Dec - Jan 2000
A planning application has been submitted to Dacorum Borough Council by the mobile operator ‘One 2 One’ for an enormous transmitter mast to be sited in picturesque Scatterdells Wood. The proposed mast is 22.5m high to enable it to protrude well above the tree line (the average 2 storey house is 5m to the eaves). Many residents across the north-eastern half of the village are angered and upset by what they regard as an unnecessary eyesore and are worried by the potential health hazard. LANDSCAPE DAMAGE. Scatterdells is an outstanding unspoilt piece of woodland. Although the wood is predominantly broadleaf, the proposed mast is in the 20 year old larch plantation due for felling in the near future. Construction and maintenance access will be from Barnes Lane cutting a swathe from top to bottom felling numerous trees. Situated on high ground, the mast will dominate the landscape from every direction and be visible for miles around. In addition, there will be a large cabin compound needing further trees to be felled.
NOT NECESSARY The four major mobile networks are supposed to be cooperating by sharing masts with each other. Why can’t One 2 One share a mast with an operator who has acceptable coverage in Chipperfield achieved with a less obtrusive mast?
HEALTH CONCERNS Earlier this year the government published the Stewart Report on mobile phone safety. In essence, this said that the jury is still out and that the authorities should take a precautionary approach to mobile phone development, particularly where children are concerned. (Remember that asbestos, smoking, thalidomide and BSE were all once considered to offer ‘no risk to health’). Other countries take a more stringent approach than the UK and do not permit powerful masts like this within 500m of dwellings in rural areas. Many houses in Chipperfield are much closer to the mast than 500m.
“NOBODY WANTS IT” Many residents have already signed a petition organised by Scatterdells Lane resident Peggy Harpley. Already with hundreds of signatures ‘not one person has declined to sign’.
PARISH COUNCIL OBJECTS - you can too! Although the Parish Council has no planning powers, its opinion is sought by Dacorum on all applications in the village. The Parish Council has decided to object to the plans. This means that the proposal must go before the full Development Control Committee at Dacorum Council. This gives the residents of Chipperfield the opportunity to have their views taken into account. This is best by individual letter to the Chief Planning Officer at Dacorum Borough Council and separate letters to District Councillors of the Development Control Committee (addresses from www.dacorum.gov.uk). Do not delay, write today quoting ref 4/1917/00 citing your reasons for objecting including: loss of visual amenity - irreversible loss of landscape - inappropriate development in wildlife status woodland - long term health risks.
If enough letters are sent, Chipperfield residents can succeed just like Watford residents on the Cassiobury estate who, last month, effectively lobbied their Councillors resulting in a refusal for two Orange masts. (For further information including the text of their letters of objection at www.cassiobury.org).
Chipperfield Mast Objectors
BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
Local resident, Derek Doddimead, will be celebrating high 80th birthday on December 3, unfortunately in Australia! However, I hope to organise a celebration upon his return. Anyone who knows Derek that would like to join us is very welcome. Please contract Sharon Kemp on 01923 269846 for details
GOLDEN WEDDING
Congratulations and all good wishes to Ron and Joyce Petherick who are celebrating their Golden Wedding on December 9. There will be further Petherick celebrations when Carol (a regular correspondent to Chipperfield News) arrives back from Australia to celebrate Christmas and New Year with
the family. VEB
CHIPPERFIELD PARISH COUNCIL
Will be meeting on
Monday 11 December and
Monday 8 January 2001
at 8pm in the Upper Parish Room All residents welcome to attend
WATER WATER EVERYWHERE
Since I wrote the last article entitled wet wet wet it hasn’t stopped raining! How lucky we are to live on a hill in Chipperfield, but even here many fields with low lying patches or very compressed areas have standing water on them. At our farm in Kings Langley we can boast a pond where a small dell used to be complete with a pair of mallard and a flock of black headed gulls!
Black headed gulls could almost be described as land gulls as so many live far from the sea. They are the gulls one most often sees following the plough looking for worms in the freshly turned soil and they will eat almost anything and often scavenge on rubbish tips and around sewerage farms. They only have a black head during the breeding season. At the moment they are gleaming white with just a dark spot behind the eye, light grey wings and bright red legs and a red bill with a black tip, as if it has just been poked into something mucky, which it usually has! Although they make a picturesque scene where floods have formed in arable fields their webbed feet do quite a bit of damage to young crops as they paddle around the edge.
The countryside seems full of foxes at the moment, we seem to see one whenever we leave or return to Scatterdells Lane after dark and the farm is alive with them. Some are a picture of health with fine long brushes tipped with white, one has a coat so dark it almost seems black, but some are suffering badly from mange and have little fur left. Although as a poultry keeper I have often been at war with the fox, I always get a thrill from seeing a really fit fox but my heart sinks at the sight of a poor creature with no fur left on its tail, its head held low as it slinks along looking for an easy meal as it is no longer able to catch rabbits and other wild food. Our dogs have caught mange on many occasions and the terrible itching that the microscopic mites cause nearly drives them mad. I am afraid we will see many more foxes like this if hunting is banned. Hounds soon account for the old and the ailing. I know that I would rather suffer a quick death at the hands of a pack of hounds than a long lingering one while pack mites bite me
to death! Wendy Bathurst
HORSEMOBILITY
The other day I saw a strange sight in Chipperfield — a girl was riding her horse and she was on her mobile phone as well. What could she have been saying? ‘Hi, Mum; it’s me. I’m on the horse; we’ve reached Langley Road; I should be home for tea at about 4 o’clock. Any messages? Byeee.’
