1 Stebbing Scene Your Village — Your Magazine Edition No: 143 Autumn 2017 As a friend of mine once said, “It’s getting a bit back-endish” - meaning that autumn is once more making an entrance. Sadly, the villagers of Stebbing are fending off a gathering darkness of another kind, as our elected representatives in Uttlesford demonstrate they have no intention of representing our interests, or our wishes. It is unfortunate that it is two years until the next district elections. Those councillors, who have too little respect for democracy to think they need to reflect the wishes of their electorate, will not be forgotten though - we can make sure of that. Thanks to Tim Gates for the above photo of Church End showing how much we have to lose. Richard Foot, Editor
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Stebbing Scene Your Village — Your Magazine
Edition No: 143 Autumn 2017
As a friend of mine once said, “It’s getting a bit back-endish” - meaning that autumn is once more making an entrance.
Sadly, the villagers of Stebbing are fending off a gathering darkness of another kind, as our elected representatives in Uttlesford demonstrate they have no intention of representing our interests, or our wishes. It is unfortunate that it is two years until the next district elections. Those councillors, who have too little respect for democracy to think they need to reflect the wishes of their electorate, will not be forgotten though - we can make sure of that.
Thanks to Tim Gates for the above photo of Church End showing how much we have to lose.
Richard Foot, Editor
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SAVE OUR STEBBING
Public Meeting 27 July 2017 by Jackie Kingdom
The Old Friends Meeting House was full for the public meeting held by the Parish
Council’s Planning Committee on Thursday 27 July. Many people were concerned
at the prospect of Uttlesford District Council’s (UDC) recommendation to build a
‘Garden Community’ of, in total, 3,500 houses on Andrewsfield and Boxted Wood
and abutting Braintree District Council’s (BDC) proposal to create the same on its
boundary to Stebbing with 10,000+ houses. This would result in a new town of
over 14,000 houses (Stebbing currently has just over 500).
Jane Goodwin, Chair of Stebbing Parish Council, opened the meeting. Chris Cant
gave an account of the process so far and described the threat to Stebbing, as we
perceive it. She reminded everyone that UDC’s Public Consultation is open until
4th September ’17 and urged people to take part. This is very important, for
whilst we feel UDC Planners do not listen to our well-reasoned arguments, they
will be looked at by the Government Planning Inspectorate, who have the final say
on local council plans.
Does Stebbing want this development? According to those present, NO!
In the recent ‘Neighbourhood Plan for Stebbing’ questionnaire, 4% of people
supported the proposal. Over 90% of the village said they did not. At the
meeting, a resident described very eloquently how she and her family had moved
to Stebbing wanting a rural life, away from the pressures of town. They had
worked hard for their home and accepted inconveniences of not having a shopping
centre and services nearby.
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The overwhelming view of the meeting was that Stebbing people want to
fight these proposals.
Following lively discussion, it was agreed the Parish needs expert help in fighting
the proposals from both District Councils. Stebbing Parish Council will take the
lead in an appeal to finance an expert planner to make our representations to both
councils and, if necessary, to the Planning Inspectorate.
Following the Meeting – update:
Stebbing Parish Council (SPC) held an Extraordinary Meeting, 3rd August ’17,
where the following was approved :
1. That Stebbing Parish Council will take the lead in the village’s opposition to
the proposed ‘West of Braintree’ development.
2. That Stebbing Parish Council will provide an initial £2,000 to an appeal
towards the cost of engaging a professional planner.
Many people are responding to the appeal and donations are growing steadily.
The Parish Council has appointed an expert planner who will put SPC’s case for the
UDC Consultation. He will also act for Stebbing at the next stage of Braintree DC’s
process.
We realise this is just the beginning of a long process. At every turn, we will fight
for Stebbing. Please continue to support the Parish Council, the elected body,
both practically and financially.
YOUR VILLAGE NEEDS YOU!
If you want to donate for the fight, and are able to, then please do it now!
Stebbing Scene is pleased to be able to contribute £1,000 - Ed
You can donate by:
• Cash (See Parish Clerk’s letter on page 57 for details of where to send it)
• Cheque made out to ‘Stebbing Parish Council’
• Bank transfer to sort code: 20-19-95 account number 40339237 - please use
‘SOS’ followed by a dash and your surname /initial as the reference.
