In Great Baddow - Village News 2011

"No News is Good News" - unless you are trying to put together a webpage on News. In which case a blank page looks a little bit funny.

So why don't you email us and tell us what you think is making news in Great Baddow, that you'd like to share with us all. If you wish it to be anonymous, we're happy to oblige.

Marrable House Battle Lost

Chelmsford Borough Council finally decided at their meeting on 15th November to grant permission for the demolition of Marrable House to be replaced with 58 extra-care flats in a six-storey development. A packed council chamber heard opposition from Chris Shaw, Parish Council Chairman, and a selection of other villagers and councillors but still agreed that the plan could go ahead by a single vote majority.

The revised plan will see the removal of eight trees from the site and reduced parking in the Vineyards from 210 to 175. Joy of Joys!

[Source: adapted from Essex Chronicle (17th Nov 2011)]

BMX Track Update

The new BMX Pump Track in Baddow Hall Park is proving extremely popular with local riders.

A stroll through the park on Sunday showed around 30 riders (with some spectating parents) having an exhilirating time whizzing round the circuit and burning up quite a bit of energy. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the new facility, so lets hope for a future Olympic champion emerging from this humble beginning.

bmx track in great baddow

[Source : MC 13/11/2011]

New BMX Track in Great Baddow

The new BMX Pump Track in Baddow Hall Park was officially opened on Saturday, October 15, 2011.

Riders won their fight to bring a track to the village in March, despite letters of opposition and concerns about anti-social behaviour being received by Chelmsford Council. The planning application, put forward by Chelmer Housing Partnership, was approved but planning bosses warned if any problems arise from its use the council could shut it down.

Materials used to build the 50m by 30m track will enable riders to ride, jump, pump and perform stunts in a safe environment. The term “pump track” describes a track that has been designed to reduce pedalling and will instead use the pumping action of a rider’s body weight and leg compressions to propel them round. It also includes a variation of jumps to suit all levels of ability.

[Source : Jon Eagles 19/10/2011]

Marable House Decision soon?

Chelmsford Borough Council is this month expected to make a decision on the future of Marrable House - the derelict building at the Vineyards.

The planning application details are as follows and can be viewed at the Chelmsford Borough Council website.

Redevelopment of site (with demolition of existing building - Marrable House) to provide 58 extra care residential flats with ancillary facilities in two new buildings; one to replace Marrable House and the other fronting Maldon Road, vehicle parking; refurbishment of ramp, temporary access and parking area, re-organising of existing parking areas and landscaping.

The planning application reference nunber is 11/01093/FUL.

[Source : Jon Eagles 12/10/2011]

New Scout Group in Great Baddow

1st Great Baddow Scout Group will be starting on Thursday 3rd November at Baddow Hall Junior School. It will run on Thursday evenings in school term times, with sessions for Beavers (aged 6-8) from 5.15 - 6.15; Cubs (aged 8 - 10.5) from 6.30 - 7.45; Scouts (aged 10.5 - 14) from 8.00 - 9.30).

Group Scout Leader is Paul Bedwell 471632 and Chairman is Richard Hunt (thanks for contacting us Richard).

Please note that there is already a waiting list for Beavers!

[Source : MC 1/10/2011]

Shop Photos Sought

Darren Hanning is asking villagers to look through photo albums and see if they have any images of post-war shops and stores, especially form the 50's and 60's. Darren is also interested in any anecdotes you may have about stores such as Copsey's the butchers, Parkinson's the chemist or Westrip the sweet shop. Please contact us through our usual channels or phone Darren directly on 07944 225887. Any photos or stories that are submitted will be featured here on our website.

[Source : MC 1/8/2011 and Essex Chronicle 28/7/2011]

World Premiere of Baddow Magna

Baddow Prom is taking place in St. Mary's Church on Friday 20th May and Saturday 21st May beginning at 7.30 p.m. The concert will feature the world premiere of a cantata telling the story of Great Baddow called 'Baddow Magna' written by local composer Eric Withams. Tickets are £5 and £3 (concessions) and available from Congratulations Card Shop in the Vineyards, A Little Bazaar in Maldon Road and the Church Office.

