A405 North Orbital Road will be closed 9.30pm - 5.00am for 4 weeks starting on Monday 22 March.

2 Phases:
PH1: M10/A414 Rbt - Tippendell Lane Rbt, PH2; Noke Rbt - M25 J21a
Working Hours: 9.30pm-5.00am
Main Diversion: M25 J21a to J22, A1081 London Colney Bypass, A414 North Orbital Road, A405 North Orbital Road (and vice versa).

Non-Motorway Traffic Diversion: PH1 - A5183 Watling St / B4630 Watford Rd.

PH2: A5183 Watling Street / Park St / Frogmore / Radlett Rd, B462 Watford Rd / Radlett Rd / Hartspring Lane, A41 Otterspool Way / Colne Way / North Western Avenue, A412 St. Albans Rd, A405 North Orbital Road.

Noke Lane Diversion: Furzebushes Lane, Chiswell Green Lane, B4630 Watford Rd, Tippendell Lane.
Lye Lane Northbound - Lye Lane, West Riding, Park Street Lane, Tippendell Lane.
Lye Lane Southbound - Lye Lane, West Riding, Mount Pleasant Lane.

A1(M) Junctions 3 and 4 (Hatfield Tunnel) will be closed 10pm - 5.00am on Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th March 2010
Signed diversions will be in place via the A1001.

If you have any questions relating to these works, please contact Hertfordshire Highways on 01438 737320

Good news - Network Rail have confirmed that Station Way will be resurfaced in April this year. Although there are no unfilled potholes at present, I’m sure that the resurfacing will be welcomed by all station users, not least by cyclists.

Network Rail and First Capital Connect will be liaising with Hertfordshire Highways, St Albans City and District Council and Hertfordshire County Council’s Passenger Transport Unit to ensure that station users are fully briefed. The work will be undertaken so that there is the least possible impact on access to the station.

As part of our ongoing maintenance programme, Hertfordshire Highways will be undertaking carriageway Microasphalt works in your road. This treatment is applied in a double layer directly on top of the existing surface. The Microasphalt cannot be trafficked, on foot or by vehicle for up to 2 hours after the application. Once applied, the carriageway will be water tight preventing frost damage and will improve the overall running surface.

Unfortunately, the preparation works completed in January are defective due to material failure and require remedial action prior to the main surfacing works. These remedial works will be undertaken at no cost to Hertfordshire County Council.

The works will commence during the week commencing 15th March 2010. There is a possibility that works may be undertaken outside of these dates but every effort will be made to minimise any noise or disruption. The works will be undertaken under a road closure. Any change to programme will be shown on the Advance Warning Signs erected at either end of the road.

Please note that work will normally only be undertaken during the Day time hours of 09:30 to 16:30 Monday to Friday.

As you may appreciate, access to private properties will be disrupted during the works, but this will be kept to a minimum. In order for the works to be completed as quickly as possible, and to minimise inconvenience to you, we would ask that residents refrain from parking in the location of the works on the dates given. Hertfordshire Highways have legal powers to remove vehicles from this site.

For your information the anticipated duration is one week but this is dependent on weather and any other unforeseen problems that may be encountered once excavation works commence, E.G. alterations to utility services or mains.

TEMPORARY CLOSING OF VARIOUS ROADS IN ST ALBANS

NOTICE is given that the Hertfordshire County Council intend to make an Order under Section 14[1] of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, to prohibit all traffic from using the following lengths of roads, except for access:-

1. that length of Belmont Hill, St Albans from its junction with A5183 Holywell Hill south eastwards to its junction with Thorpe Road, a distance of approximately 257 metres.

It is anticipated that this section of road will be closed between the hours of 7.30am and 5.30pm (Mondays to Fridays inclusive) for up to 1 week, sometime during the period 19 April 2010 and 23 April 2010, when signs are in place.

2. that length of Granville Road, St Albans from its junction with A1057 Hatfield Road south westwards to its junction with B691 Stanhope Road, a distance of approximately 237 metres.

It is anticipated that this section of road will be closed between the hours of 7.30am and 5.30pm (Mondays to Fridays inclusive) for up to 1 week, sometime during the period 3 May 2010 and 7 May 2010, when signs are in place.

3. that length of Albert Street, St Albans from its junction with A5183 Holywell Hill south eastwards to its junction with Keyfield Terrace, a distance of approximately 338 metres.

It is anticipated that this section of road will be closed between the hours of 7.30am and 5.30pm (Mondays to Fridays inclusive) for up to 1 week, sometime during the period 10 May 2010 and 14 May 2010, when signs are in place.

4. that length of St Vincent Drive, St Albans from its junction with Cell Barnes Lane south westwards for a distance of approximately 129 metres.

It is anticipated that this section of road will be closed between the hours of 7.30am and 5.30pm (Mondays to Fridays inclusive) for up to 1 week, sometime during the period 17 May 2010 and 21 May 2010, when signs are in place.

The purpose of the Order is to enable highway improvement works to take place.

If you have any queries about the highway improvement works or the temporary road closures, please contact the Project Engineer concerned Christopher Rowelle tel. 0300 123 4047 at the Mid Herts Hertfordshire Highways Area Office. Alternative signed routes will be provided for traffic whilst the road closures are in place.

County Hall 1 April 2010
Hertford John Wood
Herts Director of Environment and
SG13 8DN Commercial Services

Liberal Democrat Leader Chris White said: ‘One in four people by the council’s own admission are not satisfied with the way the council performs. Improvements in satisfaction have been made mainly in relatively minor services like household waste recycling centres, public transport information and the registration service or with essentially private sector services like buses. Those politicians who actually meet the public know how furious they are with the county council over roads, school places and social care.

