BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Council is being urged to have second thoughts on the proposal to build 106 homes on the fields adjoining Ashwells, Tylers Green as concerns grow that the development could endanger pupils arriving and leaving Tylers Green Middle School.
Outline planning permission for homes on the site was given last year but final details of the scheme have drawn a number of objections.
Parish councillors are calling for significant changes and local councillor Katrina Wood has asked for the plan to be debated and decided upon at a full meeting of the council’s planning committee and not left to planning officers to decide.
Chepping Wycombe Parish Council and some people living by the school say the extra traffic generated by the development will add to dangers for pupils. Cllr Wood told the council: “There is still a great deal of disquiet and queries within the village regarding this application.”
Double yellow lines are to be introduced on both sides of Cock Lane in the school’s vicinity leading to fears the small car park opposite the school will be overwhelmed and that roads on the new development will attract school parking, providing additional hazards for pupils.
Penn councillor quits the Conservatives for the Liberal Democrats
A PENN councillor on Buckinghamshire Council resigned from the Conservative Party last month and joined the Liberal Democrats.
Cllr Jonathan Waters, who lives in Pednor near Chartridge, was elected for the Penn Wood and Old Amersham ward in the 2021 council elections.
When fresh elections are held next year he’ll stand as a Lib Dem for the newly formed Penn, Tylers Green and Loudwater ward alongside Penn Parish Council chairman Mike West.
In a stinging rebuke to local Tories the normally urbane Mr Waters said: “The Conservative leadership has stopped listening to our residents.”
In a statement issued through Chesham and Amersham Liberal Democrats he said he was impressed by his new party’s pragmatism… “a party not of dogma, greed or envy…but (with) a real desire to make things better for residents.”
The Conservatives have yet to respond to his shock defection. There have been rows and friction in the local party over the selection of candidates for next year’s council election.
The Tories have yet to announce their candidates but it’s believed they have chosen long-standing councillor Katrina Wood, who also chairs Chepping Wycombe Parish Council, and Steven Barrett, a right-wing lawyer who opines on GB News and in The Spectator magazine. He currently represents Tylers Green and Loudwater on Buckinghamshire Council.
Local news
Gomm Valley fight goes on – House builder Taylor Wimpey says it intends to continue its fight to build houses and other facilities in the Gomm Valley, between Hammersley Lane and Cock Lane, Tylers Green, even though a Government planning inspector rejected the latest scheme.
The company says it won all the planning and environmental arguments and the scheme was only rejected because the inspector felt the A40 couldn’t cope with the extra traffic. The company is now in talks with Buckinghamshire Highways to see if and how the A40 issue can be resolved.
Parking think-tank – A group comprising representatives from Penn and Tylers Green Football Club, its neighbours and parish and Bucks councillors has been formed to consider ways to deal with parking and associated problems that arise when events that attract hundreds of people take place at the football club.
Farewell Paul – Former Olympian and sports commentator Paul Dickenson died at his Hazlemere home last month just short of his 75th birthday. The former hammer-thrower represented Britain in the 1976 and 1980 Olympics and went on to coach and become an authoritative commentator for the BBC on athletics and winter sports. He lived with his family in Hill Avenue for many years.
Christmas post charity – Penn and Tylers Green Scouts are raising money for the local campaign Unlock Their Words with their Christmas post deliveries this year. Collection dates at their post boxes are 7 and 14 December. The campaign is to improve speech and language provision in local schools. There’s more detail on https://pennandtylersgreen.org.uk/scout-post-2024/
Third time lucky – Plans to demolish Gorse Glade at the bottom of the back common, Tylers Green and replace it with a new home have been approved at the third time of asking. A new design, in a “cottage style”, is less obtrusive than previous plans and has less mass, width and scale, say planners. The new plans, in a sensitive part of the Penn and Tylers Green conservation area, have also been approved by the council’s heritage officer.
Blue Christmas – St Margaret’s, Tylers Green, is holding a Blue Christmas service as part of its festive programme to offer comfort to those grieving the loss of loved ones at Christmastime. It’s on 22 December.
