Following a consultation meeting at the school in April 2019 and also input regarding Condition 8 re Lighting on 26 January 2021, below are documents relating to GMPRG’s submission.
Great Missenden has a shiny new Information Board at the junction of the High Street and Link Road.
It is the result of a collaboration between GMPRG and Great Missenden Village Association (GMVA), with funding from both, and project managed by Carole Eaden (GMPRG) and Mike Wintgens (GMVA).
An application was made to the Missendens Local Area Forum (LAF) in February 2019. As long ago as The Market Town Health Check Report of Spring 2009 and Great Missenden Parish Design Statement of March 2012, the need for improved information for visitors to Great Missenden, the AONB and Chilterns had been highlighted. And yet nothing had been done, so it was high time!
The LAF contributed a grant of £2,830, and the Roald Dahl Museum chipped in for signage pointing visitors to the museum along the street. A donation was received also from Bucks CC Community Leaders Fund.
The left-hand side of the board features information about the village and its history, the Chilterns, and a specially commissioned water colour-style illustrated map. On the right-hand side is the space for notices, able to accommodate up to 8 A4 advertisements of local cultural activities and events.
The map is beautifully illustrated with sketches of local features and landmarks, including the Roald Dahl Museum, Roald Dahl’s grave, the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Missenden Abbey and Park, and the old petrol pumps. Images depicting our nature and ecology include trees, a butterfly and – of course – red kites.
Visitors are now welcomed to Great Missenden in a way that befits the beauty, history and ecology of the village at The Heart of the Chilterns.
GMPRG would like to thank and acknowledge all who helped realise this project, including Chiltern District Council and Bucks CC (LAF and Community Leaders grants), GMVA and the Roald Dahl Museum, as well as our suppliers Lovell Johns and Fitzpatrick Woolmer.
A memorial bench dedicated to John Skrimshire (1941-2016) has been installed close to the Pocket Park on the Buryfield, Great Missenden, where John used to enjoy times with his grandchildren.
John, who lived with his wife Angela in Crown House on the High Street for many decades, was Chairman of Great Missenden and Prestwood Revitalisation Group (GMPRG) and Committee member of Great Missenden Village Association (GMVA). He was a member of the parish council for many years and in his capacity as resident and as a planning lawyer was much involved in protecting and influencing many aspects of village life and development, which he always did with a great sense of fun. He is sorely missed. The making and installation of the bench has been funded jointly by GMPRG and GMVA.
With thanks to John Cadman, Transport Group Leader for GMPRG.
To review the membership and objectives of this project group, please visit our Current Projects – Community Transport Group page.
In the light of recent developments, the purpose of this meeting was to revise the scope of this group and to agree next steps.
Recent developments include:
The previous meeting in November concluded that progress on improving our very poor local bus service via Arriva alone will not happen and therefore the emphasis should be on alternative solutions. However recent Government announcements make this a good time to re-visit improving the bus service as well. The intention is to consult the public on what they would use via a survey. This will be targeted at commuters using Great Missenden station and as many local residents as possible. It will be heavily promoted via Great Missenden and Prestwood Village Associations, Great Missenden Revitalisation Group, The Source, GMPC and other local notice boards etc. It may also be beneficial for residents in outlying rural localities to promote the survey to ensure their needs are being covered, especially for off-peak needs.
This group has the support of GMPC and Bucks CC members, including Public Transport, and local village Associations. Now is the time to get wider public support for achieving the objectives. Without that support, nothing will happen. That will be the focus of the next steps.
GMPRG recently contributed to supporting the production of the Midsomer on the Misbourne Locations Trail leaflet along with other Chiltern Revitalisation Groups under Chiltern District Council’s umbrella.
The Trail is the outcome of a CDC initiated workshop towards achieving the development of a visitor strategy for the Chilterns to boost local businesses and improve the local economy and footfall to local high streets, including increasing visitor numbers-to Great Missenden.
Click this link to View the leaflet – or click image below.
Great Missenden and Prestwood Revitalisation Group supports, in principle, Great Missenden Parish Council’s plan to replace parking that will be lost on Link Road, due to HS2 enabling works changes. It agrees also that it makes sense to replace parking close to the village centre and the Memorial Hall, so that it serves the same purpose.
GMPRG proposed for consideration two further areas for new or increased parking. It proposed also the commissioning of a Landscape Impact Analysis, to gain a professional opinion of the new parking area on the impact to the AONB.
GMPRG’s comments were informed in part by local concerns, and also a desire to improve the acceptability of this parking plan, and its chances of success.
GMPRG’s detailed response is set out on the PDFs below – click on the link to open in your browser, or click the buttons to download.
One of the overwhelming themes among the responses to GMPRG’s was the appreciation of our surroundings, the natural beauty and peace of the Chilterns, and the desire to preserve them as much as possible.
In this spirit, GMPRG made a submission against an application by London Luton Airport Operations Limited to relax the day and night noise contour restriction imposed on their 2015 planning consent.
Great Missenden & Prestwood Revitalisation Group recorded its concern at the potential extension of the daytime and night time noise contours potentially impacting on this part of the Chilterns in between 2020 to 2024.
We pointed out that the Chiltern Hills are mainly an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, set between two extremely busy airports, London Heathrow and London Luton. As such any increase in the level of noise over the area would be damaging to the quiet enjoyment of this scenic environment.
A copy of our submission can be read below:
New research has shown that park benches are an asset to our lives and to our
communities.
Not only is the park bench great for encouraging people to go outside,
somewhere to sit and chat, it can also improve the lives of elderly people too.
Elderly people are suffering more and more from mental illnesses with 28% of
women over 65 being diagnosed with depression. Depression in elderly people
is a result of many different factors, with one of the key factors being isolation.
Loneliness can cause excess stress on the body and this can result in chronic
diseases including heart failure!
However, by going out for a walk and being able to sit on a bench enables
older people not only keep mobile but also to interact with people their age.
Not to mention that having a place to sit down gives older people a place to
rest whilst they go for a walk.
Prestwood High Street Car Park, owned by CDC, offers a great opportunity to
provide a bench at an appropriate location between other benches to help
the less mobile to get out and about, do a bit of shopping, go to the doctor’s
etc. Without somewhere to stop and sit, older and disable members of the
community are reluctant to venture out, in case they get out of breath or in
pain.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence( NICE) , quoted in The
Times 23 March 2018 as saying that areas with benches, flowers and lighting
tempt people to go out for a walk. They emphasise the need for improvements
to public space to be more active. Councils are advised “to make it as easy
for possible for people to walk”.
The guidance from NICE adds- “For most older people walking is by far the
most important activity”. Doctors describe exercise as a “wonder drug” that
can prevent cancer, diabetes and other diseases.