East-West Railway: the work begins !

The exciting news is that at long last work is beginning to reopen the line from Bletchley to Oxford via Steeple Claydon. This week a start will be made on clearing vegetation from the disused stretch of line from Claydon to Bletchley.

The following bulletin has been received from the Milton Keynes Partnership:

Ladies & Gentlemen,

As you may be aware, the East West Rail (EWR) Consortium and Milton Keynes Partnership (MKP) have commissioned work to complete the design of the Western Section of EWR. This work will provide a costed outline design of the infrastructure needed to run trains Oxford/Milton Keynes and Aylesbury/Milton Keynes.

I thought that you would wish to know that, in connection with this project, work is scheduled to start next Monday (26th Jan) on clearing vegetation from the unused part of the Western Section, i.e. from Bletchley through Winslow as far as Claydon Junction. (To the west and south of Claydon Junction the track is used by waste trains.) The clearance is required in preparation for technical surveys and ground investigations by the consultants appointed to carry out the design work.

MKP issued the attached release regarding the clearance works on behalf of the EWR Consortium. They sent the release to the local press and, I believe, will be distributing it more widely to the media in the next day or two.

Press Release:

Clearing the way for East-West Rail design

Around 20 kilometres of disused railway line between Bletchley and Claydon Junction stations will be cleared of scrub, brambles and overgrown vegetation so that survey and investigation work can be carried out for the design development phase of the East-West Rail project.

Starting on 26 January, the clearance will take two to three weeks and some will be done with manual equipment, although the more densely overgrown areas will need to be cleared with chainsaws and tractor mounted flails. All of the waste materials will be left chipped and spread on the site.

Patrick O’Sullivan, East-West Rail Project Manager at Milton Keynes Partnership, said: “While this work is happening the contractors will be making every effort to keep any disruption to a minimum. Once the site clearance is completed, the engineers and surveyors will begin their technical surveys and ground investigations to enable the design work of the new track and associated railway engineering works for the western section of the East-West Rail project.”

The design development work is being undertaken by Atkins Consultancy who were recently appointed to carry out the design work (Guidance for Railway Investment Projects - GRIP Stage 4) on the Western Section of the East-West Rail project.

Residents who have any questions about the clearance works between Bletchley and Claydon should contact Jez Baldock of Atkins Consultancy (who are project managing the works programme on behalf of Milton Keynes Partnership) on 0121 483 5323, or Patrick O’Sullivan of Milton Keynes Partnership on 01908 353752.

ENDS

For more information please contact: Helen Meadows or Nadir Farrell, Milton Keynes Partnership press office on 01908 353981 or 353913 helen.meadows@hca.gsx.gov.uk nadir.farrell@hca.gsx.gov.uk




Notes to editors:

Milton Keynes Partnership created in June 2004 is responsible for growth, development and investment in the new city. It is a sub-committee of the Homes and Communities Agency, the newly formed housing and regeneration agency for England. Milton Keynes Partnership is the lead member of the East-West Rail Consortium.

East-West Rail Consortium is a group of local authorities and government agencies with an objective of securing a new rail route from East Anglia to Oxford via the Milton Keynes South Midlands growth area. More details of the project can be found online at www.eastwestrail.org.uk. The £2 million for the GRIP 4 work has come from the Growth Area Fund from Oxford, Aylesbury and Milton Keynes with support from the DCLG.

AVDC Grants available for small businesses

Business Grants Available

AVDC are encouraging budding entrepreneurs and those businesses that are looking to expand by providing grants of up to £5,000.

The small business grant scheme aims to promote sustainable business growth whilst promoting entrepreneurship, innovation and encouraging employment growth.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate employment and financial growth in their applications to succeed.

To qualify, applicants must be businesses based in the Vale and are starting-up or are businesses with less than 30 employees.

The next Business grants panel meeting is to be held in February and AVDC looks forward to receiving applications from local businesses.

For further information please contact the Economic Development Team by telephone on 01296 585657 or by email economicdevelopment@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk

2009 Council Tax increase lowest for a decade

Cabinet proposes lowest council tax increase for a decade

Aylesbury Vale District Council’s cabinet has recommended the district’s lowest council tax increase for 10 years.
At a meeting of the cabinet on 13 January, councillors approved a budget for 2009/10 that will see a council tax increase of two per cent. This means people living in a Band D property will pay £128.57 this year for district council services, an increase of £2.53 or some five pence per week.
The recommendation, which runs below the current rate of inflation, will ease the burden on residents affected by the economic downturn.
The district council faces some tough decisions this year as a result of the credit crunch and world wide recession – with reduced income in many areas, lower interest on investments, and rising energy and fuel costs.
In response, the cabinet’s proposed budget for the next financial year includes £1.7 million in efficiency savings, minimising wherever possible any impact on front-line services. Substantial savings will be made on salaries through a series of restructuring plans, retirements and not filling existing vacant posts.