County Council announce street lighting proposals

As reported here last month, Suffolk County Council will be turning off some street lights, and dimming others as part of a measure to cut costs and reduce light pollution, and notice has reached the Journal of the proposals for Stowmarket, Stowupland and Creeting St Peter. Readers will note that the nine street lights located within Creeting St Peter are coloured green, signifying that they are owned by the Parish Council.

Highlights of the proposals:

• The heart of Stowmarket will remain lit.
• The main routes into the town are likely to remain lit, albeit dimmed.
• The street light on the corner of Creeting Lane and the A1120 belongs to Stowupland Parish Council, and an approach will need to be made to them to ensure that it remains lit.
• Most minor roads around Stowmarket will be unlit overnight.

Cllr Mark Valladares is keen to ensure that any issues of concern to villagers are addressed quickly. "I am well aware that whilst the access routes to the village are unlit, there are places where lighting is essential to ensure the safety of anyone travelling to and from Creeting St Peter.", he said, "But as a non-driver, it would be really helpful to have the perspective of drivers across the Parish.".

Stowmarket & District Road Safety Committee to meet

A meeting to discuss road safety issues in Stowmarket and surrounding villages will take place in two weeks time at the offices of Stowmarket Town Council in Milton Road, Stowmarket. New officers for the committee will be elected, and any issues that have arisen since their last meeting in May will be considered.

Cllr Mark Valladares will be representing the Parish Council for the first time. "I think that it is important that we use every forum available to us to make our voice heard. Villagers have concerns about speeding vehicles in and around Creeting St Peter, and there are other issues, such as the right hand turn into Creeting Lane from the A1120."

"I'll be reporting back to Parish Council at our September meeting, but if anyone has anything that they want to see raised, they should get in touch."

Breach of planning restrictions rewarded at Grove Farm

After successfully breaching the planning restrictions placed upon the tied property at Grove Farm by allowing it to be occupied by someone other than an agricultural worker for more than ten years without seeking clearance, and then making lawful the breach by applying for retrospective permission, a follow up application has been made to make additional single-storey extensions to 'Orchard Lea', as well as the building of a garage.

Whilst the failure of Mid Suffolk District Council to enforce the restrictions placed on the usage of the property is unfortunate, the owners of the property have merely taken advantage of an opportunity, a point not lost on at least one Parish Councillor.

However, the new application gives an opportunity to local residents to monitor this latest bid to enhance the value of the site, and they have until 24 August to let Mid Suffolk know what they think, if anything. For more information, look here.

Go Wild this summer with Mid Suffolk’s Countryside Team

Mid Suffolk's Countryside Team will be at Needham Lake every week putting on a family event throughout August. Join them for a varied programme of exciting, hands on countryside events for all the family. 

For younger children there is a Summer Welly Walk on Monday 8th August from 10.30 – 11.30am. Enjoy the sights and sounds of summer and take part in activities on a ramble around Needham Lake. Children £2, accompanying adults are free.

Come and join the team on Wednesday afternoons between 12 – 3.30pm for a huge range of fun activities.

On Wednesday 10th August find out what lurks in the water and sweep the meadows for some amazing insets at A Bug's Life.

Find out all about trees and take part in games and crafts at "Wood You Be-leaf it" on Wednesday 17th August.

Delve into the past at Dig It, an archaeological discovery day. Meet an archaeologist and handle real artefacts. Use your detective skills to discover how people lived in the past.

Round off the summer holidays on Wednesday 31st August at Rockets Return and launch your own water powered rocket at the lake. Please bring an empty 2 litre lemonade bottle.

Contact the Mid Suffolk Countryside team or visit our website to find out more. Visit the Countryside section on the Mid Suffolk website for the 2011 diary. Alternatively, ring 01449 724633.

A physiotherapy practice to come to Cedars Park?

The latest news to come from Mid Suffolk District Council is that a planning application has been made to convert the property at Alpha 1, The Buntings, off Kestrel Drive from business use to use as a physiotherapy practice.

This will, hopefully, open up new options for those needing physiotherapy services in the village.

For more information, details of the planning application can be found here.

Faster broadband to come to Creeting St Peter?

BT has announced that it is to extend the availability of its next-generation ADSL broadband service to a further 2.5 million homes, around 900,000 of these in rural areas. The news comes as Ofcom reveals that the average speed of broadband in the UK is 6.8Mbps (megabits per second).BT had already pledged to roll out its faster ADSL technology to 80% of the UK and this latest announcement means it will now reach 90%, promising broadband speeds more than double what they are now. However, the technology that it is using relies on the older copper wire telephone network, and offers speeds of up to 20Mbps. Unfortunately, few people will achieve the maximum speed because ADSL degrades the further a house is away from the exchange.

Given that Creeting St Peter is reportedly seven miles from the nearest exchange, that does not augur well for significant improvements, with Cllr Mark Valladares noting the difficulties this presents to those wanting to run their businesses from home. "Rural communities need improved broadband services, from schoolchildren doing their homework using the internet, to the elderly relying on the internet to keep in touch with friends and loved ones, improved broadband speeds are a must. And if we are to secure the future of villages like ours, the ability to run a business remotely will encourage people to move here and put down roots.", said Cllr Valladares.

A Day for Play…family fun for everyone

A giant cardboard kingdom, junk funk, a spider mountain, stilt-walkers, tightrope walkers and impromptu performances are just some of the treats in store for those heading to Needham Lake this August for the second free children's festival, A Day for Play.

The event, which is funded by Mid Suffolk District Council, Big Lottery Fund and Activities Unlimited, will be held on Sunday August 7 from 11am – 5pm, and promises to be jam-packed full of fun and frivolity.

Children and families will be able to have creative and messy fun working alongside artists in a range of workshops including clay, tie-dye, giant painting, raft making and jewellery and fairy making. You can even create your own mini-garden or sculpture to take home with you.

There will more activities for under 5's too, with the introduction early years activity based on playing and learning about around animals, habitats and countryside with fascinating stories and puppetry.

Cllr Diana Kearsley, Mid Suffolk District Council's Portfolio Holder for the Community said: "We are really looking forward to seeing families having fun and joining in the many activities we have planned for our second year at Needham Lake. After a fantastic turnout last year with thousands of people attending last summer, we look forward to seeing families enjoying another action-packed day for all to enjoy."

Free car parking will be available on site.

For further information about the day, visit this website or call 01449 724633.