‘At least they have the honesty to tell us that half the population don’t think the council provides value for money - and even then they appear to think it’s good news!’

He added: ‘As ever the council’s spin machine - funded at taxpayers’ expense - is there to flatter the image of the ruling group rather than provide genuine information.’

The meeting was also addressed by Sandy Walkington and chaired by Chris White.

Photograph courtesy of Gary Shore contactable at gaslights@googlemail.com

I achieved a major breakthrough today with a committment from Herts Highways that the phasing of the traffic signals at Peahen junction of Holywell Hill will be changed in the next two to three weeks so that the pedestrian lights in Verulam Road will stay green whilst the main lights are green. This should immediately ease the long traffic queues along Verulam Road that have blighted the junction for years.

This is an area which I have been campaigning on for some time and I received yesterday the following statement from Herts Highways:

“Following discussions between the Mid Herts Area Office and the traffic signal team at Herts Highways it was agreed that the co-ordination between the Peahen traffic signal junction and the High Street pedestrian crossing would be investigated and improved if possible.

A call was passed to the traffic signal section from (Mid Herts AO) asking us to discuss the gentleman’s complaint. It was not explained that Mr Stocker was a member of a political party. Mr Stocker was told about the work that was currently being undertaken.”

So: no breakthrough and indeed no action. Merely a phone call where the results of my campaigning work were given out to someone who was posing as an ordinary member of the public.

Typical shabby UKIP tactics.

In a trial initiative organised by St Albans City and District Council, St Albans Central Library and Harpenden Library have been offering residents a free three-week loan of the devices. This trial has been so successful that the Council has now arranged for electricity monitors to be available on loan from all the libraries in the District.
Studies have shown that by using an electricity monitor households become more aware of how energy is being wasted and, by changing their behaviour, can reduce the amount of their energy bills.

The electricity monitors are simple to use. All residents have to do is clip a transmitter onto their electricity meter so that the wireless device can display real-time information about their usage. As they wander around the house throughout the day, switching appliances on and off, they can then see which appliances use the most energy. The more appliances that are switched on, the higher the values displayed on the monitor. Each of the electricity monitors come with instructions, a battery recharger and rechargeable batteries, where required.

Councillor Geoff Churchard, portfolio holder for Environment and Sustainability, at St Albans City and District Council said: “These electricity monitors will help residents understand their energy consumption, and offer them the opportunity make savings on the amount of their energy bills.”

Since their installation in March last year, the 75 polycrystalline panels have produced energy equating to a saving of 5.348 tonnes in CO2 emissions.

The Council is also expecting to receive an annual payment of around £1,000 through the government’s Renewable Obligation Certificates incentive scheme, which rewards microgeneration schemes with cash.

Real-time information about the amount of electricity being produced by the panels and the carbon dioxide savings that are being made is displayed on a unit in the reception area of the council offices and is accessible to residents.

Cllr Geoff Churchard, portfolio holder for Environment and Sustainability for St Albans City and District Council, said: “The solar panels are proving to be a real benefit, helping the Council reduce fuel costs and CO2 emissions by producing electricity. They are just one example of the many steps that the Council is taking to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions and is one that residents and local businesses can also follow. There are more than 70 actions in the Council’s Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change Action Plan.”

The Council is committed to minimising the impact of its activities on the environment across all service areas and is introducing a range of measures to reduce energy use, transport emissions, consumption of resources and waste production. The Council’s Carbon Management Plan sets out a range of actions that it will implement to achieve its target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 25% in 2013 from a baseline year of 2006/7.

The Council is planning to consult with Tesco on the future use of the site, as part of its work on the emerging Core Strategy for the Local Development Framework (LDF) for St Albans City and District. The LDF incorporates work undertaken last year on the City and Rural Vision, which is now being combined to form a District Vision.

Cllr Robert Donald, leader of St Albans City and District Council, said: “I am obviously delighted that Tesco has decided to develop a store on the Woolworths site rather than the London Road site as this was never the right location for a superstore and reflects the views of the majority of local residents.

“However, I am anxious that action is taken by Tesco to bring its properties on London Road and Inkerman Road back into habitable use as soon as possible now.

“I welcome Tesco’s willingness to consult with the Council on developing the remainder of this site. The Council’s Chief Executive, Daniel Goodwin, its Head of Planning and Building Control, Heather Cheesbrough, and I, are meeting with Tesco in the near future to talk about their long-term plans for London Road so that they meet the key objectives of the Council’s emerging Core Strategy of the Local Development Framework. As part of that meeting, we will obviously explore the need for additional housing and the provision of a primary school site in the City.”

As part of the next stage in the preparation of the core strategy of LDF, the Council will be preparing Development Briefs for key sites identified in its City Vision document. The Development Briefs will provide more detailed information to developers and investors of the type and quantity of development the Council would like to see.

Cabinet decided in January to remove eight Areas of Search for housing development, all of which were in the Green Belt, from the Core Strategy for the LDF. This followed the initial phase of the Shaping Our Community consultation on the core strategy during which it became apparent that there was significant public opposition to the building of houses on Green Belt land.

The Council will now investigate other opportunities for housing development within St Albans and the District in order to find the balance of housing units needed to comply with its target of 7,200 homes by 2021.

Cllr Donald, added: “It is one of the Council’s priorities to safeguard the environment, especially protecting the Green Belt. This is a position that is supported by residents who made their views very clear through the public consultation. Following the withdrawal of the eight Areas of Search for housing development, we are now looking for sites elsewhere in the District that would be suitable for the building of homes especially brownfield plots. The London Road site, owned by Tesco, could be one of these.”

