Mobile Library dates - August 2010

Just a brief reminder that the Mobile Library Service comes to The Lane, here in the village, on two dates next month;

Friday, 6th August

Friday, 20th August

The Mobile Library will be present between 12.05 p.m. and 12.20 p.m.

Police Station opening hours - less of them...

Suffolk Constabulary write to advise that, due to budget cuts, the opening hours of public enquiry desks at local police stations will be reduced.

The expectation is that, from some point later this year, the desk at Stowmarket will be open as follows;

• 8 hours between 7 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. - Monday to Friday
• 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. - Saturday and Sunday

There will be public consultation to decide which eight hours will be covered on weekdays, but given that the only other police station in Mid Suffolk is at Eye, and will only be open for two hours a day, three days a week, whatever option emerges will be disappointing for residents in the area. However, please do take part in the survey, so that your voice can be heard. Here's the link...

I understand that times are tough for all public services, and if the loss of opening hours serves to preserve the effectiveness of our police, then it is perhaps the better choice. However, I always wonder about just how much consultation we really deserve.

On the other hand, there is the new mobile police station, coming to Creeting St Peter some time soon...

Stowmarket - a thriving market town?

Stowmarket's newly appointed Town Centre Manager has been in touch, to tell us about the exciting initiatives taking place in the town. Some of them I already knew about, others come as a bit of a surprise;

• £7 million for a new Supermarket adjacent to the Milton Road car park, scheduled to open in Spring/Summer 2011
• £12 million for the redevelopment of Ipswich Street, demolishing all of the buildings on the west side from the sorting office to the United Reformed Church, and replacing them with 'modern, attractive buildings suitable for larger retail chains'
• £5 million for "The Mix" - a project to create a world-class facility for young people opposite the Regal
• £2 million for development of the Museum of East Anglian Life
• £1 million to develop the Corn Exchange into the John Peel Centre for Creative Arts

Add £21 million for the construction of the B1115 relief road bridge, and that is a lot of money.

To be frank, Stowmarket needs investment, and a little tender, loving care. Far be it from me to criticise, but those responsible for its current state should hang their heads in shame. The District Council in particular, whose decision to brutalise the town centre in the sixties created a rather soulless parade of shops, need to do better. It isn't just retail that attracts visitors, restaurants and culture do too.

Ironically, the Town Council is making a real effort, with StowFest, the Carnival and the new Comedy Club at the Regal all noteworthy efforts to bring something different to town, and I wish them well. And if they could persuade someone to open a little bistro or cucina in town, with reasonable prices, I for one would be pretty keen to support it.

And maybe, just maybe, we wouldn't worry that the £48 billion to be spent would be in vain...

The watery boundary of Creeting St Peter...

From where the River Gipping is bridged by the railway, just south of Clamp Farm, to the bridge over the stream as you enter Creeting St Mary, the River Gipping forms the border of our Parish. It makes for a pleasant walk, and is a shortcut on foot if you want to get to Needham Market on a sunny day.

Three years ago, the River Gipping Trust was formed, with the intention of restoring the river for navigation from the Pickerel Bridge in Stowmarket, all the way to Ipswich, whilst preserving its unique flora and fauna. As someone who has spent a morning in the river by the Pickerel Bridge, supporting the Pickerel Project's efforts to maintain the cleanliness of the environment there, I tend to the view that this is a good thing, worthy of support, so my wife and I have joined (our cheque is in the post).

It is, I admit, hard to credit that the Normans brought Caen stone up the Gipping, and then the River Rat, on its way to build the Abbey at Bury St Edmunds in the late eleventh Century or that, in 1567, timber for the roof of the Royal Exchange in London's Cornhill was taken in the opposite direction. However, in 1790 a Board of Trustees was appointed to administer the Ipswich and Stowmarket Navigation, which opened in 1793, with cargoes of manure (conveyed for free!), gun cotton, corn and hops being the main sources of traffic.

Alas, when the railway came in 1846, traffic levels dropped until, in 1932, the trustees  applied for a Revocation Order, as there were no funds available to fulfil their obligations to maintain the fabric of the Navigation. Now, the navigation is impassable, although it provides a home for what seem like millions of ducks.

So the Trust provides hope that the Navigation might once again become an asset to our local community, and a source of pleasure and preservation for future generations. So, if you're interested, why not join?

Two new Parish Councillors to take us to full strength

The Parish Council has been operating on something of a knife edge for the past year, with just the minimum number of members required to fulfil the legal requirements. Fortunately, at our last meeting, Dan Mason and Dean Scott-Webb offered themselves for co-option, bringing us up to full strength at a membership of five.

I welcome them to Parish Council, and look forward to working with them over the coming months until we're all up for election next May.

Have you seen this vehicle, Madam?

This is the recently introduced mobile police station for Mid Suffolk, intended to serve the villages of the area, pictured at Barking, I believe. Now I freely admit that I didn't know that such a thing existed until I spotted it leaving Creeting St Peter a week or so ago, so thought that some investigation was worthwhile.

The intention is that the vehicle will visit the various villages from time to time, parking for an hour or so, providing security tips and selling items such as counterfeit note detecting pens, shed alarms and ultra violet pens. There will also be an opportunity to discuss any concerns you may have on subjects such as speeding and anti-social behaviour.

If I can find out when it is due to return to the village, I'll publish the information here...