13 March 2010
High Speed Train Line Misses Helmdon - Just
250 mph trains.
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A proposed new train line from London to Birmingham will send high speed trains hurtling through South Northants at up to 250 miles per hour on a route that passes between Helmdon and Brackley.
The High Speed Two (HS2) line would eventually run all the way from London to Scotland with a journey time of just three and a half hours.
The line follows a slightly different route to the old great central railway and so misses Helmdon but the proposed new line crosses the Radstone Road just the Helmdon side of the Old Glebe, and crosses the Welsh Lane just the Banbury side of Greatworth Park. The proposed route shaves the edge of Greatworth village.
There are no stations proposed between London and Birmingham so the trains will simply whistle past.
The proposed route can be viewed on the Department for Transport web site, and more information on the plans can be found on wikipedia.
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22 February 2010
A Chance To Get Married For Free
Jo Frost
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Channel 4 is looking for couples thinking of getting married and couples with children for two new programmes to be aired later this year.
Do you want to have the wedding of your dreams without the drama? Channel 4 is producing a new show where a top team of wedding planners, stylists and organisers will create your ideal ceremony at our ‘Wedding House’ for FREE. All you have to do is be in love and want to get married…they’ll do the rest. For more information and a application form e-mail weddings@betty.co.uk or call 0207 290 0661.
And Supernanny Jo Frost is looking for parents in need of expert advice to take part in her second series of Extreme Parental Guidance for Channel 4. Are your children obsessed with their looks? Is your daughter saving for cosmetic surgery? Are you worried about your son bodybuilding? Has he developed strange phobias? Are they running up huge mobile phone bills or debts gambling online? Is home life a battle ground of picky eating and sibling rivalry? If you’re experiencing these or any other problems with your kids the show would love to hear from you. For more information please call: 0207 424 7606, send an email or text your details to 07791 286825.
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15 February 2010
Second Wind Farm Proposal
Last summer residents in Helmdon heard that ENERTRAG UK had sent South Northamptonshire Council a request for a 'Scoping Opinion' for a proposed site for nine wind turbines between Weston and Sulgrave. Now, just a few months later another company, Broadview Energy Ltd is proposing up to six turbines on a site between Helmdon and the B4525.
This second proposal is for up to six 80 metre high turbines on land between Helmdon, Greatworth and Sulgrave (see site plan).
Councillors at South Northamptonshire Council gave approval on 7 January 2010 to ENERTRAG for a 60 metre high meteorological steel mast to measure and record wind speed and direction. Such masts are required in order to gather the necessary data to support a full planning application.
Broadview Energy Ltd has also made an application for a meteorological mast for their "Spring Ridge" project.
Residents of Helmdon are invited to an open day on Tuesday 2 March 2010 between 4:00 and 8:00 p.m. in St Lawrence Village Hall, St Lawrence where representatives of Broadview will be available to answer questions.
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24 January 2010
203 New Homes In Helmdon? Don't Think So.
It's planning madness. The West Northamptonshire Joint Planning Unit (WNJPU) has published a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) that identifies six potential sites in Helmdon with a supposed potential for 203 housing units.
The trouble is that SHLAA doesn't take in to account whether or not the land is actually available, what the environmental status of the land is, or whether the village can support such growth.
Essentially a SHLAA is an audit of land that may, or could be, developed up to 2026. Every local authority must have a SHLAA so that the Government can see the potential for new housing.
Helmdon Parish Council's Planning Committee met on Wednesday 20 January 2010 to consider the SHLAA consultation, responses for which have to be returned by mid February. The Planning Committee discovered inaccuracies in the site identification and discrepancies between the site information and the maps. Consequently they decided to return the plans and ask WNJPU to resubmit.
The SHLAA could simply be a paper-exercise audit of land in the area, or it could be the thin end of the wedge. If a site is identified in the SHLAA and is subsequently chosen as a preferred site then the development pressure could be immense.
Members of the public are able to view the proposed site and leave comments on the WNJPU site. It could be a case of speak now or forever hold your peace.
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9th January 2010
Big Freeze To Continue
Temperatures as low as -9 degrees were recorded in Helmdon on Friday night as the big freeze continues to grip the village.
The snow, most of which fell on Tuesday 5th January, has not melted at all as temperatures have been at or below freezing all week.
Station Road and Wappenham Road have been gritted and are passable with care but Church Street is an ice rink and the sides roads are all thick with ice and snow. Cars have been unable to get all the way up Church Street or Shortlands Close since Tuesday.
Even the kids turned down a fifth day of tobogganing, preferring to stay indoors to keep warm and dry.
The freezing weather is set to continue well in to next week with more snow forecast for Saturday night and Sunday. Temperatures are not predicted to climb above freezing until Wednesday.
Helmdon should be getting to used to this though - it's less than a year since we had similar conditions!
If you have any snow pictures or stories to share please send them to webmaster@helmdon.com.
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8th January 2010
School Open Today
Helmdon Primary School is open to children today, Friday 8th January 2010.
However, road conditions in the village remain treacherous so parents travelling to school by car, especially from outside the village, are advised to consider whether or not they feel they can get their children to school safely.
The school was closed to children on Wednesday and Thursday this week as it was not possible for most staff to get there safely. The weather hasn't changed much but Station Road is now passable with care.
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6th January 2010
A Chance To Get Involved
The Reading Room Management Committee is looking for someone to take over the position of secretary.
This is a very important job, as the Reading Room cannot function
without someone to fill this position. The position is purely voluntary but any expenses incurred will of course be paid in full.
It would be ideal if anyone would like to take over this role, to start as soon as possible, so as to work alongside the present secretary (Caroline) and take over full duties in May 2010.
This is a very crucial time for the Reading Room, as many of you know, especially with the refurb. and money raising, but with Caroline and the committee’s guidance I’m sure the transition will run smoothly.
If anyone is interested could you please contact Bill England (01295) 760744 / bill_england@btinternet.com or Caroline King (01295) 768695.
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1st January 2010
Happy New Year!
STOLEN - Ten years from 2000 to 2010. If anyone knows what happened to those ten years please contact the Webmaster!
Yes, it's
2010 and the dawn of a new decade. It seems like only yesterday that we were all in a tizz over the millennium bug and wondering what the Noughties would bring us - now it's all history.
So what can we expect in 2010? Well there will definitely be a general election and a new government. For sports fans there's the Winter Olympics in Canada and a smorgasbord of football at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Closer to home the Village Diary for 2010 is already filling up fast, so if you are planning an event you better secure a date quick! 2010 also marks the 10th Anniversary of the Helmdon Web Site (launched on 1st November 2000). We will mark this achievement with several special features throughout the year.
Whatever 2010 brings you I hope it is a happy and safe year for us all.
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