Wellbeing governor – Tylers Green First School is to appoint a wellbeing governor who will concentre on supporting the school’s approach to mental health and wellbeing.
New footpaths plea – Applications have been made to make existing walking tracks in Penn official public footpaths. They currently branch off public footpath Penn 36 which runs from Penbury Grove to near the Royal Standard of England pub, and public footpath Penn 40 which runs from Witheridge Lane, through Church Path Wood to Knotty Green.
Assisted dying votes – MPs Emma Reynolds (Wycombe, including Tylers Green, Lab) and Sarah Green (Chesham and Amersham, including Penn, Lib-Dem) voted in favour of assisted dying in a House of Commons vote. Beaconsfield MP Joy Morrissey, Conservative, voted against.
Comedy workshop – Alex Bird, a member of the cast in the West End’s longest running comedy, The Play That Goes Wrong, held a workshop for drama students at Sir William Ramsay School last month.
Big Amersham Road changes as new Hazlemere housing estate approved
THERE WILL be significant changes to the Amersham Road (A404) at Hazlemere following approval last month of plans to build 412 new homes on the former Terriers Farm site north of the road.
To cope with the extra traffic generated by the development, Buckinghamshire Council has decreed that:
- As a public safety measure the zebra crossing at Hazlemere Crossroads will be moved further away from the double mini-roundabouts and be upgraded to a pelican crossing with traffic lights.
- A roundabout will be built at the De Havilland Drive junction with Amersham Road which will include an access road to the new development.
- Major improvements will be made to the Amersham Road/Kingshill Road/Totteridge Lane mini roundabout to enable it to deal with increased traffic.
Local councillors, parish councillors and hundreds of residents had objected to the development saying the additional population would over-stretch existing public services.
As part of the approval the three developers would have to help pay for expansions of local primary schools and GP surgeries and provide three sports pitches which will be linked to Hazlemere Recreation Ground.
Excluding water companies from having their say on local housing plans is ‘nonsensical’ says Penn MP
MEANWHILE, Penn’s MP has called on the Government to ensure that water companies are fully consulted on proposed housing developments as it prepares new planning laws.
Sarah Green’s plea, expressed in a House of Commons debate, follows increasing concern over whether current sewage and water systems can accommodate hundreds of new homes planned in the area.
At present water companies do not have to be consulted on proposed new housing estates but are required to “make it work” if the developments are approved. That, the Liberal Democrat Chesham and Amersham MP told the Commons, is “surely nonsensical.”
The Environment Agency has warned developers and the local authority that the Ashwells area of Tylers Green, where 106 homes are being sought, is under “serious water stress”. Any homes that are built should have higher efficiency systems for water usage than would normally be the case, it says.
When a public inquiry was called on plans to build 540 houses and other facilities in the Gomm Valley between Hammersley Lane and Cock Lane, Tylers Green the water company Thames Water was permitted to comment. It said that if permission was given for both the Gomm Valley and Ashwells developments the current sewage network should be able to cope.
However, the company said the existing water network only had capacity for a further 46 dwellings and that unless major upgrades were completed before the houses were occupied that could lead to periods of low or even no water pressure in the area.
It urged the planning inspector holding the inquiry to insist on a condition requiring such upgrades if he agreed to the proposal.
It transpired however that Matthew Woodward, the planning inspector, rejected the application and did not mention water issues in his final report.
The world’s biggest game of shove ha’penny. Some shove. Some ha’penny
NORMALLY if you build a viaduct you construct the supporting piers first and then the bridge on top. But HS2 near Wendover is doing things differently.
All year engineers have been building the massive concrete piers that will support the railway viaduct as it crosses the main Aylesbury to Amersham road (A413) near Wendover at Small Dean.
Meanwhile the massive viaduct deck itself, pictured above, has been built separately off site and manoeuvred into a position just off the road.
Next month, with the five piers complete, comes the tricky bit.
