Dear Resident,
I hope you are staying well and enjoying the return of the summer weather! Here are the latest news items from the community:
July Parish Council Meeting
The Parish Councillors are pleased to be meeting in person this coming Thursday, 22nd July, for the first time since the beginning of March 2020. The meeting will be held in the main village hall, and members of the public are welcome to attend.
Telephone Box Book Exchange
We hope that you are enjoying the reinstatement of a red telephone box at Upper Green! It remains covered as there is some work that still needs to be carried out internally, to install shelving for books. Please do not remove the plastic sheeting! More news to come on when it will be open for use.
Tree- and hedge-cutting
The Parish Council has been pleased to arrange the cutting back of overgrown vegetation along some of the public footpaths in the village. It is great to see many people enjoying the footpaths and countryside around Ickleford. Please can we remind you that the nesting season is unlikely to end until towards the end of August this year as it started later than usual, so please try to leave any tree or hedge cutting until September, or for necessary work, please check carefully for nests before carrying it out.
Updates from a resident
One of Ickleford’s residents, Mr Bruce Parker, has asked for a summary of updates to work being carried out and planned to be published for all residents to read:
My name is Bruce Parker, son of Dorothy Parker. In 2017/18 I inherited 50 acres of land between Ickleford and Hitchin.
Only one field that I own is within Ickleford Parish and is called Duncotts. The bulk of the land extends to the main railway line and pedestrian bridge as part of the Icknield Way.
This takes in the disused and dissembled railway line which used to run between Hitchin and Bedford and the clay pit called Gerry’s Hole, the water meadow which grows willows for making cricket bats, a disused inert waste dump and a field alongside the allotments off Old Hale Way.
Since taking ownership of the land, the work completed is as follows:
- Opened up the overgrown Icknield way track leading into the bend in the river, the old ford, which up to 1980 was regularly used for tractors and harvesters to access fields beyond.
- Fenced the top field above Gerry’s for tree planting and fenced another area in the field by the allotments and Buzz Works. This requires approval to finish construction from Cadent as 2 High Pressure Gas mains lie below the field. This field will one day be a new orchard.
- Installed the new metal bridge which joins the allotment field and the water meadow and crosses the River Hiz.
- Laid a new track which joins one area of land that I hold to the other.
- I have permission from NHDC to build a barn 18m x 9m x 5m with a pitched roof, to be coloured green.
My wishes for the future are many and plans will hopefully include individuals who would like to get involved. I have no intention of building houses and I have taken steps to protect the wild life and plants.
Bruce Parker
e-Scooters
There have been some residents riding e-Scooters in and around the village. At the moment, it is illegal to ride them anywhere other than on private land – please do not ride them on pavements or roads.
Bins
The Parish Council have supplied two new litter bins in the village: one at the Sports Ground by the car park, and one to be installed by Cadwell Bridge. NHDC have supplied two dog bins free of charge which the Parish Council have had installed: one by F/P7 in Snailswell Lane and the other at the Sports Ground, by the petanque court. A third new litter bin will be discussed at this week’s Parish Council meeting.
Report of hay-burning
There was a report last week and evidence submitted of a large pile of hay being set alight at the entrance to a field near Lower Green and the Common. We would ask residents to report any such activity to NHDC and to the police, as not only is this fly-tipping, it could potentially be dangerous for wildlife as well as the surrounding area if the grass is dry and also catches alight.
OWL Messaging from Herts Police
Our colleagues in the NHS have just issued the following media release:
Patients in Hertfordshire and west Essex will still be required to wear face coverings in GP practices and other healthcare settings when COVID-19 restrictions ease on Monday.
The guidance from the NHS for healthcare settings has not changed, and patients who are not exempt from wearing a face covering should continue to wear one, follow social distancing and hand hygiene guidance. If patients are exempt from wearing a mask, a face shield may be offered as an alternative.
COVID-19 infection rates are rising in all areas of the country which means its vitally important we continue to do all we can against the virus. Wearing a face covering is an effective way of reducing transmission. It’s also really important that anyone who is eligible for a vaccine and hasn’t yet come forward does so without delay; it’s the best defence we have against COVID-19.
Dr Jane Halpin, Joint Chief Executive Officer, Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System and Clinical Commissioning Groups said: “We need to continue to do what we can to keep people safe from catching Covid-19 in healthcare settings. One way we can all help with this is by continuing to wear a face-covering and we are asking all patients to do that, as well as staff. Keeping staff safe is essential to keep operating efficiently.
If you would like to join the Online Watch Link service, to have regular messages sent to you regarding safety in your neighbourhood, please contact the Watch Liaison Officer on wlo@herts.pnn.police.uk or 01707 355807.
Best wishes,
Judith Crosier, Clerk to Ickleford Parish Council
Thank you for your comments regarding the bins and the hedge-trimming.
With regard to emptying the bins more regularly, the Parish Council agrees and have requested a twice-weekly collection which they would pay for. However, the contractors who empty the bins have a full schedule and unfortunately can’t accommodate any more collections per week. One reason that the bins are so full so quickly is that plastic containers and metal cans are put in them, when they could be taken home for recycling, leaving the bins for perishables.
We have just installed an additional dog bin at the recreation ground – it is situated on the public footpath behind the clubhouse, near the petanque court.
The Parish Council still has a Highways representative, who liaises with Hertfordshire Highways on all aspects of issues regarding the Highways, reports back to the Council on updates, and provides information to the community on upcoming roadworks.
Please could you let me know on clerk@ickleford-pc.gov.uk who has requested their hedges to be trimmed? I received two such requests, which were carried out immediately. Some of the public footpaths are the County Council’s responsibility, and others are the Parish Council’s responsibility; the latter are trimmed regularly according to the agreement between the Parish Council and its contractor.
Please feel free to report any overgrown footpath or bridle path, with its number and location, and it can be dealt with at Parish Council level or escalated to County as appropriate. Thank you.
We could do with the
Litter bins being changed more frequently at the Recreation ground, particularly during the summer months.
Same goes for the Dog bins and there is a need for an additional one at the far end of the recreation ground. I would be happy to assist with emptying these if given a disposal point
You used to have a ‘Highways Committee’ that dealt with problems on the highway. It was very active when the PC wanted traffic calming. However, it may be needed again, because all the requests for residents to trim back their hedges is being ignored. The article about cutting hedges was most interesting, but what about the rest of the village? I think that someone on the PC should go round the village, make note of all the hedges and write to HCC and ask them to do their job. 👍😁