Uttlesford Draft Local Plan
Uttlesford Local Plan news can be found by clicking here.
Refreshed Neighbourhood Plan
The refreshed Newport, Quendon and Rickling Neighbourhood Plan can be found by clicking here.
Important financial advice from Citizens Advice
Please click here for full information
Latest Information and Links from the District Council
Please click here for the latest bulletin from UDC
Parish Council News
Council membership
Vacancy Notice
The parish council as of October 19 2024 comprises six councillors:
Gari Spearpoint (chair), Caroline Mackrill, Peter Beaumont, Tom Duncan, Ray Hart, Erica Bromley
Annual Report 2024 from Tom Duncan
Election of Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner will be on Thursday 6th May 2021. For full details please click the link below.
Police Fire & Crime election 2021
Census 2021. Click here for information about the national census.
UDC Emergency Food Bank grant and Christmas Support fund
To obtain details and contact UDC regarding the Emergency Food Bank grant please use the link below.
https://uttlesford.foodbank.org.uk/contact-us/
Help with Redundancy
Uttlesford Frontline have published a useful pamphlet if you are unlucky enough to have ben made redundant recently. Click here to read it.
Green Homes Grant
The government is offering grants for environmentally beneficial home improvements.
Homeowners and landlords in England can apply for a voucher towards the cost of installing energy efficient and low-carbon heating improvements to homes, which could help save up to £600 a year on energy bills.
The government will provide a voucher that covers up to two thirds of the cost of qualifying improvements to your home. The maximum value of the voucher is £5,000. You may be able to receive a higher level of subsidy if you are a homeowner and either you or a member of your household receives one of the qualifying means-tested benefits, covering 100% of the cost of the improvements. The maximum value of these vouchers is £10,000. Landlords cannot apply for the low-income part of the scheme.
Click here for the government Green Homes Grant website
Click here for further details from the Energy Advice Group
Who's Knocking at Your Door?
The Parish Council have reports of the “Nottingham Knockers” being seen in the village again.
The term comes from a scam which originated in the East Midland town; they are usually young people travelling across the country and targeting a town or district at a time. They knock on doors with a large duffle bag, produce a seemingly legitimate ID card and claim to be ex-convicts trying to mend their ways by selling everyday household products which are often of poor quality and sold at inflated prices. They may also hand over a card saying they are deaf or dumb. Kind-hearted householders often feel obliged to buy from them, believing they are helping the young people to turn their lives around.
However, the sellers are not involved in any officially recognised offender rehabilitation programme and most do not have a Pedlar’s Certificate, which is needed for salespeople to legally sell door-to-door. According to the police, the “Knocker” is supplied with a full bag of household products and charged a minimal sum for the contents by an “employer”– it used to be £35 - they can keep whatever they make above this amount. Usually they are deposited in an area from a transit van and given a list of streets to work. An hour or so later they are picked up and dropped off in another location. They frequently operate from 9am to 9pm. These are often known criminals - police advise that in almost every case of a stop-check the “Knockers” have long strings of convictions for burglary and violence. They use the skills learnt during their criminal activity to identify possible targets and the addresses may then be sold in prisons and pubs. If there is a later break-in, the “employer” expects a further cut of the proceeds.
Consequently, if a “Nottingham Knocker” visits you, police advice is: DO NOT ANSWER YOUR DOOR in the first instance, keeping in mind that if cold callers don’t get any sales in your area they are less likely to return.
If you do open your door to any salesperson, the police and Trading Standards always advise residents to ask to see their Pedlar’s Certificate - these are only issued to individuals under very strict conditions and are not the same as an ID card. You can contact the police station it was issued at in order to check that it’s genuine. Then, POLITELY REFUSE TO PURCHASE ITEMS and not to buckle to pressure from salespeople to do so.
Finally, the police are keeping track of where the “Knockers” are operating, therefore REPORT THEM BY DIALING 101and ask for the Incident Room.
Let’s spread the word so that Quendon & Rickling are not a targeted area for this activity; please share this information with your neighbours, friends and family.
Recording Buildings, Features and Views of Interest in Q & R
During the process of drafting the Newport, Quendon and Rickling Neighbourhood Plan it was realised that there is an opportunity to record aspects of the villages that are of value. Such a record will provide UDC planners with an understanding of what it is that makes the villages special and assist them in their planning decisions. UDC are already aware of listed buildings, but they don't know about, for example, unlisted buildings, ancient walls, interestings railings, attractive lines of trees or great views of the villages. The features may be interesting for any number of reasons; their heritage, their design, their community value for instance.
If you have any ideas as to features that should be highlighted please let the the Parish Clerk know, or send him a picture with a description and location of the feature. It is important to note that the recording of such features does not impose any restrictions on the owner.
Uttlesford District Council Local Plan
The UDC Local Plan is being reviewed and as a result there is a delay in its publication.
One significant purpose of the plan is to allocate sites for new homes, jobs and infrastructure within Uttlesford up to 2033.
The plan can be viewed online, at Dunmow library or at Saffron Walden Council Offices.