Further consultation is due to be carried out on the core strategy before a final report is published on the Shaping Our Community consultation at the end of March.

The streets in which we’ll be filming on Sunday 14th March are French Row, Market Place and the corner of High Street with Chequer St.

We won’t film any members of the public as we’re providing our own extras.

http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/

With this combination of 3 pools and the flexibility that altering the depth of the water gives the programming, I believe that design of the new complex will be bigger and better than the current old pools and therefore a much better facility for the residents.

“Should FCC lose its franchise?” – Public Meeting 16th March
March 9th, 2010 · Sandy’s blog

I am still being inundated daily with e-mails and telephone calls about continued erratic performance from First Capital Connect. And their mean and overly complex compensation offer is leaving people frustrated and angry.

The mechanism exists for rail franchises to be handed back if franchisees fail to deliver the promised service. FCC seems to have had a charmed life in hanging on to its lucrative monopoly, it is time that passengers had their say.

So we are calling a public meeting for next Tuesday 16 March to discuss whether FCC should now lose their franchise. The main speaker will be my friend Norman Baker MP, Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesman in the House of Commons. The meeting will take place at Marlborough Road Methodist Church in the centre of the city (see directions here) and starts at 7.00 pm with doors opening at 6.30 pm – so do put the date in your diary!

When I successfully proposed my motion on rail franchises at last autumn’s Liberal Democrat conference, Norman summed up the debate. The Daily Mail has described him as having ‘consistently been a thorn in the Government’s side’. In 2001 he was named “Inquisitor of the Year” in the Zurich/Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year Awards and, in February 2002, he won the Channel 4 Opposition MP of the Year Award.

It’s going to be a lively meeting, I hope to see you there.

TEMPORARY CLOSING AND TEMPORARY WAITING RESTRICTIONS IN VARIOUS ROADS IN HARPENDEN AND ST ALBANS

(Extracts relevant to St Albans Central Division)

NOTICE is given that the Hertfordshire County Council intend to make an Order under Section 14[1] of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, to prohibit all traffic from using the following lengths of roads, except for access and to prohibit all vehicles from waiting on both sides of these lengths of roads whilst works are in progress:-

7. that length of Beaumont Avenue, St Albans from its junction with Sandpit Lane south eastwards to its junction with Beechwood Avenue, a distance of approximately 801 metres.

8. that length of Cannon Street, St Albans from its junction with A4147 Folly Lane north eastwards to its junction with Folly Avenue, a distance of approximately 182 metres.

17. that length of Palfrey Close, St Albans from its junction with Waverley Road south eastwards for its entire length.

24. that length of Waverley Road, St Albans from its junction with Normandy Road south eastwards and north eastwards to its junction with Townsend Drive, a distance of approximately 409 metres.

25. that length of Woodstock Road South, St Albans from its junction with Brampton Road southwards to its junction with A1057 Hatfield Road, a distance of approximately 263 metres.

The purpose of the Order is to enable carriageway repair works to take place.

It is anticipated that the sections of roads will each be closed and the temporary waiting restrictions will be in place between the hours of 7.30am and 5.30pm (Mondays to Sundays inclusive) for up to 10 days, sometime during the period 6 April 2010 and 6 November 2010, when signs are in place. Alternative signed routes will be provided for traffic whilst the road closures are in place.

If you have any queries about the carriageway repair works, the temporary road closures or the temporary waiting restrictions, please contact the Project Engineer concerned Dave Whelan tel. 01707 356200 at Hertfordshire Highways.

County Hall 18 March 2010
Hertford John Wood
Herts Director of Environment and
SG13 8DN Commercial Services

Breakspear Avenue: bottom hump

Breakspear Avenue: further up (near number 17)

Flora Grove near the junction with Breakspear Avenue

Grimston Road

https://consultations.external.bbc.co.uk/departments/bbc/bbc-strategy-review/consultation/consult_view

Here you will find the full details of the Strategy Review and how to respond to the Trust with your views on 6 Music and the review in general.

You can also email the BBC Trust about the Strategy Review at
srconsultation@bbc.co.uk

Or write to them by post:

Strategy Review Consultation
BBC Trust
180 Great Portland Street
London
1W 5QZ

Best wishes,
6 Music Website

www.bbc.co.uk/6music

In reality nearly 2,500 children age 10 or 11 living in Hertfordshire did not get their first choice of school and approximately 500 of those did not get any school of their choice.

Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson Mark Watkin said: ‘The County Council needs to remember that this is about children, children that have been in their education system for the last 7 years. The county fails on this year after year.’

The figures also masked an East-West divide. While the highest percentages were in the East (except one - Dacorum) with over 97 percent of children having success, the least successful four districts were all in the West. Watford with a percentage of 92.15% and Three Rivers with a percentage of 90.29% were at the bottom of the list.

Even more striking was the comparison between the children who achieved their first ranked choice. In Welwyn Hatfield, the percentage was 82.26%, while in Watford it sank to 67.56%, and in Three Rivers on 64.31%.

Lib Dem Spokesperson Ron Tindall said: ‘These figures clearly prove that there is the need for a new secondary school in the Watford and Three Rivers area now, not as the Tories put it “in the long term”. The county council really must get its act together: it is quick to close schools, even in the face of dubious evidence. But when the figures show that a new school is needed, they dither and delay.’

