PARISH NEWS

Newsletters, Reports and other snippets of news from around Harbury parish.

Bush Heath Lane New Housing - How to Apply

As many residents will be aware, Linfoot Homes in conjunction with South Warwickshire Rural Housing Association are currently building new homes, designed principally for local residents and people with a strong local connection.

There will be 13 homes of varying styles to rent and nine available to buy outright. It is expected that the development will be completed around the beginning of 2011.

The information below has been obtained from Martin Cowan, Housing Advice Manager, Stratford District Council regarding the District Council’s policy of 'Home Choice Plus' which will decide the allocation of the rented houses:

Bush Heath Lane - Criteria/How to Apply (July 2010)

Harbury welcomes local homes for local people

Derrick Dyas (Warwickshire Rural Housing Association) with partners.

Work is underway on an innovative community-led housing development for local people in Harbury.

The 22 home scheme, including two, three and four bedroom houses and bungalows, is being built by Linfoot Country Homes in partnership with Warwickshire Rural Housing Association (WRHA), under the Stratford District Council Local Choice initiative.

13 of the properties will be available for affordable rent, while the remaining nine will be for sale, initially to local buyers only. The development is scheduled for completion in early to mid 2011 and is aimed at meeting the needs of the local community.

Work officially started on the site in Bush Heath Lane on 17 June 2010 when the ground was ceremonially broken.

The 13 rented properties will be owned and managed by WRHA, a specialist provider of affordable homes in rural areas, and only people with a local connection to the village will be eligible to move into them.

The nine local market houses will be offered for sale by Linfoot Country Homes, a Warwickshire based housebuilder specialising in individual housing in rural areas. For a period of 12 weeks from coming onto the market, these can only be purchased by buyers with a local connection to the village, to satisfy local demand first.

The criteria for a local connection includes having been born in the parish, having lived or worked in the parish for at least 12 months, having previously been a resident for at least three years or having close family members living in the parish. The same criteria apply when people sell their home.

The homes will all be built to level three of the Government’s Code for Sustainable Homes and will include energy efficient air source heating technology. The development also incorporates sustainable drainage systems.

WRHA and Linfoot Country Homes have been working in partnership with Warwickshire Rural Community Council, which carried out a survey into housing needs in the area and ensured members of the local community were fully consulted throughout.

The development is also supported by Harbury Parish Council. Stratford-on-Avon District Council, has provided grant funding alongside the Homes and Communities Agency, the national housing and regeneration agency for England. Derrick Dyas, chairman of Warwickshire Rural Housing Association, said: "This development will contribute significantly towards our aim of providing 500 affordable new homes within the county. This aim can only be achieved through positive partnerships, as in this case, with local district and parish councils."

Linfoot Country Homes development director Claire Linfoot McLean added: "The aim of the scheme is to ensure an adequate supply of housing for people who may not otherwise be able to remain in the village. Its purpose is to ensure the community continues to thrive and to prevent families from being forced to move away."

Councillor Valerie Hobbs, Stratford-on-Avon District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Revenues and Housing, added: "This scheme will make a tangible contribution to meeting the needs of local people in Harbury. Two interesting features of this ‘Local Choice’ scheme are that it is being built on a site first identified in the Harbury Parish Plan and that it forms an integral part of an overall scheme including market housing reserved for local people. This is a further demonstration of the district council’s commitment to working in partnership with local communities to help them address their own housing needs."

Outline consent has been granted for a further 29 homes should local housing demand remain at its current level.

Harbury Pre-School is 'Outstanding'

Pre-School children celebrate the news!

Harbury Pre-School's latest Ofsted report has classed them as 'oustanding' in every area assessed and they are celebrating this fantastic achievement!

The staff and children of Harbury Pre-School have had a wonderful start to 2010 following an Ofsted inspection in early January. The result of the inspection was that the Pre-School has been rated as outstanding in all areas, placing it in the top 9% of childcare providers in England, a wonderful achievement.

Harbury Cemetary - Assessment

The memorials in Harbury Cemetery will be inspected as part of the ongoing assessment of maintenance in the cemetery during the months of March and April 2010.

The assessment will carried out with regard to the sensitive nature of the site and all the previously staked memorials will be re-tested under the new 'lighter touch' regulations which may result in some of them having the stakes removed subject to further monitoring.

Anyone with any queries or concerns regarding a memorial should contact the Parish Clerk. All enquiries will be treated in confidence.

Bush Heath Lane Development Consultation

Below you can read a summary of the public consultation event held on 21 May 2009 regarding the proposed development of 22 new homes in Bush Heath Lane, Harbury. It is a report by Phil Ward, Rural Housing Enabler, Rural Community Council.

Public Consultation Summary, June 2009

Village SOS: BIG and BBC Join Forces to Inspire UK Rural Revival

Rural villages in the West Midlands that have a great idea for a new local business venture that will help to regenerate their community are being invited to apply to Village SOS - a new funding scheme being launched this week by the Big Lottery Fund in partnership with BBC One.

Village SOS will award funding to six rural village communities to help them start up new businesses that will breathe new life into their area, create new jobs and improve the quality of life for local people. The scheme is also searching for enterprising and visionary individuals to become 'Village Champions' and work with the successful villages to help them achieve their ambitions of starting a successful rural business.

The journey of the six successful villages and their Village Champions will be documented by BBC One for a major prime time series in winter 2010.

Read full information here

Applying for a Grant from the Parish Council

Harbury Parish Council makes a number of grants per year to local groups. Grants are subject to the Council's budget. The grant critieria are as follows:

The grant should be for the benefit of a local group or organisation. The definition of 'local' is that most of the group's activities should take place within the Parish and/or be for the benefit of residents of the Parish.
Applicants should apply to the Council in writing stating what the grant is to be used for and giving approximate costs and/or quotations. It is acceptable to e-mail this information and it is preferable for all applicants to include an e-mail contact address in their letter. It is usual for groups to have a specific project in mind when applying for a grant.
The grant should usually be applied for before the project is completed.
All correspondence for grants should be received by the Council no later than one full calendar week before the date of the next meeting. A full list of Council meeting dates can be obtained from this website.

For further details or to submit an application please contact the Parish Clerk.

Parish Council Quarterly Reports

Each quarter the Parish Council publishes a report on its activities. The details from the latest report is shown here:

Quarterly Report for April 2010

In the past three months the Parish Council has:

Successfully applied for a grant from WCC towards the BMX track.
Successfully applied for a grant for updating the Parish Plan.
Commented on the new Draft Core Strategy plan that will control new development in Stratford District from 2011.
Continued to investigate how to reduce our energy consumption in the village, including holding an Save Money: Save Energy Day.
Made grants to various village organisations including the Duke of Edinburgh group and the Harbury Choir School.

Bush Heath Lane New Housing - How to Apply

Harbury welcomes local homes for local people

Harbury Pre-School is 'Outstanding'

Harbury Cemetary - Assessment

Bush Heath Lane Development Consultation

Village SOS: BIG and BBC Join Forces to Inspire UK Rural Revival

Applying for a Grant from the Parish Council

Parish Council Quarterly Reports

Quarterly Report for April 2010

2010 Annual Parish Meeting Reports

2009 Annual Parish Meeting Reports

Also on this page:

Adobe Acrobat