The Residents Association

Hallmark March 1988. Report by Philip Rhodes

We have an on-going dialogue with our County Councillor regarding road problems involving parking in Pink Road near the Windmill crossroads, the narrows in Loosley Row and the latest threat by the P.S.A. on behalf of Strike Command to instal street lighting from Slad Lane to Hughenden Valley. We are supporting the Naphill Residents Association in objecting to the scheme. We are also seeking information on fire service changes, and monitoring very closely the situation in Loosley Row where the reported purchase of private houses may be connected with the provision of alternative access to the Christmas Meats site.

We still await the Wycombe District Council's Rural Areas Plan now scheduled for publication in June, we are given to understand.

The first A.G.M. was held on 17th March. About 60 people attended, including some new members. Our County and District Councillors were present, but only one Parish Councillor.

We shall shortly be launching our Village Appraisal which will enable everyone to state their views on all aspects of life in our two communities. This will provide an invaluable source of information for anyone who wishes to refer to its findings – including the Parish Council.

Although we keep the Parish Council advised of our opinions and attitudes they still seem to want to take decisions on such matters as street lighting and conservation areas without full and proper consultation. These matters are too important to be decided at what have been in the past poorly attended Annual Parish Meetings. The Association have suggested to the Parish Council that as a part of our Village Appraisal all villagers are asked, anonymously, for their views on street lighting and conservation areas. Come along Parish Council, it's a good idea, worthy of your total support.

Our next event will be on 23rd April - The Crime Prevention Exhibition at the Village Hall. Clean Up Day on 19th March was a success and 39 bags of rubbish were collected. Our thanks to those who helped on the day, especially the children who did a first class job. Perhaps next time other organisations will try to participate. Our special thanks to Gerald Smith for collecting all bags in his vehicle.

The Association is alive and well, continuing to put forward suggestions and to ensure that residents views are heard. Why not join us in our efforts by becoming a member?

Hallmark November 1989. Report by Linda Stone

A Splendid Surprise. "First in the small villages section is Lacey Green and Loosley Row Residents Association for their Village Appraisal". For a moment we were stunned, then thrilled as George Munro was proudly heading towards the top table for the presentation of the winning trophy, a magnificent wooden shield with the names of the previous winners engraved on small metallic shields upon it. Also most welcome, a prize of £400. A well-deserved reward for all the hard work put into the Appraisal by members of the committee.

Earlier this year the Residents Association had entered the Village Ventures Competition organised by the Buckinghamshire Council for Voluntary Service and sponsored by Shell UK and the Rural Community Council. This competition is run every two years in Buckinghamshire and villages large and small enter projects which, in various ways, benefit the local communities and the environment.

The BCVS held a presentation evening on 10 November 1989 in the Aylesbury Vale District Council chambers. George and Jean Munro, Peter and Lillian Trotter and myself attended to represent the Residents Association. It was a most pleasant occasion with displays of the competition material, the Opportunity to meet people from other villages and talk about their projects and to hear about the seven short-listed projected from the BCVS staff and how these had been assessed by the judges, including the area representative of Shell UK Mr. David Purves.

A light buffet and wine added to the congenial atmosphere of the evening which ended with the reporter for the Bucks Herald Lining up the winners for photographs.

In commenting on our Village Appraisal, it was very clear that the judges had been particularly impressed by the fact that it had involved the whole community (remember the questionnaires delivered to every household) and many villagers had actually taken part with a 60% response to the questionnaires.

Winning this competition is an achievement we can all be proud of. Well done and thank you to all who contributed with comments and ideas.

Hallmark July 1995. Report by David Chalkley

At the Committee Meeting immediately following the Annual General Meeting the following officers were elected:

Chairman – David Chalkley; Deputy Chairman – Ian Harkness; Hon. Treasurer – Michelle Rackstraw; Hon. Secretary – Victor Southon

Other Committee members, elected at the AGM, are Roger Brundenell, Denis Hart, Frank Powell, Laurence Rostron, Yvonne Aldous and Frank Glenister. In addition Sheryl Burroughs, Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator, and Dr.Tim Shreeve have been co-opted onto the Committee.

The Association now has over 120 members.

We continue to press the County Council to do something about the problem of traffic speeding along Main Road. Thanks to these efforts, and those of the Parish Council and the local M.P. David Liddington, we are beginning to make some progress. The Council carried out speed checks in June over a seven-day period, form 7 am to 7 pm. The results are extremely interesting. The volume of traffic averaged 4200 vehicles per day over the week, and peaked at 4800 on weekdays. 15% of the traffic, equivalent to 625 vehicles broke the speed limit of 40 mph each day. Between 2 and 4 vehicles exceeded 50 mph each day, obviously a very dangerous situation.

For some inexplicable reason the Council engineers placed their speed probe at a point south-east of the junction with Roundlands. At this point traffic is either approaching or leaving a curve in the road, and would naturally slow down. We have, therefore asked the Council to repeat the tests on a straight section between Stocken Farm and the School, where we expect recorded speeds to be even higher.