He added: ‘The situation in St Albans - with one in five parents is not getting their first choice - is nearly as bad. Yet again the county council is dragging its feet over the chronic problems suffered by parents in Wheathampstead, Colney Heath and the city.’

Chris comments: ‘I think it’s time the County Council just did it and put in a temporary repair. Or perhaps they should get their lawyers to sue - they are happy enough to do this for a trivial bill. Why not redeploy them onto something that matters? It can’t be left.’

Local councillors have decided to launch an on-line and written survey of the views of local people.

Click here to take survey

“We would not start any resurfacing works with rain forecast. Also a scheme would not be started if there was good weather forecast for the odd night followed by poor weather, as this could potentially mean that a temporary road surface was left open, following planing out, for a prolonged period of time.

The reason for not working in the rain is that there are guidelines within which surfacing materials can / cannot be laid. There are three main weather conditions which would affect our ability to lay materials:
1. Moisture - Rain and snow - materials cannot be laid in the wet as it affects the ability of the asphalt to bond with the layer below it. It also accelerates cooling rates (see below)
2. Temperature and
3. Wind speed - both of these can cause the material to cool too quickly - before it has been fully compacted and therefore reduce its life. This is especially true with hot rolled asphalt (HRA), which is to be used at London Rd, as it can affect the ability of the chips to
stick to the new material and can cause safety issues with reduced skid resistance etc. if they later pluck out when trafficked.

If we were to instruct the Works Team to lay when the ensuing weather conditions are not within the laying guidelines of the material producer then they would not provide a guarantee for the material and any failures (the risk of which would be significantly increased) would have to be rectified at HCC’s and therefore the taxpayers’ expense.

Whilst we aim to get these works undertaken as quickly as possible following their postponement, they form part of a county wide programme of resurfacing and, as such, cannot simply be started the following week.

Given the severe weather we have witnessed in the past couple of weeks, we have had to postpone a number of schemes in all areas of the county and all have had to be re-programmed later in the year as the available surfacing crews are ‘fully booked’ until then. The May date I gave in my previous email was the earliest window available to resource the job.

Also we are currently drafting a bulletin for residents advising of the scheme’s postponement which will be going out tomorrow.”

Let’s see.

Other cars were incurring similar damage: the picture below shows one of the many hubcaps on site being used to measure the depth of the hole:

Potholes have reappeared with a vengeance despite recent temporary repairs. And now over 30 residents have signed a protest petition to be sent to the next Highways Panel, meeting in St Albans:

Meanwhile, one resident has resorted to satire by producing his/her own sign with the words ‘And Potholes’ immediately under HCC’s warning about traffic humps!

Chris comments: ‘I have managed to persuade the county council that this road cannot wait several years. But it is now clear that it cannot even wait several months. I have asked for an update.’

Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Highways, has discovered that in the last five years the county council has had to repay £214,206, mainly to house builders, because it has failed to spend money given to it in accordance with the legal agreements.

These legal agreements (known as Section 106 agreements) normally identify schemes and projects in the locality of a new development that need improvements and can range from new road junctions and traffic calming to bus stops and bus provision.

Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst has also unearthed the fact that there are now 34 section 106 agreements where the ‘use-by’ date has passed. This totals a shocking £892k of highways improvements.  This money can now not be used unless the developer agrees to an extension of the agreement. If they do not agree the money will have to be repaid.

Stephen said: ‘I have for many years called for adequate control of these agreements. Four years ago I got a scrutiny review carried out. Assurances which were then given by the ruling group have clearly not worked. Why have they kept this a secret?

‘It is not just highways money that is at risk. Youth schemes and improvements for children have also been lost because of this mismanagement.’

Stephen concluded: ‘I have called for a independent review and audit. We need to find out what has gone wrong and put it right so that no more money is lost. The council must ensure that as much of the £892K at risk is safeguarded and then spent.’

Unfortunately this means that the works won’t now commence until May - something which will cause further deterioration in the surface and danger to roads users.

Clearly we want this put back on schedule as soon as possible and will be using every means possible to restore the programme.

We will continue to monitor but are grateful for the action.

People who have complained have been told that whilst it is a longer walk it is possible to use Ashley Road, Hatfield Road (Smallford side), Beechwood Avenue crossings and then use Beaumont Avenue to get to the same place.

The delay is caused by EDF who need to disconnect and reconnect before the repair can be carried out. The good news is though that our street lighting department have agreed to upgrade the crossing to include flood lights, something I know you were keen to see. I have just chased them up and the provisional date for EDF and repairs is the week commencing 5th March, which is the earliest they can attend.

The planning application by Great Northern (London Road) has also been withdrawn.

Councillors are advising both pubs to scale back their plans to take into account residents’ wishes.

Lib Dem Leader Chris White said: ‘There must be a zero council tax increase, as we proposed in our manifesto last year. But there also need to be major savings in management overheads, working practices and contract terms.

‘The fact that Herts Highways is 81% more expensive than the arrangements in other authorities is just one example of how our council tax is being wasted by the county council under the current administration. News on Friday that the county council is prepared to spend £110,000 on lawyers in pursuit of a £300 pound dispute shows just how out of control the situation has become.

‘The vast majority of the council’s budget is thrown at private companies and in these times a saving of 2.5% is easily achievable. We would want to see much more in future years.’

