The condition of the Old Town Hall on Billericay High Street continues to give cause for concern and it is inevitable that a decision about its future will soon have to be made. Attempts have been made to secure its use for the town but have met with little success the most recent being a suggestion that the County Council should pay for the building to be refurbished and then lease it to the town at a peppercorn rent. Unfortunately this suggestion was rejected by the Property Services Committee of Essex County Council at a meeting held on 11 September. The decision does not come as a surprise, the suggestion was a bit of a long shot, money is scarce and whilst, historically, it would be nice to resurrect the old building its practical use is somewhat obscure. The Committee has decided to wait until its meeting in November to give interested parties time to raise the money to return the building to its former glory, the cost is estimated to be in the region of £300.000, or inevitably it will have to be sold. If this be the case it would be nice if a condition of sale could be imposed which would see the front of the building retained and made presentable.
Planning Application BAS/900/97
This application is submitted by DGG Planning of Wokingham, Berkshire on behalf of its client Kwik Fit Properties of Edinburgh, Scotland seeking permission to use its new building at Radford Way without compliance with condition 3 of planning application BAS/0294/97. It appears that planning condition 3 relates to the level of noise permitted during day to day operations of the business and has been imposed by the District Council to ensure that the noise level does not exceed acceptable limits. DGG Planning is of the opinion that the "condition as worded would even prevent vehicles manoeuvring on the site". They also believe that Kwik Fit's proposals "will if anything improve the situation with respect to the relationship with adjoining residential premises and in the circumstances can see no justification for the condition whatsoever"
Whatever the rights and wrongs of this application the District Council is investigating the legal and environmental implications of the submission from DGG, if the removal of condition 3 is likely to result in unacceptable levels of noise to residents living in the vicinity then its removal should not be undertaken lightly. It is one thing to be inconvenienced by noise from compressors and pneumatic equipment during normal working hours but it is totally unacceptable on Saturday afternoons and more importantly all day Sunday. I understand that no contract condition has been imposed which would restrict the hours of working to those which are socially acceptable, consequently it is more important that noise levels are kept to a minimum.
This application seeks permission to build a 3 storey Office Development with parking space for 7 cars on land at the rear of 108 High Street, Billericay. This land behind Quirks Estate Agents has been the subject of a previous planning application but since the District Council was considering the development of The Fold Car Park it was not implemented.
Having been brought up in a religious household I find it disquieting to be at odds with the church but in this instance I have to say that this site at Queens Park Roundabout on which it is proposed to build a church is not a suitable location. This would appear to be the opinion of the members of the Area Committee since at a meeting of the Committee held on 11 September they decided not to determine this application until its next meeting on 6 November. In the meantime it would be nice if an alternative more suitable site could be found on which to build the church, unfortunately this suggestion is not without problems for in 1983 the Council bought the site for a nominal sum with the proviso that if during the next ten years it was not put to some use for the community the developer could reclaim the land for the same price. Ten years has passed and the land has still not been put to community use so if the church is not to be built on the site the alternative could be houses or flats - not a pleasant thought.
Assuming that an alternative site can be found for the church then to what use could the site be put which would be of benefit to the community? The West Area Committee of the Residents' Association suggests that a simple Garden of Remembrance for Diana Princess of Wales be built on the site financed by public donation and maintained by the District Council, this suggestion has been put to members of the Area Committee.
If you are in favour of a Garden of Remembrance perhaps you would contact the editor of the newsletter on 01277 623519, or write to 174 Perry Street, so that the amount of support for the suggestion can be determined but please bear in mind that the next Area Committee will be held on 6 November.
Following the much publicised comments by the newly "privatised" Great Eastern Railway the Assocation wrote to Mr Richard Clark, Franchise Manager asking him if the Railway was going to install a lift for the disabled on the London bound platform and when the installation would be complete. In reply Mr Clark said that Great Eastern Railway was keen to provide a lift and had the support of Essex County Council however Rail Track, who own Billericay Station, wanted to cary out a feasibility study and would not give a date when the study would be complete.
You may remember that the Association several months ago received quotes from several companies who put the cost at about £20,000. I wonder how long it takes to complete a feasibility study for a job of this magnitude?
Once again Dade and Weston will this year be holding a raffle in support of the Rotary Club's Christmas Special Event to be held on Thursday 11 December. The prize will be a Lladro figurine called "The Snowman" in keeping with this year's Special Event theme and can be seen in their advertisement and of course in the shop at 78 High Street together with a very large range of Lladro and Nao. The tickets will be on sale from 1 November until 11 December so please help the Rotary Club by supporting the raffle. Dade and Weston would also like to remind members of the Residents' Association that they will receive a 10% discount on all purchases on production of their membership card and this year will be given an EXTRA 5% discount on all Gemset rings during November and December.
The 6th Bootham Fete held on Saturday 9 August and opened by Councillor Maureen Larkin was well attended in spite of a boiling hot day. It is anticipated that the profit will be of the order of £1700. The organiser, Mrs Patricia Banks, would like to thank all the people who helped make the Fete such a success.
Do you fancy a new outfit but can't justify the expense? Visit Patricia's Dress Agency perhaps with a friend, browse and have a cup of tea or coffee. You may find just what you are looking for from the fine range of nearly new clothes. If you have any unwanted good quality fashionable clothes we may be able to sell them for you. You receive two thirds of the selling price.
We are open Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday mornings and Wednesday evening. Telephone Patricia on 01277 625448 for an appointment.
Delivered to local addresses bagged horse manure, either pure and shredded to a fine compost or straight from the field. Also available loose by the trailer load (approximately 1/2yds.) All proceeds for the Horse Sanctuary, please ring Ken on Billericay 655912.
Editor - Trevor Stansfield, 174 Perry Sreet, Billericay, Essex CM12 0NX. Tel: 623519 E-mail:tremar@aol.com
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