The Council say they are actively looking at traffic calming devices but have not yet come up with a solution. We are pressing them to come up with firm proposals.

As our contribution to the Best Kept Village Competition, Association members organised a mail drop throughout the Village urging all residents to keep their properties tidy. Although we did not reach the finals of the competition, the results were significantly better than last year.

Hallmark March 1996. Report by David Chalkley

We held a well-attended and successful Annual General Meeting in the Village Hall on March 26th. A lively debate took place on such diverse subjects as traffic speeding in Main Road, the Neighbourhood Watch scheme, the application to close the Black Horse public house, and fouling of verges and pavements by dogs.

After the meeting Chris Wallis gave a fascinating and entertaining talk on the history of the restoration of the Lacey Green Windmill, complete with slides, models and examples of the actual tools used in the work. We are very grateful to Chris for finding the time to make this presentation and for suggesting that we make a contribution to the Windmill Restoration Fund in lieu of his fee, which we have done.

The meeting expressed its mounting concern about speeding in Main Road, particularly in view of the two accidents that have occurred in the vicinity of the School in the past four months, and the unwillingness of the County Council to take any action. We shall be writing to the County Council, with copies to our local MP and County Councillor, with specific recommendations covering a reduction in the speed limit to 30 mph, the relocation of the speed sign at the Wycombe end of the Village to a point further south, the remarking of the speed sign with a bright yellow surround to make it more obvious, and the installation of speed cameras. We are liasing on this with the Parish Council and the Headmaster of the School, who has also voiced his concern. We urge residents in Main Road, and parents of school children to write also to the County Councillor, Tim Jones, at County Hall if they feel the same way. The more letters received the greater the impact.

We also need a Neighbourhood Watch representative living in Main Road between the Black Horse and the School, preferably someone who Is in the Village during the day.

If anyone is available to do this will they please contact Sheryl Burroughs on 344157. The meeting was very much against the proposed closure of the Black Horse, and its conversion into a private house, with a second house on the car park site, although recognising that the pub was unlikely to pay its way without significant capital expenditure. The District Council has subsequently refused the application, and we will have to wait and see what the Owners decide to do.

The District Council has also refused an application to crown’? a particularly fine ash tree in Hambye Close, which we had strongly opposed.

On the subject of fouling by dogs, all dog owners in the Village were asked to take a responsible attitude in restraining their dogs from fouling pavements, verges and other people's gardens, and were reminded that fines of up to £500 could be imposed.

The Association now has a membership of 160, the largest of any Association or Society in the Village, and has shown a steady rise over the past 3 years. We organised a successful Village Clean-Up Day on April 14th, and filled some 25 bags with rubbish. We also discovered an abandoned motorbike, and arranged its removal. We intend to make this Clean-Up Day an annual event.

At the Committee Meeting following the AGM, the following officers were elected for 1996/97

Chairman - David Chalkley; Deputy Chairman – lan Harkness;Hon. Treasurer – Michelle Rackstraw; Hon. Secretary – Victor Southon.

Other Committee members, elected at the AGM, are: Roger Brudenell, Denis Hart, Frank Powell, Laurence Rostron, Yvonne Aldous, Frank Glenister, Dr.T. Shreeve and Sheryl Burroughs (Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator).

Hallmark May 1997. Report by David Chalkley

The membership of the Association is now approaching 200, a further increase of 10% over last year.

At our AGM on 11th March we discussed the sad, but inevitable, closing of the Village Post Office and the problems at the Village Shop. As far as the shop is concerned there are hopes that somebody else will take it on when Derek & Maureen ‘retire’ at the end of April. We expressed our appreciation of the contribution made to Village life by Mary at the Post Office, and by Derek and Maureen on their performance.

We also discussed the future of the Black Horse. And have just heard that the Department of the Environment have rejected both appeals by the Owners – against the refection by Wycombe District Council of their application to convert the pub to a dwelling. So the Black Horse remains as a pub for the time being and we wait and see what happens next. Certainly, the new manager seems to be making big efforts to attract more customers.

As far as traffic calming measures in Main Road are concerned the County Council have now installed speed restriction signs with a yellow backing at both ends of the Village, and speed camera warning signs have just been erected, So, at least some of the measures promised last year have been implemented.

At a Committee meeting held on 8th April the following officers were elected for the coming year:

Chairman – Peter Firth; Treasurer – Yvonne Aldous; Secretary – Victor Southon; Membership Secretary – David Chalkley.

We are still short of two Committee members so that if anyone would like to join the Committee please contact either Peter or myself.

Hallmark May 1998. report by Michael Hardy

We intend to hold a Public Meeting on 14 July in the Village Hall to launch Neighbourhood Watch as a self-contained group and to discuss the proposed Village Appraisal specimen questions. Here is an opportunity to ask for what you want to see happen in our community or state your opinions.

What a splendid community we are!! I suppose self-praise is somewhat hollow but when it comes from the police, our MP, our Councillors, one should take account of it.