Newport, Quendon and Rickling Neighbourhood Plan - Refresh
We have the right to guide the future shape and function of our own villages via something called a Neighbourhood Plan. It is a formal agreement for the long-term development of where we live. Residents are involved at every step via surveys, consultations and a referendum at the end. And once adopted, most likely in 2017/18, we can use our plan to guide development in our villages. It is a legally binding roadmap for the future of our villages that we all decide.
The Plan was adopted in 2018 and now needs a refresh. In conjunction with Newport PC and Ward Councillors, Phil Sowter (PC) and Brandon Chapman are members of teh steering committee who have engaged a consultancy to refresh and renew the plan, in order that it may continue to have significant weight in decisions.
To see more visit http://nqrplan.org/ .
Uttlesford District Council Elections
Quendon and Rickling are part of the Newport ward. Our elected UDC councillors are Neil Hargreaves and Judy Emmanuel. Their contact details can be found using the following links:
Neil Hargreaves : https://uttlesford.cmis.uk.com/uttlesford/Councillors/tabid/62/ctl/ViewCMIS_Person/mid/480/id/486/ScreenMode/Alphabetical/Default.aspx
Judy Emmanuel: https://uttlesford.moderngov.co.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=2624
Quendon and Rickling Footpath Survey 2015
See separate page - click here
Q & R PC Conservation Area Appraisal
Uttlesford has a particularly rich built heritage, with 36 conservation areas and approximately 3,700 listed buildings displaying a variety of styles representative of the best of architectural and historic designs from many centuries.
Conservation areas are environments which are considered worthy of protection as a result of a combination of factors such as the quality of design and setting of the buildings or their historic significance. In addition to the individual qualities of the buildings themselves, there are other factors such as the relationships of the buildings with each other, the quality of the spaces between them and the vistas and views that unite or disrupt them. The relationship with adjoining areas and landscape, the quality of trees, boundary treatments, advertisements, road signage, street furniture and hard surfaces, are also important features which can add to or detract from the conservation area.
The legal background for designating a Conservation Area is set out in Section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. This states that the Council shall from time to time designate Conservation Areas, which are defined as being ‘areas of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to conserve or enhance’. The same section of the Act also requires that Councils undertake periodic reviews.
The appraisal for Quendon and Rickling has now also been completed and is available to view on its own page at http://www.uttlesford.gov.uk/quendonandricklingcaa
For further information please call Bruce Tice, on 01799 510670 or email btice@uttlesford.gov.uk.
Maps of Quendon and Rickling (with house names!)
You will no doubt recall that The Village Map project was kicked off by a request from a couple of residents within the village who, like several others, had occasionally been asked by those delivering or visiting for directions to various addresses. Funds were available to the Parish Council from the New Homes Bonus and so it was considered to be a viable project providing a useful source of information, for it was realized that even with modern day navigation technology some named houses are not easy to locate. After extensive enquiries as to how we may go about producing a weatherproof, easily visible map together with identifying suitable sites, we are delighted to report that you will now see these maps in position.
Two sites have been chosen which are central to the two villages with parking available if necessary. Agreement has been gained from the owners to position the maps on the property walls. The sites are :-
THE CRICKETERS ARMS
&
THE VILLAGE HALL
So in future remember, even if you do not know the location of an address when asked you can refer the enquirer to one of the map sites.
.
Traffic through Quendon and Rickling
The Parish Council has received the results from the traffic survey carried out in March 2013 on the B1383 (Cambridge Road), Quendon. The data are complex and detailed but the Parish Council Chairman has prepared a concise analysis which may be viewed by clicking here. It contains a very useful summary of the results and details of how you may obtain the full data set. (Don't be worried if it displays with an enlarged left margin. If you download it - right-click and choose the download option - it should be fine!)
More recently a speed survey was carried out along Rickling Green Road, which is lined with densely parked cars and other vehicles and is regularly used by children going to and from Rickling Primary School. It is also used, of course, by other vulnerable pedestrians including residents of the area. The roadside parking of vehicles presents serious hazards for traffic passing along the road and for pedestrians trying to cross it. The current 30mph speed limit is often ignored but the Parish Council is trying to get it reduced to 20mph in line with many other school routes throughout the country, and this speed survey supports the need. If you must run us over, please do it slowly!
Winter Salt
There are three Bins within the Village located at Coney Acre, The Cricketers Arms and Thistley Crescent, each one containing salt that may be use by residents in the event of snow and ice on pavements outside their homes.
Please be very careful when taking salt from the bin, it may be heavier than you think and only take sufficient for your needs. When the bin is open ensure the cover does not fall down on you. IT MUST BE A CONDITION OF USE OF THIS SALT THAT INDIVIDUALS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN ACTIONS. To help with our records please make a note of your name and location whenever you use some salt.
In bad weather people will often help each other. Call your neighbour and ask for help if you need your path cleared of snow or ice. In more extreme conditions we may need a working party to clear paths around the Village. If you would like to help with this please call Brandon Chapman (543518) who will attempt to co-ordinate actions and offer advice.
A risk analysis and assessment has been completed regarding the use of Winter Salt, a copy of which is available from the Parish Clerk.