The Liberal Democrats are also proposing redirecting spending into the following areas (figures are in millions of pounds):
Increase spend on maintaining footways 2.0
Improve reactive pothole repairs - ‘pothole mole’ 1.0
Restore full team of local highways managers and improve inspections 0.5
More frequent bus services in towns 1.5
Step up gully cleansing to combat flooding 1.0
Start introducing 20 mph limits and zones 1.0
Additional spending on winter recovery of highways 13.6

Improve youth provision 1.0
Restore school uniform allowance 0.2
Increase social workers’ pay to help ensure full staffing 1.0

Chris added: ‘There are priorities crying out for attention, like the youth service, social worker retention and highway repairs. Our alternative budget will do far more to address these than the Tory proposals.’

Note

The ‘pothole mole’ is an idea borrowed from Lib Dem highways authorities under which local works teams are freed of the bureacracy currently plaguing Herts Highways and are simply allocated an area to tackle without reference back to head office. It leads to more work being done, fewer complaints, more interaction with the public and less paperwork.

You can check your school’s status here: http://www.imodus.com/summary.aspx?company=99

He comments: ‘I know that a full repair depends on the permission and co-operation of Network Rail and that rail companies are close to being the lowest form of commercial life.

‘But the current pothole by the entry to Charrington Place is very deep and potentially lethal to cyclists.’

The pedestrian lights are supposed to assess when there is a queue forming and change the lights to ease the pressure (in fact adding in an extra pedestrian phase when there is a queue to reduce the likelihood of pedestrians demanding to cross when the traffic is about to move off).

This system developed a fault and a part is now on order to fix the problem.

Chris will continue to monitor the situation.

Chris said: ‘Veolia raised this issue with me when I paid them a visit to discuss their performance on burst water mains. I expressed my concerns to the county council and now discover that the county council continued to waste their time and our money on this ludicrous dispute.

‘I have called upon the Chief Executive to set up an inquiry into how officials felt it was appropriate to pursue a dispute to this ludicrous extent and to establish whether disciplinary action is appropriate.

‘I will also be seeking a revision in procedures to make sure that this sort of thing cannot be repeated.’

Chris plans to raise the matter publicly at the county council meeting on Tuesday.

Story in Watford Observer yesterday

A £335 dispute over a broken manhole cover in Rickmansworth High Street could cost Hertfordshire County Council more than £110,000 in legal costs following a High Court ruling. Deputy Judge Alison Hampton explained today that these were some of the highest costs she had ever seen in a case of similar, seemingly trivial, value.

The extraordinary dispute erupted in July 2007 when the council attempted to bill utilities company Veolia Water for placing two cones and some tape over the hole, when shoppers began tripping over its cover. When this figure was disputed legal action was started – ending, eventually, in the court hearing today.

While the final legal bills are yet to be assessed, Judge Hampton ordered the council to pay the bulk of the total chalked-up by both sides – in the region of £130,000. She ordered the council to pay 85 per cent of Veolia’s costs - which are estimated to be up to £45,000 - and also ordered the company to pay 15 per cent of the council’s costs, believed to be around £85,000, to reflect delay Veolia had caused to the trial earlier this month. The precise sums will be assessed later, if not agreed between the parties, but the total bill for council tax payers could be as high as £110,000. This could rise still higher after the council was granted leave to appeal.

Judge Hampton explained the case centred on competing interpretations of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, under which the council sought to force Veolia - formerly known as Three Valleys Water - to pay the £335.31. She added: “The case is really about whether the claimant, as a street authority, is entitled to charge the defendant, as an undertaker, for inspecting the site and installing cones and tapes over the manhole cover, pending its replacement.” While she rejected a claim by Veolia that the council’s charges were not reasonable, she ruled that she was “driven reluctantly to the conclusion” that the Council was not entitled to charge in this case.

Changes as a result:
Woodstock Road South. This notorious stretch of road is now down to be resurfaced in 2010-2011.
Granville Road, featured in a BBC documentary about the state of roads in Hertfordshire, is also to be extensively repaired in 2010-2011.
The junction of Victoria Street and Alma Road will be dealt with in 2009-10

To see the full details of their application go to the council web site www.stalbans.gov.uk and follow link to licence registry www.licensing.stalbans.gov.uk/MVM/Online/EGov/License_Registers.

You can ring the Licensing Department for more information 01727 819541

If you wish to make a representation you can do so by email to licensing@stalbans.gov.uk or by mail to Licensing SADC, The Civic Centre, St Peters Street, St Albans AL1 3JE.

Please copy to your representation to your district councillors.

In the 300 page ‘Integrated plan reports’ the cost per kilometre of road maintenance is £12,643 for Hertfordshire and just £6,971 for the ‘family average’ of other similar athorities.

Lib Dem Leader Chris White said: ‘This vindicates what we have been saying all along - namely that Herts Highways, a partnership between the council and the private sector, is delivering very poor value. Most residents would entirely agree.’

He added: ‘The county council’s excuse is that the roads are 35% busier than the national average. But of course the cost difference is 81%. Yet again we have clear evidence that the people of Hertfordshire are being short-changed.’

Some sessions are 10-12 some 13.30- 15.30. Call 01727 827667 and ask for Jane for extra details!

Monday Sessions at Sherwood Ave Rec Ground
Oysterfields
Bricket Wood Parish Centre Station Rd
Tuesday Cunningham open space
Porters Hill
Redbourn Rec
Wed Marlborough Club
Marford Memorial Hall
Thurs Verulam School
Colney Heath Roestock Park
London Colney Rec centre
Fri Harpenden leisure centre
Greenwood Park Leisure centre

ADVANCE NOTIFICATION OF CARRIAGEWAY RESURFACING WORKS
INFORMATION BULLETIN No.1 Issued on 11th February 2010

Beechwood Avenue, St. Albans

As part of Hertfordshire Highways’ programme for maintenance of the county’s road network, Beechwood Avenue is to be resurfaced between Sandpit Lane and the A1057 Hatfield Road in March this year. Works will commence on Monday 8th March 2010 and last for approximately 2 weeks If we experience adverse weather during this time, the timescale could be extended.