Baddow Beer Festival

The Blue Lion will be holding Great Baddow's first Beer Festival from Friday, April 29th until Monday, May 2nd. There will be a hog roast, bouncy castle and of course, numerous real ales and ciders. [Source: Jon Eagles (23rd April 2011)]

Annual Village Conference

The Annual Village Conference was held in the Bell Centre on 14th April. A breif summary follows :-

Police : fewer domestic burglaries (down from 80 to 70); will be supporting and policing the new BMX track; contact : Srgnt Jamie Mills
Neighbourhood Action Panel : aim - better communication between police and villagers; meets every 6 weeks; Contact : Richard Beck
Fire Service : small decrease in incidents over past year; hoax calls greatly reduced; fewer fire fighters; some fireservice houses to be sold and money put back into service; desperate to avoid redundancies; contact : Divisional Officer Matt Hughes
Grounds : Outdoor Gym equipment to be installed in Recreation Ground in May
Highways : work on Jeffery Road/Crescent Road postponed until drains situation rectified
Concerns re. withdrawal of Bus Route 40 by Firstbus - letter going from Parish Council to company; meeting planned; petition available to sign
Marrable House : no further developer application expected until after May elections
Bell centre re-painting : ECC seeking to raise rent and shorten length of lease; nothing to happen until resolved
Neighbourhood Watch : no further newsletters due to drop in police funding; regular column in Great Baddow Times instead
If you wanted to find out about Flooding, Foxes, putting iron rods through walls, and the fictitious "Water Board" you really should have been there. Maybe see you next year.

[Source: MC 15th March 2011]

BMX Track for Baddow Hall Park

On March 8th, Chelmsford Council approved the plan put forward by Chelmer Housing Partnership for a BMX track in Great Baddow. Despite 44 objections from residents, planning permission was granted after strong pleas from both supporters and objectors at a packed council chamber. The BMX track will be about 50 metres by 20 metres (or 165 feet by 65 feet in old money), 3 times the size of the skateboard area in Central Park. Younger representatives of the BMX community claimed that they would be looking after the track and picking up litter. Ian Wright, chairman of the planning committee, told the supporters it was up to them to prove that the residents fears were unjustified, but warned that the track could be closed down if this was not the case.[Source: Chelmsford Weekly News 10th March 2011]

New Salvation Army Charity Shop Opens

The Salvation Army has this week opened a new charity shop and drop-in centre at the Meadgate Avenue shopping parade. Locals are invited to pop in for a chat and to have a look through the extensive range of second-hand clothes. The Mayor of Chelmsford, Alan Arnott, officially opened the shop on Monday, 14th February. Donations of items for sale at the shop will be greatly appreciated.

Kings Head Pub Reopens

King's Head pub photo After being shut for a week, the King's Head re-opened for business on Friday 11th Feb, with a new manager at the helm.

[Source: Jon Eagles blog (14th Feb 2011)]

Marrable House Proposals Meeting Report
A public meeting took place last evening (25th) at Sandon School. There was a substantial number of residents present, estimated at over 100, who listened to presentations by representatives of Rubicon West, the owners of the Vineyards which is the company proposing redevelopment of the site.
Following introductions by the Chair of the Parish Council (Chris Shaw), a slide presentation was given by the developers. This first showed the improvements to the Vineyards over the last decade including the refurbishment of the flats and maisonettes, and the updating of the shopping precinct with the cafe. This was followed by plans for the rebuild on the Marrable House site and a new building parallel to Maldon Road. Because the planning objections last year which resulted in refusal focussed on the Maldon Road building, the new proposal has reduced the scale and height of the original plan and set the building back from the road, preserving the trees.
Dicussion followed on the new proposals and there were serious concerns and objections by many of those who spoke from the floor. These covered:

continued concern about the scale of the Maldon Road building,
whether there was a need for extra care sheltered housing,
the adequacy of car parking space provision for existing Vineyards residents, shoppers, sheltered housing residents and their support staff,
the modern, contemporary nature of the design in the centre of the village conservation area,
possible over development of the site in order to maximise utilisation of space for flat provision,
visual impact of the buildings on the environment,
impact on traffic and provision of local GP services.

Overall, the impression gained was that most of those attending would prefer to see redevelopment of Marrable House in an appropriate architectural style sympathetic to the area, and no new build along the Maldon Road.

[Source: Great Baddow Online (28th Jan 2011)]

Great Baddow Fire Station no longer to be manned at current levels.
A new concept of "low-level activity and risk" will replace it, but details are not yet finalised and changes won't be imposed for at least a year.

[Source: Essex Chronicle (13th Jan 2011)]

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