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Offering great quality timber, garden furniture & fencing at competitive prices
Open to the general public & trade
Find us just off the roundabout between A120 Great Dunmow & Tesco
01371 876841/01371 734400
www.dunmowfencingsupplies
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SERCLE The ‘West of Braintree’ (WoB) Proposed Development
Even though there have been exhibitions, mailshots and meetings to explain the
extent and implications of the WoB proposals, there seem to be many residents
who are blissfully unaware of how this new town will affect Stebbing and the other
adjacent villages. Make no mistake, the quaint labelling of this development as a
‘Garden Village’ belies the reality; it is an order of magnitude bigger than a village
and the plans show little provision of anything ‘garden’.
You may have seen the signs around Stebbing proclaiming ‘NO to West of
Braintree’. There is a tendency that, whatever is proposed by one group will be
objected to by another, sometimes out of NIMBYism, sometimes as a matter of
principle and sometimes with good reason.
SERCLE is a campaign group highlighting the woeful inadequacy and
inappropriateness of the development, West of Braintree, and with very good
reason. The formal response submitted by SERCLE can be viewed on the website
www.sercle.org.uk, where the realities behind the mythical benefits and
assumptions supporting the development are discussed and discredited.
If you read the response (and you really should) you will hopefully appreciate why
the opposition to this proposal is a serious and valid concern for what such a
massive building program will do to the small villages caught up in the sprawl. If
you live in Stebbing (or the neighbouring villages) and actually like it, then it is
your responsibility to oppose those wishing to capitalise on the need for more
housing by plonking them wherever there is a bit of green space. Of course we
need more houses, but every house needs a wide range of infrastructure and
support services – the WoB proposal totally disregards these factors by imposing a
disproportionate volume of properties where there are already barely adequate
services.
So how do we prevent it? By demonstrating, with valid and credible arguments,
that WoB is not a suitable location for such a major development. The only real
way we can do this is by hiring professional representation to assemble a coherent
and compliant presentation of the true facts when the planning decisions are
made. To this end SERCLE has created a crowd-funding page where you can
donate to assist in financing this endeavour.
https://www.chuffed.org/project/33402
SERCLE has made an agreement with Stebbing Parish Council to pool and share
our efforts and resources to avoid duplication because, even though we are
approaching the issues from different perspectives, our goal is a common one.
Please support this effort in any way you can. Peter Finlay
I trust you have all had a good summer, even if we did
get a little damp some of the time! As we return this
month to school, college and work, I want to share
some great news with you, which will benefit the
ministry of all of the Pilgrim Parishes. I also want to
remind you of a couple of other important events
across the parishes, which may be advertised
elsewhere in these pages.
So the great news is that we have appointed a part
time administrator for the Pilgrim Parishes, who will act
as a communications and administrative hub for the ministry team, wardens,
church councils and other relevant bodies across all our villages. During this
month she will be receiving induction training and we will make her contact details
more widely known once the office is up and running. She will become the contact
point for baptisms (more of which next issue), weddings, funerals and other
enquiries, as well as greatly alleviating the administrative burdens of the clergy.
This post is initially funded over 5 years, with the help of a grant from the Diocese
of Chelmsford, but the local churches will eventually be funding it entirely
themselves. If you would like to know more about how that works, do drop me a
line.
Now, just when you thought the season of fetes and festivals was over, I want to
remind you about a few more in the coming weeks. Don’t forget about Tilty
Flower festival over the weekend of 30th September -1st October. It really is a
great event, with stalls, flower displays, a concert, Thaxted Morris Men, all topped
off with the 5 Parishes’ harvest festival in Tilty church on the Sunday morning.
And don’t miss Stebbing Village Fete on Sunday 24th September. A last hurrah for
the vintage cars, show ring, beer tent cake stall and raffle; it really is a classic
English fete. That Sunday is also the day of the Salings Harvest Festival, at Little
Saling church at 11am (note the change from the usual time). I really hope you
can enjoy being part of all of these events.
With every blessing, Tim
Tilty Flower Festival - September 30th and October 1st
The Flower Festival is the main fund-raising event for St Mary The Virgin Church,
Tilty, and this year takes place over the weekend September 30th and October 1st.
The Church is a Grade 1 listed building of outstanding historical and architectural
significance. It was originally the gatehouse chapel of Tilty Abbey, a Cistercian
Abbey founded in 1153, the remains of which can be seen in the field behind Tilty
Church, together with English Heritage information boards depicting life in the
Abbey.