The works will involve the planing out and re-surfacing of the existing worn out carriageway to a depth of 120mm, repairing and replacing damaged ironwork and kerbing, cleaning the existing drainage system and renewing the existing road markings, high friction surfacing and traffic loops.

To ensure the safety of both our workforce and members of the public alike we will be undertaking the works using a full road closure. When the road is closed there will be a fully signed diversion route in place. We will also need to close all side roads at their junction with Beechwood Avenue at certain times.

The works will be undertaken in two phases and our working hours will be from 9.30am to 7.30pm Monday to Friday. Please refer to the table below for full details of the phasing of the works and traffic management set up.

Phase 1
From Beaumont Ave to Central Drive Monday 8th – Wednesday10th March Resurfacing of the existing carriageway
Replacement of damaged ironworks
Remarking of existing road markings Full road closure of Beechwood Avenue
Closure of Elm Drive at its junction with Beechwood Avenue.
(See below for diversion routes)

Phase 2
From Central Drive to Sandpit Lane Thursday 11th – Wednesday 17th March Resurfacing of the existing carriageway
Replacement of damaged ironworks and kerbing
Remarking of existing road markings
Re-cutting of existing traffic loops Full road closure of Beechwood Avenue
Three way temporary traffic signals to be used at the junction of Beechwood Avenue and Sandpit Lane
Closure of Central Drive, Farm Road and Chestnut Drive at their junction with Beechwood Avenue.
(See below for diversion routes)

Main Diversion Route - Sandpit Lane, Clarence Road, Hatfield Road and vice versa
Elm Drive Diversion - Oakwood Drive, Hatfield Road, Beechwood Drive and vice versa.
Central Drive Diversion - Woodland Drive, Elm Drive, Oakwood Drive, Hatfield Road, Beechwood Drive and vice versa.
Farm Road Diversion - Beaumont Avenue, Hatfield Road, Beechwood Avenue and vice versa
Central Drive Diversion - Woodland Drive, Elm Drive, Oakwood Drive, Hatfield Road, Beechwood Drive and vice versa.

Please also note that it will be necessary to return to Beechwood Avenue for two days from Monday 29th March 2010 to re-lay the high friction surfacing at the pedestrian crossing by Central Drive and the ‘SLOW’ patches by Elm Drive. The working hours and traffic management will be the same as for the main works.

Access for Residents and School Users during the works.
The works have been phased to retain as much access as possible both for residents of Beechwood Avenue and for those wishing to access the schools on Oakwood Drive. We have also restricted the starting time of the works to 9.30am to allow the morning rush hour to abate before we erect our traffic management. Access for emergency vehicles will be maintained at all times.
Full access arrangements are as follows:

School Access
Phase 1 – Access will be available to Beechwood Avenue from Sandpit Lane in the north and Oakwood Drive can be accessed directly from the A1170 Hatfield Road from the south.

Phase 2 – Access to Beechwood Avenue will only be available from the A1170 Hatfield Road. Vehicles approaching from the North will have to follow the diversion route around the closure. Elm Drive can then be used to access Oakwood Drive. Alternatively Oakwood Drive can be accessed directly from Hatfield Road.

Access for Residents
Residents are to be issued with residents’ passes before the works start. Please place these on the dash board of your vehicle so they are easily visible to allow quick entry into the site when the works are in progress. (Vehicles without passes will be granted access to the site if they have a valid reason). Different colours will be used for each phase and only residents from the phase being completed will be allowed to enter the working area. All other residents of Beechwood Avenue will be asked to follow the diversion route and access Beechwood Avenue from the other end. A further information bulletin will be issued prior to the start of the works giving further details of vehicular access to the site during the works and issuing the residents’ passes.

Please also note that given the nature of the works there will be certain periods when we will be unable to maintain access to your drives. We will aim to minimise these periods as much as possible but they may last for up to one full working day. Again further details will be given via an information bulletin before the works start.

If you require any further information regarding access during the works or have any special requirements then please contact the project engineer Mark Saunders on the number below.

Bus services will be affected by these works – for details of any changes you can visit www.intalink.org.uk – and look in ‘severe disruptions’ in the news/service updates section.

Some degree of disruption and delay can be expected as a result of the works and whilst we will make every effort to minimise these, please allow extra time for any journeys you may make while the works are in progress. We greatly appreciate your patience and co-operation.

Herts Highways or their contractors will not approach you offering to carry out works to your property. Any cold calling of this nature by people claiming to represent Herts Highways should be viewed with suspicion, and caution. They will not have Herts Highways’ authority or approval.

Research on salt stock levels by the Liberal Democrats has shown that no attempt was made last autumn to stockpile salt: the quantity in store was more or less the same as the autumn of 2008.

Chris White Liberal Democrat Opposition Leader comments: ‘Clearly the Conservatives are not good at learning lessons and their refusal to do so meant that the public suffered again this winter - while county claimed quite ludicrously that the conditions were exceptional.

‘If they spent a little less time praising their efforts and a bit more time doing their job we would not have had the winter fiasco that confined so many people to their homes in December and January.’

The Conservative route is taking another £13m from reserves to fund their spending proposals, and putting just £6m extra into restoring the damage to our roads and footways caused by the winter snow and ice.

Liberal Democrats by contrast are pledging

* a major assault on the bloated management costs being incurred at County Hall
* better value from the £700m of county council contracts.

