News update, November
PENN parish councillors and the Penn and Tylers Green Residents’ Society have objected to plans to expand The Crown pub in Penn. The pub’s owners, Greene King, say if their plans are refused the pub will close (see last blog)
The parish council says people living in Penn Mead, the elderly person’s residential block near the pub, will be adversely affected by noise and light pollution and that traffic in the area will “dramatically” increase.
The society says there is insufficient detail in the plan but the scheme would result in altering the character and setting of the historic pub. The society says it strongly disagrees that planning permission should be granted in order for the pub to remain financially viable.
“Simply increasing the scale of the pub’s premises to increase the number of covers is not a magic formula,” it says in its objection to Buckinghamshire Council.
The planning application will be decided by the council’s planning committee later this year if planning officers recommend approval.
Local Covid infections hit new peak
THE NUMBER of new Covid cases in the Penn, Tylers Green and Hazlemere area were above the average for the rest of Buckinghamshire in October.
There were were nearly 200 cases a week but the figure dropped last week during half term. The October figures are the highest here since the pandemic began, but the symptoms are generally not as severe as those earlier in the year or last year.
Council leader Martin Tett said more than half of new cases in the county were either school-age children or those who live with school-age children.
Local schools reported a number of pupils self isolating before the half term break and some have increased precautions and adjusted school arrangements to minimise pupil contact.
Booster vaccinations for older people are said to be running on schedule in the area and from today (1 November) additional pharmacy vaccination clinics are opening in the Wycombe area for 12 to 15 year olds.
*Wycombe (and Tylers Green) MP Steve Baker, a firm opponent of lockdown measures, has asked the Government to set a date for closing down the NHS Test and Trace service.
Horse and Jockey wants a publican who will invest their own money
STAR PUBS and Bars, owner of the Horse and Jockey in Church Road, Tylers Green, is advertising for a publican willing to invest his or her own money to secure the future of the 200 year old pub.
The company – part of the Heineken brewery group – has obtained planning permission to extensively refurbish and expand the pub but says the company board will not give final approval for the refurbishment until the new landlord/landlady and the leasing process is approved.
The company says: “In order to ensure a successful start-up, all applicants must have a minimum £10,000 unborrowed funds.”
*Peter Darby, who worked at the Horse and Jockey for 37 years, nearly half of them as the pub landlord, has been admitted to the Florence Nightingale Hospice at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Peter, who has cancer, and his wife Neuza, retired from the pub two and half years ago.
New doctors’ surgery scheme in Penn as MP calls for more support
PENN Surgery is beginning a new appointment system from today (1 November) where patients can book routine appointments only online.
People needing urgent appointments can still call the surgery reception. The surgery says it is working to improve the number of face to face appointments.
In Parliament, Beaconsfield MP Joy Morrrisey, whose constituency includes Penn Surgery’s overseeing practice, the Simpson Centre, told MPs that GP surgeries should be given additional support during the Covid outbreak to enable them to carry out more in-patient appointments.
She said: “In my constituency there are certain GP surgeries that have struggled to even respond to constituents with phone calls. Many would be satisfied with just a phone call, but they cannot even reach their GP to schedule a phone call appointment.”
Briefly…
Gomm Valley – Ground testing is being carried out in the Gomm Valley between Cock Lane and Hammersley Lane, Tylers Green as part of preparatory work for an expected planning application by the house builders Taylor Wimpey. Traffic survey equipment has also been installed in Cock Lane, Hammersley Lane and Pimms Grove.
Driver jailed – A man who said his truck had been stolen when it crashed into the garden of a house in Church Road, Penn two years ago has been jailed for a year after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice. Police proved that Terry Walsh, of High Wycombe, was driving the vehicle at the time and fled on foot after the accident.
Rubbish collection – Buckinghamshire Council is struggling to maintain a waste collection service in the village because of a shortage of HGV drivers.The council is training up some of its refuse collectors to driver status but in the meantime continues to suspend the food waste collection. People are asked to put their food waste in the grey, general rubbish bin.
The council says that from today (1 November) missed bin collections should be reported within 24 hours (or Monday if collection is on Friday) to ensure collections are completed.
Overweight children – A report to the local community board said that a quarter of Year 6 children in the Beaconsfield and Chepping Wye area – which includes Penn and Tylers Green – are overweight or obese. Nearly a fifth of all adults do not undertake any physical activity at all.
Crossroads improvements – The council is to conduct a feasibility study at Hazlemere Crossroads to see how pedestrian and cyclist safety can be improved.
Energy efficient – One of the first applications in the Penn and Tylers Green conservation area to heat a home by an air source heat pump – the type of heating urged by the Government to reduce the carbon footprint – has been submitted by the owners of Pippins Cottage, Church Road, Tylers Green together with an application to add solar panels to the roof.
Council apology – Buckinghamshire Council has apologised after a website containing this year’s 11 plus results crashed minutes after it was launched, causing an anxious wait of several hours for pupils and their parents.
Jigsaw library – Tylers Green Village Hall has launched a jigsaw library every Thursday morning between 10 and 11.
What’s on
Here are some events taking place in and around the village this November…
5, 12, 19 and 25 November – Live music at The Squirrel, Penn Street from 8pm
6 November – WI Christmas craft fair, Tylers Green Village Hall, 2.30 to 4pm
6 November – Aylesbury Consort of Voices and Pendlebury Wind Ensemble at Holy Trinity, Penn Street. 7pm
11 November – Short Remembrance Day service on Tylers Green back common, starting at 10.50am
11 November – Bingo at Hazlemere Golf Club from 7.30pm
13 November – British Legion Remembrance Sunday service, St Margaret’s Church, Tylers Green 9.30am
13 November – Karaoke at Horse and Jockey,Tylers Green from 7pm
20 November – Village Expo at Tylers Green Village Hall – local groups showcase their activities to potential new members. 2pm to 4pm
21 November – Rob Davis sings pop classics at Hazlemere Community Centre. 2pm to 4pm.
25 November – Comedy night at the Potter’s Arms, Winchmore Hill from 8pm
27 and 28 November – Christmas Tree Festival at Holy Trinity Church, Penn, 2pm to 6pm
You can contact this blog by email: peter@pennandtylersgreen.com