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During the Flower Festival, the church becomes filled with an abundance of
flowers, fragrance and creativity. The artful floral displays of flower arrangers of
The Five Parishes will this year be based on the theme ‘Harvest’.
Tea, coffee and cakes will be served from the vestry and visitors can relax and
enjoy the floral displays on show in the church and the porch. There will be local
photographic and historical displays in the church and a stall hosted by The
Friends of The Five Parishes.
Outside in the churchyard there will be a variety of stalls to include a country
market, selling home-made and home-grown local produce, a plant stall, raffle and
games for all the family. ‘The Headless Monk’ licensed pop up bar will be open
throughout the weekend, serving a selection of real ale, cider and wines,
complementing hot food served from ‘The Friar’s Tuck’ BBQ and food stall.
Entertainment
The Thaxted Morris Men have kindly agreed to host a side of Morris Men who will
dance at 2pm on the Saturday. In addition to this, various live acoustic musical
acts will play over the weekend in the area next to ‘The Headless Monk’ bar.
Evening Concert - September 30th 7.30pm - Clive Carroll
This year we welcome the return of former Tilty resident, Clive Carroll, to Tilty
Church for a solo concert in aid of the Festival. The atmosphere and acoustics of
the Church provide a perfect backdrop for Clive’s amazing musical talent.
The Essex born guitarist made his musical debut at age two as a banjo-strumming
cowboy, singing nursery rhymes. Clive went on to earn a 1st class honours
degree in composition and guitar from the famed Trinity College of Music in
London, all the while balancing his classical work with forays into the world of the
steel string guitar. A chance meeting with the late John Renbourn changed the
course of Clive’s musical career and the two toured the U.K. and North America
together, with Renbourn encouraging Clive to release his first solo album in 2000.
Since then Clive has gone from strength to strength, touring solo around the world
and alongside lauded guitarist Tommy Emmanuel. Clive has also composed music
for major films and has been awarded an array of awards and accolades, such as
inclusion in Total Guitar Magazine’s, “Top 10 Acoustic Guitarists of All Time”.
The concert will begin at 7.30pm and will comprise two parts, with an interval for refreshments. The Headless Monk Bar will also be open from 6pm serving pre-and post-concert refreshments together with food from The Friars Tuck food stall.
Tickets are £15 and are on sale now. Please phone Fiona on 01371 870091 or
Village Clubs/Hirers: - Carpet Bowls • Badminton • Parent & Toddler Group Pilates • Judo Meetings: - Stebbing Ladies • Garden Club • Friday Morning Market • Over 60’s • Historical Society Why not start a new group? – Free slots are available in the main hall and the
Pelham Room for smaller groups – chess, bridge, music, dance, craft, floral etc.
Contact the Booking Clerk: – Donna, Tel 01371 855859
Garden Waste Collection
The green skip service will be at:
High Street Stebbing
(By the Downs)
10.15 - 11.15 am
Every Sunday
Until Sunday 10th December
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Letters to the Editor
Community Speed Watch
Some of you will have seen the Community Speed Watch volunteers
operating in the village. They will be popping up in various places at irregular
intervals to remind you that there is a 30mph speed limit in the village. At the
time of writing four vehicles have been reported to Essex Police for exceeding the
threshold, don't let it be you.
Brian Martin
Stebbing Parish Paths Partnership (P3)
Recently we have replaced several way-posts and removed a fallen tree that was
blocking a footpath. By the time you read this we should also have cleared two
other paths that I discovered to be overgrown despite having been cleared once
already this year. If you find any problems on footpaths please do not hesitate to
contact me, we will do our best to keep the paths problem free.
Brian Martin 856664
Parish Council
Further to the Public meeting on 27th July 2017, an extraordinary meeting of the
Parish Council was called on Thursday 3rd August 2017. There were only 2 items
on the agenda for the full council to consider, firstly whether the Parish Council
should take the lead on the Fight against the proposed ‘West of Braintree’
development and secondly whether the Parish Council agreed to commence the
fighting fund with £2000 from its reserves. Both of these proposals were
unanimously agreed. Members of the Planning committee have also had a
productive meeting with SERCLE.
Donations towards the fighting fund have been coming in and it has got off to a
good start. The Parish Council has engaged the services of a Professional Planner
to look at the UDC draft local plan and advise on the comments it should make to
the regulation 18 consultation that closes at 5pm on 4th September 2017.