The savings would be used to fund:

* another £12m on repairing the winter damage to roads
* higher spending on pavements
* more effective gully cleansing to combat flooding
* quicker and more effective pothole repairs, using ideas already in use in Lib Dem councils
* more frequent bus services
* a start on introducing 20 mph speed limits in residential areas.

Chris White, Lib Dem leader said ‘Two years ago we said the council needed a radical cost-cutting exercise, now it is being started.

‘Last year we offered a freeze on council tax. The Tories mocked us but are now following our line. The message does get through, but it is late and half-hearted.

‘We will continue to put forward the changes needed to stop Herts county council being rated as unambitious for its citizens.’

Liberal Democrat Resources spokesperson Malcolm Cowan said: ‘It is questionable to use reserves to prop up spending at a time of so much economic uncertainty - it just leaves a bigger gap for the next year’.

Your colleague, Chris White, posted about the Eurostar trains that broke down in December, and made the point about the need for better communication with our passengers.

While you don’t normally post on transport issues, I thought you might be interested to see a copy of the Independent Review into the events, and our response. You can find our response here http://bit.ly/9idW1l together with a visual representation of what happened on the day.

We are extremely sorry for what happened, and take the situation very seriously. We’ve already taken action to address many of the Review’s recommendations, and we are committed to implementing all of its recommendations as quickly as possible. Above all we are focused on:

* Improving passenger care in disruption
* Improving communications, and
* Strengthening the resilience of our trains

The Eurostar communications team will be providing information and updates at @eurostarcomms where we’ll be working closely with @little_break and @creamoflondon. You’ll find us making corporate announcements there as well as reporting back should there be any key service updates. I hope you have time to look at the review findings, particularly on the communications side of things. If you have any thoughts please don’t hesitate to let me know.

All the best

Simon Redfern

Eurostar

· Overcrowding

· Unreliability

· Short trains

· Labyrinthine fare structures

· Excessive fare levels

· Hidden charges (such as excessive car parking charges)

· The reduction in the number of express trains stopping at Hertfordshire stations (especially Watford Junction and Stevenage)

The council therefore calls upon the Cabinet to make representations to the Government to remove franchises from train companies which persistently fail the people of Hertfordshire.”

Because of the way Council Tax is calculated across the District, overall this would mean that those residents living in Parish areas will see a reduction in their rate of council tax and for those residents in the unparished City wards, council tax will, in effect, be frozen – a 0% increase. The figures will be proposed to the meeting of full Council on 24th February.

Cllr Robert Donald, Leader of the Council said: “When we froze Council Tax last year, I thought this would help residents through the worst of the recession. However, all the signs are that the coming year could be even tougher financially than 2009. Many people in the District have been affected by the recession already. We want to do what we can to help local residents through the difficult year ahead. In view of this, we have decided not to propose an increase in the District Council’s council tax for a second year running. We are, indeed, proposing a 0.4% decrease overall which will have the effect of a 0% rate, or even lower, for all. This is unprecedented in my time on the District Council.

“Economists remain unsure about inflation in the coming year as to whether it is going to rise further or fall again. There is also a strong likelihood that whatever happens with inflation, national taxation in some shape or form will increase during the coming year, public expenditure will be cut by any government and salary increases will, at best, rise by no more than 1% and in many cases will be frozen or reduced. So it is vital the Council tries to help residents through this difficult period, including those with local businesses.

“Against this national recession, difficult decisions on priorities have had to be made. We have had to look hard at how we can maintain our core services more efficiently to achieve high standards at lower cost. We have had to be extremely careful to target any special one-off funding received on the most important projects.

“The budget this year has been produced in financially difficult circumstances. External government funding for 2010-11 was confirmed at a below inflation increase of 0.5%, and the situation is expected to get worse in the coming years. Despite this, we are ensuring the Council’s priorities will be met.”

The main features of the proposed 2010/11 budget are:

- Savings of £1.3m

- £3.9m for the new Westminster Lodge leisure developments

- £300,000 contingency fund for legal action to protect the Green Belt

- £20k to improve the District’s streetscene

- Allocated funds for the Malting Arts Theatre and cinema development

- Funding for a new District in Bloom pilot project

- Substantial capital funding for green travel, carbon footprint and congestion reduction initiatives, and support for Network St Albans bus transport partnership.

- Verulamium Park Heritage Project

- Further development of business process reengineering

- A balanced Housing Improvement Programme

In the financial year 2004/5 there were just 89 staff earning over £50,000, and just 9 of them earned over £100,000. Only 4 years later there are now 195 staff earning over £50,000: 16 of these earn over £100,000 and the Chief Executive is on over £200,000.

The pay bill for these top earners has jumped from £5.5m to £13.5m in four years.

Stephen Giles-Medhurst, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, commenting on these figures said: ‘While everyone is entitled to a reasonable and fair salary you have to ask the question if there are too many chiefs. Surely we should be investing in front line services where you can see a real impact of the investment for residents rather than people who write great reports for central government.’

St Albans Community Safety Partnership Plan 2010/11

Introduction:

This Partnership Plan outlines the key priorities for the Community Safety Partnership for 2010/11 it is based on an assessment of crime, anti social behaviour and drug and alcohol misuse in the district.

The Community Safety Plan for 2010-11 aims to build a safer St Albans through addressing these four aims;

• Preventing and reducing crime, in particular dwelling burglary, theft of and from motor vehicle, theft from person, theft from shop, robbery and drug dealing.
• Preventing and reducing anti social behaviour
• Protecting vulnerable people
• Managing offenders
• Promoting the work of the partnership and increasing public confidence.

