The new Beds-Spread is out. Available from here (direct pdf link)

Saturday 7th June, 2008. Lots of things ongoing. Haven’t any of them to hand at the moment but will check tomorrow.

There’s a youth club started at the Village Hall on Thursdays between 7 and 9 pm.

There’s an Everton Lower School group on Facebook.

I believe the key things that came out of the village meeting tonight were:

1. The infrastructure of the village is going to have to be substantially updated and uprated prior to any of the proposed developments
2. No-one wants the recreation ground built on.
3. No-one really trusts the planning proposals as medium to long term residents of the village saw what happened on the St Mary’s Walk development – a total change from the original proposals.

Love to hear what anyone else made of it.

The Everton Parish Council is holding a public meeting on Thursday 26th July at 7:30pm in the Village Hall. This will be to discuss the planning proposals for Everton under the Local Development Framework.

If you are unable to attend the meeting, please send any comments to Mr S Hand, Chestnut House, Church Lane, Everton.

Next one will be on 11th July at 8pm at the Village Hall.

At the meeting about development on 27th June, a straw poll was taken, deciding an extraordinary Parish Council meeting should be convened as soon as possible specifically to discuss the proposals. When I hear when it is, I’ll post it.

Last night was the kick-off of the consultation by Mr Jonathan Pym with the villagers about the expansion of the village.

This is quick holding pattern write-up of the main points of the expansion. I’ll post the minutes as and when I get them. I have pictures of the proposals which I will use to make google maps of that I can safely publish on this blog without infringing copyright.

A summary of the proposals is (update, here’s a map):

1. Between the end of 2008 and 2021, Everton grows from 180 households to 250.
2. Up to five sites would be developed:
   • Manor Farm: 22 new dwellings, Manor farmhouse preserved.
   • 21 Sandy Road: 7 new dwellings. The farmhouse (Bakehouse) would be retained.
   • The ‘rec’ and the field behind it: 33 dwellings, a car park and a new village hall, plus moving the ‘rec’ to the adjacent field. The playground stays where it is.
   • End of the village going towards Sandy on the left: 8 new dwellings. Affordable housing.
   • The current village hall: sold for development.

Key phrases that came out of the meeting:

• Affordable Housing – There are also a range of affordable home ownership options, including shared ownership (where a tenant rents part share in the property from a social landlord, and owns the remainder). The government has also attempted to promote the supply of owner occupied affordable stock for purchase, principally by using the land-use planning system to require that housing developers provide a proportion of lower cost housing within new developments. (from wikipedia)
• Village Envelope – In a rural context, the terms town boundary, village curtilage or village envelope… circumscribes an entire urbanized area and is used by local governments as a guide to zoning and land use decisions. (adapted from wikipedia).

The monthly magazine for the area community and voluntary service is available here (pdf)

Community & Voluntary Service – Mid & North Bedfordshire offer advice to local community and voluntary organisation. They have a monthly magazine freely available (and reprintable) called Beds Spread.

Community & Voluntary Service – Mid & North Bedfordshire (CVS – Mid & North Beds) is your communities local Council for Voluntary Service, offering advice to Voluntary & Community Organisations in your patch, concerning sources of funding, training and development issues. We issue a monthly newsletter, Beds Spread, with news of interest to groups in the area.

Contact details are:

43 Bromham Road
Bedford
MK40 2AA
Tel: 01234 354366
Fax: 01234 347503
e-mail: info@cvsmidandnorthbeds.org.uk

There is a Funding Fayre on 11th June, 2007, 12.30pm to 5pm at the Bedford Corn Exchange.

An event full of funding related information, training and advice for local voluntary and community groups. Whether your group needs just a hundred pounds or thousands of pounds, the Funding Fayre is the place to start looking. From Mid Beds Community and Voluntary Service

It’s the Cheese and Wine AGM on Friday 30th March at 8.00pm in the Village Hall. Tickets are £3.50 each (£4 non-members) from Vera Bircham (681845) or Jan Bush (682251).

New members are always welcomed. New committee members are especially welcome .

On Sunday 1st July the Village Society are running a trip to Elton Hall. There will be a pub lunch, then a visit to the Hall and the ornamental gardens. Contact Vera Bircham (681845) or Jan Bush (682251) for tickets.

It’s the big one-zero for the Village Society and all members are invited to celebrate with a barbeque on Saturday, 7th July at St Mary’s House in Everton.

The Village Society is running a Captain’s Table – a cruise and buffet on the River Ouse – on Friday 10th August. Contact Vera Bircham (681845) or Jan Bush (682251) for details.