East West Railway

The signals may be changing at last for the East West Railway, which has been under discussion for longer than many of us care to remember.

Stage 3 of the proposal for the Western (Milton Keynes - Oxford) section of the line was completed in January. 2 possible options were proposed:

- the 'regional rail' option: direct from Oxford - Milton Keynes and on to Bedford with no stops

- the 'local rail' option: hourly services Aylesbury - Milton Keynes and Oxford - Milton Keynes
both with a stop at Winslow, and hourly Oxford - Bedford with a stop at Newton Longville.

The cost of the Aylesbury spur was considerably less than previously anticipated.

AVDC has expressed a strong preference for the second 'local rail' option.

The next stage, Stage 4, will progress one proposal to an outline design for the infrastructure with detailed plans for construction and operations, and the East West Rail Consortium hope that it will be possible to begin the work this summer.

Romer Wood Appeal

As readers of this blog with long memories will remember, last May I referred to an application by the Trailriders Association to upgrade a bridleway through Romer Wood and some of the adjacent woods south of Middle Claydon ('Three Points Lane') into a 'byway open to all traffic' so that they could use it for motorbike trailriding. This has gone on appeal to the Department of the Environment who were supposed to have made a decision by February, but we are still waiting. More news when I get it.

Calvert Waste Plant Consultation

The Calvert landfill site lies just ouside the parish and ward boundary, and the current discussions about the future of the site are of great concern.
The latest Waste Strategy consultation document produced by Bucks County Council gives 2 alternative proposals, both of which involve the building of a new waste treatment facility at
Calvert. The most likely type of facility is a waste incinerator which would also generate electricity which could be channelled into the National Grid.
The incinerator would be environmentally preferable to the current landfill site, as it would reduce the amount of harmful methane produced, which is one of the worst 'greenhouse gases'.
Also the ash produced from the incinerator could be used for road construction material and
housing blocks. It is good to think of Calvert producing bricks again.
The 2 proposals are:

- One site at Calvert for North Bucks and one at Wapsey's Wood (near Beaconsfield) for South Bucks, both handling municipal and commercial waste

- Two sites as above, but one dedicated to municipal waste only, and the other dedicated to
commercial waste.

The first option (handling both types of waste) would obviously reduce the number of miles required to carry the waste to the two sites.

There is a public meeting to discuss the proposals at Calvert Green Community Hall, Cotswold Way, Calvert on Thursday 17th April at 7.15 pm.

At the public consultation meeting in Aylesbury last Tuesday, the issue of the need for a new link road from Calvert to the A41 to handle the additional vehicles was raised, and the preferred option is for a new road to run adjacent to the existing railway line which already takes 'bin liner'
waste trains to Calvert.

Improving Vicarage Orchard

Vicarage Orchard could be a great amenity for the village as a sanctuary for birds, bats and butterflies as well as a welcome oasis of peace and quiet in the centre of the village.

Unfortunately it has not always been fully respected and I am sorry to hear that there has been a particularly bad outbreak of litter recently, particularly with bags of dog waste. The Parish
Council recently purchased a dog bin at considerable expense, which has been put on the fence at the top of Vicarage Orchard along Vicarage Lane, and it is a pity that not everyone is using it.

I am glad to hear that the Parish Council are planning a 'clean up' operation for Vicarage Orchard in the near future to clear the rubbish and cut the brambles back so that it can once again be a pleasant feature of the village.

The handrail is up !

I am delighted to report that the handrail outside the Doctor's surgery on Challoners' Hill has now been put up by Bucks Highways. Many people have said how delighted they are with it, and I am pleased that it was put up before the recent cold spell.

I hope that pedestrians will find it useful.