Engineers are going to push, pull, heave and shove the mighty steel structure, inch by inch, centimetre by centimetre for 345 metres (377 yards) over the road, slotting (hopefully!) into the piers as it goes. It will take four days, steady nerves and goodness knows how many gallons of WD40 (actually they’re using special compounds to enable it to slide along – polytetrafluoroethylene pads if you must know!).
It’s being done this way to minimise disruption to the A413 and the main London-Aylesbury railway line which it also crosses.
Regional news
Peppa takes her place alongside another icon – Gromit of Wallace and Gromit fame – whose creator Nick Park is also a graduate of the school. Picture: NFTS.
Silent Witness HQ – Work has begun on building a purpose-built forensic unit for Thames Valley Police at Bicester which will bring all of the force’s forensic teams in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire under one roof with the latest equipment. It is due to open in early 2026.
Selection stays – The Government has told a local Conservative MP that it has no plans to change the grammar school system in Buckinghamshire, or anywhere else where grammar schools still exist. However, Education Minister Catherine McKinnell told Beaconsfield MP Joy Morrissey that the Government did not plan to allow any new grammar schools to open.
Liam’s funeral – The funeral of Liam Payne, the former One Direction singer who died in Argentina in October aged 31, took place at Amersham Parish Church on 20 November. He lived in Chalfont St Giles.
Brigade ok – The Fire Services Inspectorate says it no longer has concerns about aspects of Buckinghamshire Fire Brigade following its latest inspection. The watchdog had highlighted three areas of concern in a previous inspection including inadequate prioritisation of those at most risk of fire. Now it says the brigade has taken action to remedy the concerns.
Jobless figures – Latest figures show unemployment in Buckinghamshire to be 3.2 per cent of the population available to work, lower than the national average of 3.8 per cent. The percentage claiming unemployment benefit in our immediate area (Penn, Tylers Green and Hazlemere) is even lower.
Ten grand dumping – Buckinghamshire Council’s crackdown on fly-tippers continues. The company that dumped these mattresses and other rubbish in a Chilterns country lane were left with a bill for £9,672 in fines and costs last month.
Driverless bus – A driverless bus is being trialled in Milton Keynes this month but it’s not carrying passengers. Engineers want to ensure the technology controlling the bus is fully capable before inviting the public on board, probably next year.
Overspending – Figures show Buckinghamshire Council was £8.4million overspent half way through the financial year because costs in children’s services, adult social care and home to school transport were higher than anticipated.
Shoplifting convictions soar – Thames Valley Police said there was a 77 per cent increase in successful shop lifting prosecutions between April and October this year compared with the same period in 2023. It follows a renewed focus on the crime.
River walk – A new accessible walking route which is also suitable for wheelchair users is being proposed between the River Misbourne in Old Amersham and the River Chess in Chesham. Final design recommendations are expected in February.
The Penn and Tylers Green Christmas Quiz
SEASON’S greetings to our increasing band of readers. Here’s 20 brain teasers for you, whether you are here in the village or catching up from far away. The answers are at the end of the quiz.
1 Where is:
a) St. George’s Pond?
b) Sheepwash Pond?
c) Pistles Pond?
d) Long Pond?
2 Which:
a) Former Becky High School (Beaconsfield) pupil is the political editor of Sky News?
b) Former Holmer Green Senior School pupil, now international TV and stage star, has a middle name Kimberley?
c) Former Sir William Ramsay School pupil climbed Mt Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief but is scared of chickens?
d) Former RGS (Wycombe Royal Grammar School) pupil is the BBC’s medical editor?
3 What is :
a) the gradient of the Cock Lane hill?
b) the gradient of the Hammersley Lane hill?
c) the name of the track between the Red Lion and the Old Bank House, leading to Puttenham Farm?
d) unusual about the clock face at Penn’s Holy Trinity church?
4 Who is:
a) Ashley Drive named after?
b) Carter Walk named after?
c) Nash Place named after?
d) Taplin Way named after?
5 When :
a) were flush toilets introduced at Tylers Green School (now first school)?
b) were the first elm trees in Elm Road chopped down having being deemed dangerous?
c) were the King’s Ride shops built?
d) was the first Carols on the Common?