Underpinning all of the above is the Partnership’s ability to respond to emerging issues quickly.

Members of the Community Safety Partnership are;

St Albans City and District Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire Constabulary Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
Hertfordshire Police Authority Primary Care Trust
Hertfordshire Probation Service Hertfordshire Youth Offending Team.

In addition the Partnership will occasionally work with other agencies such as British Transport Police, First Capital Connect, Central Herts Magistrates Bench, Crown Prosecution Service, Trading Standards and Housing Associations.

The Community Safety Plan needs to contribute to local and county strategies to have maximum effect. For this reason it not only contributes to but also reflects the priorities of the Local Strategic Partnership’s Sustainable Community Strategy, the wider Hertfordshire Community Strategy, the Police Authority Plan and all of the plans of the Partnership member agencies. Full details of these plans are available on request from the Community Safety Team 01727 819305 or at www.stalbanscsp.org.uk.

Preventing and reducing crime.

The Partnership will concentrate on reducing the crimes highlighted above by continuing with initiatives and activity aimed at deterring and detecting criminals such as Operation Guardian, Operation Sentinel and Operation Crystal. The Partnership will continue to focus on targeting a small majority of offenders who carry out a large proportion of all crime. It will also continue to target resources at providing information on how to reduce the chances of becoming a victim of crime.

Preventing and reducing anti social behaviour (ASB)

St Albans City and District has some of the lowest levels of anti- social behaviour in the County and the Country. The Partnership realises that where this behaviour does occur it is very distressing for the victims. Actions to prevent ASB escalating include education, mediation and family based support and projects such as Onside football schemes and outreach projects such as the Fire Services LIFE Project. However where necessary, the Partnership will not hesitate to use enforcement measures and apply for Court Orders, injunctions and Anti Social Behaviour Orders.

A number of measures have been undertaken in previous years by the Partnership to tackle alcohol related anti social behaviour. As a result incidents of this nature are quite low in the district; however there are some pockets that require further attention and action. The Partnership will continue to target these locations to do more to reduce and prevent further incidents.

Protecting vulnerable people

The Partnership strives to protect the most vulnerable people in its communities. As part of this it will undertake activity to help a wide range of vulnerable people including victims of domestic violence, the elderly and communities at risk of becoming targeted by radical or extremist activity. The Partnership will continue to monitor any hate crimes and incidents taking swift action.

Managing Offenders

Drug misusers often turn to committing crimes acquisitive crime like shoplifting, and theft to fund their drug habit. The Partnership will continue to focus on Prolific and Other Priority Offenders (PPO’s); they have been indentified as the small minority of offenders that carry out the large proportion of crime. The Partnership will ensure that the PPO’s in the district are managed in line with the Hertfordshire PPO Strategy, including continuing to work with the County C2 project. The project targets the most persistent offenders by offering training and work to break the cycle of offending.

The Partnership will continue to educate people about drugs and alcohol in line with national campaigns and the Hertfordshire Drugs Strategy. It will continue to engage the local media and undertake work in schools and colleges. It will continue to work to share information and eliminate the supply of drugs as well as ensuring that information about help and treatment services is available to those who need it.

Promoting the work of the partnership and increasing feelings of public confidence

Hertfordshire is one of the safest counties in England and St Albans is one of the safest districts in the County. The Partnership will continue to promote public awareness of the range of activities which are being carried out to tackle crime, anti social behaviour and drug and alcohol misuse. It will engage with the public by publishing its quarterly newsletter in the local newspaper, keeping its website up to date and undertaking regular press releases about success stories and how to get involved.

The Partnership will give local communities the opportunity to indentify projects where offenders can pay back their debt to society by improving the environment through visible Community Payback Projects.

The Partnership’s Performance in 2009/10

For the period April 2008 - March 2009 crime fell by 6% or 570 fewer crimes compared with the previous year. The table below shows the performance of the Partnership against key crime types from April – Dec 09 and compares it with the same period the previous year showing that all crime is down 8.8%.

[Table not reproduced on this website]

Planning ahead

The Partnership is keen that any projects undertaken are sustainable and produce long term effects wherever possible. In addition Equality Impact Assessments will be conducted on all implemented projects which will consider all six strands of the Equalities agenda.

The main features found in the trenches include a Roman building, possibly a mill, which appears to have been partially demolished in the Roman or medieval period for building materials. It may be associated with part of a building found in a previous dig on Holywell Hill in 1968 which was further excavated in 2007.

In addition, a ditch has been found close by which could be the leat to a mill. The preliminary dating of these features is 2nd to the 3rd century AD. Evidence suggests that the building may have had painted walls and a solid concrete floor.

These two features lie in an area that will be soft landscaped and will be preserved in situ. They will not be affected by the development. The trenches in which they were found have been backfilled for reasons of health and safety.

The building is of local significance but can not be defined as of national significance or of great visual interest as it is not intact. Further, the finds do not constitute treasure as defined under the Treasure Act.*

Other finds included prehistoric flints, possibly dating from the Late Mesolithic to Early Neolithic periods, circa 4,000BC.
Pits and layers of archaeological deposits from the Roman period or later have also been discovered and additional work will be carried out to investigate these further.

NOTE: Information on what constitutes treasure under the Treasure Act 1996 is set out at on the website of the Portable Antiquities Scheme at http://www.finds.org.uk/treasure/treasure_summary.php.
A definition of treasure is given at pages 5-18 of The Treasure Act 1996 Code of Practice, issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.