Page 3 - Ickford Informer Newsletter - September 2021

FOSN

The Friends of

St Nicholas Church

http://www.ickfordchurchfriends.com
Ploughman’s Lunch

Held on 15 August 2021
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VILLAGERS (and I count a few ex-villagers in this number)
50enjoyed a Ploughman’s Lunch organised by the FOSN.
Entrance to the Deanfield site should look like this when completed.
Despite earlier concerns that it would rain, we were lucky with the
Deanfield Development Update
weather and the event was held in the Churchyard.
Food and wine were plentiful, and it was great to see everyone by Nigel Hillier
get together after such a long-enforced time when no events
were possible. I am sure everyone enjoyed the afternoon. T SAYS A GREAT DEAL about our unitary Buckinghamshire

We raised just under £500, which included some very generous Council that it took five months for our MP to persuade
donations. We are aiming to have another event in late October/ Ithem to meet with Paul Campbell, Greg Smith MP and I
early November and, Covid willing, our very popular Christmas so that the Council could explain the decisions that they
at St Nickolas will be held on Wednesday 22 December. had made about this site.
nd
The meeting took place on 9 July and what we heard
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proved that, despite our evidence that the site flooded thus
contradicting the Environment Agency’s rating the Council
had not reviewed it and insisted on an upgrade of the
specification of the Sustainable Drainage System (SuDs).

What we learned later was even more alarming, and that
is that permission for the raising of the height of the site
by up to 1.3 metres had been granted by the Council.

Our MP joined us on 19 August to look at the site from
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some of the neighbours’ properties and Greg admitted
that an MP has very little power over the Council in order
to put matters right.

What little we know of this almost stealthy move is that the
justification was so that the SuDs would work. That is utter
nonsense because, as we have shown many times, the
site always drained previously naturally to the South West
corner, so it must be the design of the SuDs which needed
Photos: Peter Kolbert
revising not the raising of the base height of the site.
The FOSN is a non-religious charity which raises funds to
maintain the structure of the Church and Churchyard. As Greg Smith commented, the answer is to build a wall
We are looking for a couple of people to join our committee. between the site and the Worminghall Road and Golders
If you are interested, please contact me on 07787 512959 v Close residences to contain any surface water run-off
worsened by raising the base height of the site. Those of
Liz Jordain you threatened by potential flooding from the site should
contact Deanfield on the subject:

info@deanfieldhomes.co.uk.

The Ickford Residents Group (IRG) has escalated the aspect
of fixing the foul water network with the National Casework
Department and will be raising the reluctance of the Council
St Nicholas Church being to provide the monies destined to expand the already
decorated ahead of the
Church Fete and the oversubscribed Primary School with the Secretary of State
Harvest Festival Service
that was held on Sunday for Education. v
5 September.
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ourickfordnewsletter@hotmail.com 3 September 2021