Thank you to all those who visited the Crime Prevention Exhibition on 23 April. The police estimate 1000 attended, a figure we won't disagree with!!

An even larger 'Thank you' to all those who helped on the day, the ladies who kept us going with tea and coffee, Age Concern Group, Victim Support Group, Neighbourhood Watch Team and last, but not least, the RAF and local police. We made history. We were not the first exhibition, we are the best. Thank you letters have been sent to Mr. John Patten, the Minister of State and our own MP, The Rt. Hon. Timothy Raison.

We have received several congratulating letters. As a direct result of the Exhibition 8 new Neighbourhood Watch Groups have started up outside our village.

The Association have now joined 9 other Associations to form the Risborough Area Residents Association representing over 18,000 people in the immediate surrounding area, all in the main represented by our County Councillor Denis Hart, with the intention of pressing for some planning of better roads and something to be done about crime.

Speen Village at the time of writing are fighting hard to resist a planning application to use a wood bordering with the village for a 'War Games Area'. We give them our moral support and anything else that will help. It's a dreadful prospect for a small community to face.

Changes have taken place in your committee which now has a wider representation under Chairman George Munro - the previous Chairman Philip Rhodes has stood down.

The Antique Roadshow on 30 September promises to be an exciting affair. A reserve list for tickets is now open. Tickets will be £3 per person with a £1 valuation fee per item, the limit being 2 items per person. Mr. David Battie well known to us on the TV Antiques Roadshow will be the valuer, he specialises in ornamental glass and pottery. Remember the date is 30 September, 7.30 pm. Tickets are limited, so reserve yours.

Hallmark November 1998. The Committee now consists of Yvonne Aldous (treasurer), Roger brudenell, Sheryl Burroughs, David Chalkley, Peter Firth (chairman), Frank Powel. Majella Robinson, Laurence Rostron, Victor Southon. Peter Firth has taken over as chairman from David Challey, who held the post for three years and whose enormous local knowledge is still essential to the association; Frank Glenister, who had served the association for many years, retired during the year.

Hallmark May 1999. The Lacey Green and Loosley Row Residents Association

The Association held its Annual General Meeting at St John's School Hall on Tuesday evening the 6" April. Forty-six members of the Association attended; there were apologies from Barbara Chalkley and Edith Dean.

The Association has had a busy year, and there is more to do.

The audited accounts showed the Association in a satisfactory position: for the year 1998/99 there had been 201 paying members, and there had been an excess of income over expenditure of £173. The Association has made an interest-free loan of £500 to the Village Hall Committee.

To combat the traffic problem which threatens to blight our villages, the Association has allied itself with the Parish Council and the Chiltern Society. The Committee feels that a speed camera is essential: the absence of the device is beginning to be conspicuous. Every time an approach is made, however, it is met with a courteous refusal. At present the Police authority is required to finance speed cameras – although all revenue goes to central government. This is – apparently under review, and the Committee felt that a change in financing would prompt a change in attitude. Overall, it was felt that a groundswell of public opinion was beginning to make itself felt, and that in the longer term real improvements could be expected.

The parking problem at the school had been addressed, but without any success: the situation was no different from that a year earlier. The school's popularity had done nothing to improve matters.

The Committee had also objected to Wycombe District Council's proposal, under the spur of — government requirements, to erect 650 houses in Princes Risborough. It was felt that the resultant 17%-18% increase in the town's population would make itself felt in still more traffic using the two villages as a commuting route between their new homes and their employment in High Wycombe. On the Neighbourhood Watch front, Sheryl Burroughs reported that all was quiet — a little too quiet, she felt, because a recent meeting she had held had attracted only one visitor. Sheryl will be pleased to let any enquirers know the address and telephone number of their Area Watch Co-ordinator.

The Village Clean-Up Day takes place on Saturday the 17th April, and it is hoped this will be well attended.

William R Briggs, the Association's auditor, was re-appointed for the year 1999/2000.

During the year three committee members had retired – Frank Glenister, Roger Brudenell and Majella Robinson – and the Association is now much in need of new Committee members. Pamela Lidgley kindly agreed at the meeting to join, and was very much welcomed.

Questions from the floor at the Annual General Meeting illustrated and emphasised the main preoccupations in the villages:

Parking near the school: a renewed attempt to solve the problem is needed.

The Village Shop: the Committee was in touch with Joan Smith, who is co-ordinating an initiative to investigate the viability of an attempt to resuscitate. A preliminary meeting had been arranged for the 13th of April.

The Traffic Problem engendered a great deal of interest and suggestions, and a discussion about the criteria which had to be met if the villages were to qualify for various provisions. A certain amount of cynicism emerged about these: it appeared that the rules for such provisions were more celebrated in the breach than the observance.

After the meeting Dr Sandy McFarlane gave an illustrated talk on Princes Risborough High Street in the Nineteenth Century. Followed by a glass of wine, it raised a great deal of comment and provided the culmination of a thoroughly pleasant evening.