Pizza Hut hearing today

The Planning inspector was here today to hear views of local residents about the proposal to buld a Pizza Hut on London Road, near the junction with Alma Road. This application was turned down by the district council planning committee.

I was there along with local residents to argue that:
– the area was now saturated with outlets
– that parking would be wholly inadequate
– that there was likely to be congestion and a danger to local residents as customers seeking a takeaway parked on the pavement (as happens elsewhere in London Road)

A further concern was that the application would if successful allow any food outlet – the nature of a successor business could be radically different from a Pizza Hut.

The Inspector will report later in the year.

Six forms suffer major losses through funding error

I have received this information from the county council concerning the shortfall in schools funding.

Revised 16 to 18 funding allocations and their impact on schools

1. Background – National Context

1.1 Schools received a provisional funding allocation for sixth form provision in February of this year. This allocation, which was broadly confirmed early in March, was based on schools’ existing sixth form numbers, from the October 2008 student count.

1.2 The March letter to schools, from the LSC [Learning and Skills Council], indicated that these provisional allocations were dependent upon the Department providing additional funding to meet the consolidated numbers which are running ahead of the level of funding allocated to the LSC from the DCSF [Department for Children, Schools and Families]. Early indications from the DCSF were that steps were being taken to find the additional money to at least fund schools on their October count. However, it has become clear in the last few days that this additional money has not been forthcoming. As a consequence, the DCSF has informed the LSC that it must reduce the funding to schools and colleges. This means that schools with sixth forms (all of Hertfordshire’s Schools) will have their post-16 budgets cut by 3.71%. This is particularly problematic as school budgets have already been set for the new financial year.

1.3 A wide variety of national and regional groups are actively lobbying the DCSF and Treasury to release the money needed to fully fund the number of young people due to take up post 16 education in September 2009.

2. Impact on Hertfordshire’s Schools

2.1 The overall impact on Hertfordshire’s schools is significant. The total shortfall for the academic year 2009/10 will be a little over £3.8m.

2.2 The table below summarises the impact on Hertfordshire’s schools.

Level of the unexpected reduction in funding for the academic year 2009/10

up to £25k: 13 schools
£25k to £50k: 33 schools
£50k to £100k: 24 schools
£100k plus: 5 schools

Highways and parking update

Elm Lawns drop kerb: Herts Highways are awaiting advice on priorities from the St Albans access group
Raymer Close parking problems: this is now out for informal consultation
Bardwell Road: residents were keen to see yellow lines down the side road, which, strangely enough, turns out to be a district council road. Yellow lines will now go down and will be enforced once in.
Proposed parking restrictions on Churchill and Jennings Roads: no objections have been received so these will now go ahead shortly.

Why is the junction of Station Way and Hatfield Road in such a mess?

1. This area is no longer a railway responsibility but the responsibility of Linden Homes. Herts County Council has chased them to improve the road surface.
2. First Capital Connect have chased Linden Homes to clear the site of litter.
3. Herts Highways are awaiting confirmation from the surveyor for Verulam Point to agree to the necessary structural retaining wall which will run alongside the expanded junction. Once this has been received Herts Highways will issue a permit to work.

This is a tangled web which is taking far too long.

Further highways update

Ridgmont Road closure: the damaged barrier separates the private and public parts of the road. Local councillors have felt there is merit in regularising the closure, which was imposed unilaterally by Railtrack (Network Rail’s predecessor), so that the council has control over the stoppage and over maintaining any barrier. This requires some complex legal work. Officials are chasing this.
St John’s Court: work was due to have started replacing the pavements but very obviously a utility company has been at work there. This has slowed the pavement replacement process.
Beechwood Avenue: this is agan showing serious signs of wear. It is on the list for 10/11 but it’s acknowledged that the patches are beginning to fail. Herts Highways are trying to bring it forward a year.
Beaumont Avenue: HH are requesting funds for a full resurfacing

Secondary schools admissions public meeting

As readers will know, there has been a great increase in the numbers of children who have not received one of their ranked secondary school places. This is not confined to the villages – over 50 families have this year been affected in St Albans city.

We are therefore calling a public meeting so that parents can hear first hand from county council officials what their options are for this year and can help inform the discussions local councillors are having with county hall about how these problems can be avoided in future.

The meeting will be on Monday 30 March at 7.00 pm in Committee Rooms 1 and 2 at the District Council offices.

Major signage review in central St Albans

I have been involved in a major review of signage in St Albans. There are various reasons for this:

1. The new electronic car park signs will show how many spaces each of the five central car parks will have. There also need to be signs guiding drivers to the car park they have chosen once they have read the information on the electronic sign.
2. There is a complete lack of logic in the existing direction signage: some signs send you to the M1 or M25, others mention destinations like Dunstable even though few enough people would head for Dunstable as such. Some old signs need removing and new more helpful signs put up.

The overall effect should be to have fewer cars driving around aimlessly looking for parking places and causing congestion.

In addition, there are issues like local directions: why do we signpost some places of worship (eg the Abbey) and not others (eg other mainstream churches and the mosques)? Why are some very small places of worship advertised and not those with self-evidently big congregations? Should we signpost schools or not? Your thoughts would be welcome.

Yellow lines at the junction of Churchill Road with Jennings Road

The traffic order has been issued and responses are coming in. Herts Highways will be assessing these and seeing whether there are any objections. They will then advise local councillors whether or not to overrule objections. This decision would be taken at a meeting of the Highways Forum, a county council committee which meets locally in the district council offices.

Health changes – a summary

As of today:
– The Acute Admissions Unit has now opened at Watford with 38 beds (and should be fully operational in a fortnight with an additional 22 beds)
– The first of two Catheterisation Laboratories has already opened at Watford and the Watford Cardiac Care Unit has been extended
– The Watford Stroke Unit has been extended
– The Hemel Hempstead Cardiac Care Unit has transferred to Watford
– An additional CT Scanner and other specialised diagnostics will be commisssioned in the Watford AAU next week
– All chest pain patients both in ambulance and ‘GP heralded’ go to Watford AAU or straight to Cardiac Centre
– All blue-light ambulance cases from St Albans go to Watford A&E or AAU or Cardiac Centre or Stroke Unit
– All acute stroke cases go to Watford AAU or straight to the Stroke Unit.

Next week:
– a specialised Gastro Ward opens in Watford
– planned surgery at Hemel Hempstead ceases.

In a fortnight:
– Simpson Ward patients from Hemel Hempstead transfer to specialised beds in Watford
– all ‘GP heralded’ patients will be directed to Watford.

On 13th March: Intensive Care and Emergency Surgery at Hemel Hempstead cease.

Planned surgery continues unchanged at St Albans.