Further professional advice and representation will be required for both the
Braintree and Uttlesford Local Plans at later stages.
Lastly, the Parish Council would like to sincerely thank all those who have so far
donated towards the fighting fund.
Regards,
Greg King, Clerk to Stebbing Parish Council
The Old Stables, High Street
Stebbing CM6 3SG
01371 855805
See page 3 for details of how to donate
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Stebbing Directory
AFSS/Stebbing School
Badminton
Beavers
Bell Ringing
Bowls Club
Brownies
Carpet Bowls
Church – St Mary’s
Church Flowers
Cricket Club
Cubs
New Dorcas Society
First Aid Training
Footpath Rep
Friday Morning market
Friends Meeting House
Garden Club
History Society / Archive
Guides
Guides – Senior Section
Judo Club
Ladies Group
Meals on Wheels
Medi-Call EMS
Minibus
Over 60s
Parish Clerk
Police
Rainbows
Scamps
Scouts
Stebbing Society
Tennis Club
Village Hall
Village Stores
White Hart
Office
Graham Phillips (eve)
David Arnold (afternoon)
Julie Yapp
John Gilbert
Pat Going
Loraine Irani
Pat Hopwood
Tim & Ruth Goodbody
Hazel Kerr
Adrian Farr
Maxine Walker
Rosie Pitkethly
Val Mulcare-Tivey
Brian Martin
Kim Matthews
Angela Newbrook
Jane Foster
Derek Towler
Clare Moreton
Sarah White
Andy Kiberd
Gina Going
Ann Howard
Val Mulcare-Tivey
Adrian Greenway
Eve Stephenson
Greg King
All non-emergency
Liz Hooper
Tim Goodbody
Andrew Lipski
Jenny Nichol
Erika Taunton
Donna Kiberd
Volunteer staff
Nick Eldred
856260
07971 573414
856271
07713 398903
856516
855 943
07788 412813
856183
856080
856993
856691
856232
856155
856935
856664
856112
856464
856466
856680
07704 101936
856032
811433
855 943
856325
856935
856892
856293
855805
101
856814
07708 660162
821671
856401
07841 904362
855859
856380
856383
Please help us to stay up to date - tell us about changes – Richard Foot 856122
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A fond farewell to Mrs. Wallis At Stebbing Primary School’s music afternoon on the 14th July, the children played
and sang beautifully while saying a heartfelt ‘thank you’ and farewell to much
loved Headteacher, Karen Wallis. It was a bitter-sweet occasion in which the
sadness of Mrs. Wallis’s departure was matched by the secure knowledge that she
is leaving the school in good hands - itself a great tribute to the work she has
done in building such a strong, enthusiastic and capable staff team.
For the past two years Miss Mawson has been the ‘Head of School’, with Mrs.
Wallis as Executive Headteacher. She has done her job well and Miss Mawson now
takes the reins as Headteacher,
secure in the knowledge that,
thanks to Karen’s support and
guidance, she is more than
equal to continuing the school’s
upward trajectory.
Few who attended the
afternoon could be left in any
doubt about the affection and
respect the children have for
the staff - they really are a
bunch of kids to be proud of!
The children certainly left Mrs.
Wallis with no doubts about
their gratitude for all she has
done for the school.
RF
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DISCLAIMER
The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publishers. Every care is taken to ensure that the contents of the magazine are accurate but the publishers cannot assume responsibility for errors. Stebbing Scene is delivered free to all Stebbing residents and its existence depends on our advertisers. However, the publishers cannot accept any responsibility for resulting transactions.
Stebbing Scene is your magazine and we hope that you enjoy receiving it each quarter.
Thanks to our advertisers, we are able to produce a professionally printed magazine, which is delivered free to every household in Stebbing. Our first priority is to entertain and inform village residents, but we hope that in doing so we can ensure that advertising with us is worthwhile. For most people in the village, when seeking local tradesmen or services, the natural first source of information is the Scene. If you own a small, or large business, why not place an advert in ‘Stebbing Scene’. Prices for 4 issues range from £30-£95.
We can only produce a magazine that meets the needs, and satisfies the interests of Stebbing residents if you continue to send us articles and reports of events and social activities in the village. We welcome photos, reports and announcements covering all aspects of life in Stebbing. Let us have your views on the magazine and on how we can improve and develop. If you have an opinion, a moan, or a suggestion then please contact one of the team.