wed, 21 May 2008 20:37:33 +0000 http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=2#comment-18 there is aperfectly adequate war memorial in the church! http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=4#comment-14 Sun, 11 Nov 2007 13:22:10 +0000 http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=4#comment-14 I am hoping to contact Lauren who is researching affordable housing. Lauren I am also a student and would be grateful if your research into affordable housing could be forwarded onto me for research purposes. Kind regards http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=3#comment-11 Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:52:55 +0000 http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=3#comment-11 I agree that the A14 should be re-surfaced to reduce road noise. When the wind is from Woolpit side of the A14 the noise is unbearable! I feel that another noise mitigation works should be considered, including fencing and planting of coniferous shelterbelt along the side of the carriageway. This could be softened by planting community woodland between the shelterbelt and the village. I would be prepared to take this matter forward if anyone is interested in working with me. http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=4#comment-10 Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:24:48 +0000 http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=4#comment-10 Elmswell is in danger of becoming or has become a hideous satellite 'town' to anywhere comutable. There is nothing of any merit left and substandard, badly designed housing is mushrooming everywhere with inadequate facilities . The Blackbourne, a nasty little building that demands so much of the newsletters attention seems to be the only place that is revered. There is nothing for young people or indeed, people who are not interested in sport to do . New housing at the bacon factory site will no doubt go ahead and bring with it more road building and still no facilities. What a dump Elmswell is becoming. http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=4#comment-7 Mon, 07 May 2007 17:37:23 +0000 http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=4#comment-7 It seems that the Bacon Factory site has been sold to a developer. The site is huge (42 acres)and as it is a 'brownfield' site, development here will be impossible to stop. The hope is that there will be mixed development comprising both houses and business space. Shops also will be needed, as will lots of green space, perhaps a doctors surgery. The present library will be too small and may need to be moved onto this site. The Baptist Church have already expressed an interest in moving onto this site. It provides opportunities as well as threats, but whatever it brings, it is sure that Elmswell will change out of all recognition. As a priority, the planners need to think about access. The extra traffic that development of this 42 acre site will bring is not acceptable if it all needs to pass through the centre of the village, over the railway crossing. A NEW ROAD FROM THE 1088 TO ASHFIELD ROAD WILL BE NEEDED BEFORE ANY DEVELOPMENT BEGINS HERE. The unpleasantness that has come out of the parish council using the Elmswell newsletter as a conduit, has put many good and decent people off becoming involved in Elmswell 'issues'. This disaffection is understandable, but leaves Elmswell all the poorer. We need people with ability and imagination to help plan for the future. Otherwise, we could end up with an awful mess! http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=2#comment-6 Mon, 30 Apr 2007 18:35:48 +0000 http://villagevoice.elmswellinfo.co.uk/?p=2#comment-6 The idea of a visible stone memorial to stand on the site of the old Memorial Hall and to commemorate the dead from two World Wars came from village veterans. Even if the village decides eventually not to do this, out of respect for the veterans, the suggestion deserves to be properly considered and replied to to. The sale of the land on which the Memorial Hall stood realised a large amount of money. The money was invested and at present resides in the bank and investment accounts of the Elmswell Amenities Association. At present the investments and monetary assets held by the Association amount to £168.000. Given the rising cost of building land, effectivley, this money has depreciated in value over the last six years. A wiser investment might have been to have held onto the land until the money was required to be put to good use. Given that this money is there and available and that it was raised from the proceeds of the sale of a land. Remembering that this land was given to the village for the purpose of a Memorial, I believe that part of the proceeds should be used for a named Memorial in the Memorial Garden.