Answers
1a. Penn Street Common; 1b. Beacon Hill, Penn (half way up) ; 1c. Beacon Hill, Penn (lower part); 1d. Church Road, Penn alongside the main (B474) road outside Stonehouse Grange.
2a. Beth Rigby. She said she survived a non-stop 33 hour general election shift this year relying on diet Coke, sushi and her lucky red lipstick.
2b. James Corden, who told everyone at school his middle name was Karl until his sister let slip the truth. He deflected subsequent teasing however by making older boys laugh. On Christmas Day he stars in the final episode of TV’s Gavin and Stacey, which he co-wrote with Ruth Jones.
2c. Leigh-Anne Pinnock. A former head girl at Sir William Ramsay and part-time waitress at Pizza Hut, Leigh-Ann always dreamed of becoming a pop star. When her group Little Mix won TV’s X-Factor in 2011 she never looked back.
2d. Fergus Walsh, who is married to a former GP and lives in Windsor. His citation for an honorary degree at Newcastle University said he had “done more than any other journalist to facilitate public comprehension of the most challenging health issues of our times.”
3a. 20 per cent (or one in five). Research by Miles Green published in Village Voice this year suggests the lane is many hundreds of years old, known in the 13th century as Ashwells Lane (which, oddly, would probably be a better name for it today).
3b. 12 per cent (or one in eight) Miles’ research suggests Hammersley Lane dates back to Saxon times (from 421 to 1066), probably named from the olde English hamor, meaning wood, and leah, meaning an open space in a wood.
3c. Putts Lane, obviously derived from the Puttenham family who are thought to have built the original manor house, now farm, in the 15th century. According to Buckinghamshire archives, Roger De Puttenhamm (sic) held the manors of Penn and Puttenham in 1305 so its probably safe to assume that before Tylers Green was developed 100 years later the area was known as Puttenham.
3d. It only has one hand. The clock was installed in 1715 at a time when one-handed clocks were popular in the country. Some think that because the pace of life was much slower in those days people didn’t need to know the exact time.
4a. The Rev Ashley Spencer, vicar of St Margaret’s from 1883 to 1918. He was a ball of energy who, from humble beginnings, earned a BA and an MA from Oxford. It wasn’t uncommon for him to ring the church bells, play the organ and conduct the service single handed. He was nearly 60 when the First World War broke out but he became the oldest serving volunteer in the country serving with the Grand Fleet in Scapa Flow. At the beginning of the 20th century he launched the village’s first financial institution, which developed into a localised Penny Bank.
4b. Thomas Carter, who was the landlord of the Horse and Groom pub (now Penn Surgery) between 1895 and 1929 and was a leading advocate of sport in the village, assisting with the establishment of both the football club and the cricket club.
4c. Tony Nash, who was an Olympic gold medalist in the 1964 Winter Olympics coming first in the bobsleigh event with his brakeman Robin Dixon. He ran and part-owned a light engineering factory off The Pines, where the Nash Place development is today. A notorious corner on the Cresta Run bobsleigh track in St. Moritz is still named the Nash-Dixon corner.
4d. Taplin Way is named after father and son Ben and Albert Taplin who, between 1895 and 1929 were clerks to Chepping Wycombe Parish Council.
5a. Flush toilets and hot running water were introduced to the school on the 1st September, 1953, although they were still built outside the main school. Before then the toilets were rather rudimentary buildings at the end of the playground.
5b. In 1959 many of the elm trees of Elm Road – planted over 100 years earlier – were condemned as dangerous and chopped down. Those that survived were eventually removed in 1977, affected by Dutch Elm Disease.
5c. The King’s Ride shops were completed in 1966, comprising a supermarket, a butcher, a dry cleaners and a newsagent/sub-post office.
5d. 1977. Olive Hampton, who ran Olivia’s hairdressers at the bottom of the front common, organised the first Carols on the Common in December 1977 to round off the village’s celebrations that year for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. So many people attended the event it soon became a village Christmas tradition.
You can contact this blog at peter@pennandtylersgreen.com It may be updated as necessary during December but the next full update will be on 1 January 2025.