Campaign for Claydon Junction Station

There is a report on the Jan 17th 2013 presentation on the East West Rail plans to the 
Winslow Local Area Forum on the East West Rail website at the link below:

http://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/winslow-and-district-find-out-more-about-east-west-rail/

There is also a Q&A list which includes new information on the discussions around a proposed additional station at Claydon Junction.

5.2 Will there be an interchange station where East West Rail and HS2 cross ?

Opposition to HS2 by both Buckinghamshire CC and AVDC is well documented. We understand that HS2 Ltd is determined that there will not be an intermediate station between London and the West Midlands.

However, if HS2 Ltd should receive Parliamentary approval, there has been some speculation and community interest in a temporary ‘halt’ on the EWR route in the Calvert / Steeple Claydon area to provide access for workers during construction of HS2. If demand warranted it, it would be possible to make this station permanent, to serve both the HS2 Infrastructure Maintenance Depot and the local community.  This would be on the basis that HS2 funded such a station and reached appropriate agreement with Network Rail and the East West Rail Consortium. The station could also offer benefits for people travelling from Aylesbury to Oxford as an interchange station potentially offering shorter journey times compared to changing at Winslow or Bletchley.

If you have particularly strong views on this matter, Rosie Brake, Buckinghamshire CC’s HS2 Engagement Business Manager is happy to hear from you.

So do get in touch with Rosie Brake at Bucks County Council  (rbrake@buckscc.gov.uk)

if you would like to support the proposal for a new station at Claydon Junction.

New all weather pitch at Swan Pool leisure centre

Sports enthusiasts in Buckingham can look forward to much-improved facilities at the Swan Pool leisure centre after Aylesbury Vale District Council secured £100,000 to redevelop the existing all-weather pitch.

Contractors employed by the council will remove the old artificial surface and replace it with a higher standard pitch suitable for football and hockey.

Work on the new all-weather surface is due to begin on 18 February and is expected to take six weeks to complete.

Once open, the sports pitch will be accessible to help local schools deliver their sporting curriculum, as well as being available for hire by the local community.

Funding for the project was secured by the council from Bellway and Bellcross, who were asked to contribute towards improving the local area through a ‘Section 106’ agreement, as part of the planning approval for a housing development off Moreton Road.

Councillor David Thompson, Cabinet Member for Leisure, said: “This is a great example of how positive planning can have a direct benefit on local communities. AVDC is very proud of its sport and leisure offerings and the Section 106 agreements mean we are able to ‘give something back’ and make sure our residents have opportunities to get involved in sport.”

AVDC garden waste collections starting again

Keen gardeners across Aylesbury Vale will be having their garden waste collected by the district council again from February.

Those residents who sign up for the service will start to have collections of their garden waste from 4 February, or 11 February, depending on where they live.

Aylesbury Vale District Council’s garden waste service costs £36 for each 240 litre brown bin collected fortnightly between February and November.

More than 10,000 households have already signed up, saving themselves the task of travelling or arranging private pick-ups to dispose of their garden waste. New customers are welcome to join at any time.

Through the service, residents can dispose of leaves, grass, hedge and tree cuttings, and similar materials. Woody material must be less than 10cm in diameter.

Garden waste collections are made on Mondays only, in the same week a household’s waste bin is collected. The material collected is taken away to be composted locally.

Councillor Sir Beville Stanier, Cabinet Member for Environment and Health, said: “Many residents value the convenience of the kerbside service. It enables householders to dispose of their excess waste or waste that isn’t easily composted that might otherwise have ended up in landfill.”

Residents are asked not to put garden waste in their landfill waste bins. If people don’t sign up for the garden waste collection service, they can take all of their green waste to their local Household Waste and Recycling Centre or purchase a home composter.

To register for the garden waste service, and for further information, visit www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/garden