Maybe horse riders often use their mobiles when out riding but I had not come across this phenomenon before.
I had assumed that people ride in order to get away from the chores and trials of daily life, including the phone. There must be a special satisfaction in viewing the world 6 feet higher than us earth bound mortals, who only have 2 legs, 2 or 4 wheels and not the benefit of 4 legs. They can see things over fences and hedges not available to the rest of us except from the top of a double decker bus and there arent many of those in Chipperfield. They can go at a pace set by the horse and for them the too-late traffic has to give way. Away from and above it all! What bliss! One would have thought that the phone was an intrusion into this elevated world of serenity.
But maybe this is the way things have to go. Will they invent phones embedded in riders helmets so as to allow them to keep two hands on the reins? And will Brussels invent a law forbidding people to ride a horse one handed?
But spare a thought for the horse. We once had a donkey that was supposed to be as gentle as a lamb and quite safe for children to ride. Unfortunately it could not tolerate the sound of bells; obviously not a Cockney nag. Any tintinnabulation translated it into a child-devouring monster, impossible to control. We witnessed this at the village fete when the Morris Men arrived at the pitch near to the one where the donkey was performing.
Suppose the horse did not like the phone ringing in its ears. Suppose it misinterpreted the signal — 2 rings, turn right; 3 rings, canter; 5 rings, gallop; but perhaps horses cant count. Or suppose the rider unintentionally used a word on the phone that meant something particular to the horse, like charge or stand on its two hind legs or roll over? It is a depressing thought that even this noble animal could be wired to respond to signals relayed by satellite, probably originating from the rider on its own back. Surely neither rider, nor horse could be reduced to this mindless state.
What did C S Lewis say? ‘These small and perishable bodies we now have were given to us as ponies are given to schoolboys. We must learn to manage; not that we may some day be free of horses altogether but that some day we may ride bare back, confident and rejoicing, those greater mounts, those winged, shining and world shaking horses which perhaps even now expect us with impatience, pawing and
snorting in the heavenly stables’ John King
POPPY APPEAL 2000
A total of £2486.79 was collected, which was £180 more than last year!
A big thank-you to everyone who went out knocking on doors and charming the residents of Chipperfield into digging deep into their pockets in that dreadful weather - why does Poppy Day have to fall at such a ghastly time of year? Two of you collected over £100 and nearly everyone did even better than last year. Thank you also to the businesses, shops and pubs, large and small, who displayed boxes and in many cases showed great enthusiasm for the cause. Results reflect that enthusiasm as much as the generosity of the punters. Once again, Peter Bone at the Royal Oak organised a secret fundraising operation and raised £230, and the Wyevale Centre £116.,Many thanks to Steve Pullin and his staff.
Finally, a big thank you to all of you who contributed so generously, including a lot of young people, notably Sally Cross’s family. It was also encouraging to see a number of families at the War Memorial and in church on Remembrance Sunday.With the passing of the years it would be only too easy for the memory of the sacrifices made in both world wars to fade, but it mustn’t. It is up to the dwindling numbers of those of us who remember the Second World War to try and remind everyone else, at least once a year, that were it not for all those who gave their lives, their health and their happiness, we would not be living in peace and freedom in Chipperfield today. Anne Wyburd
Honorary Organiser
COMMON WALKABOUT
Nine residents squelched through the mud on Saturday 18 November to join Woodland Officer Cameron Lewis on his walk round The Common. They saw how well the newly planted broadleaf saplings along Windmill Hill were growing (98% success) and the results of this year’s work of tree thinning and selective felling. Damage by horses and dogs to the banks of the Apostle’s Pond will be addressed next year. Parish Council Chairman, David Nobbs, thanked Cameron for all his work and wished him well in his new post in South Wales.
CANDLES CAN BE DANGEROUS
With Christmas approaching, there is nothing quite as relaxing, when it comes to create a soothing, festive atmosphere, as candlelight. Once upon a time the only candles found in peoples homes were kept under the stairs in case of power cuts. But nowadays it has become very fashionable to use candles for lighting and decoration. Television programmes have promoted candles with images of rooms filled with them creating that special effect. And, of course, design fashions aside, whatever your religion, certain occasions and festivals wouldn’t be the same without the subtle sobriety of candlelight.
But please be aware that they are a serious fire risk in your home (as is any naked flame) and need to be treated with a little thought and respect. There were 2020 fires in the UK last year that were caused by candles (a 56% increase on 5 years ago). Twelve of these claimed lives and 805 of them caused injuries.
Tea light candles can be particularly dangerous if not used properly and have been identified as the cause of a number of property fires due to lack of understanding. They must NEVER be used as a ‘stand alone’ candle. Once the wax has melted in the little aluminium cup, it is possible for that cup to reach temperatures in excess of 200 degrees centigrade. This is more than enough heat to melt the top of your television set, stereo or plastic bath, allowing the candle to drop through and ignite the hot plastic on its way.
Candles and Christmas trees definitely do not mix. Anyone who has thrown evergreen cuttings on a bonfire will know how ferociously they burn. A Christmas tree is an evergreen and it will create a ferociously burning fire within seconds in your home if you get a naked light near it! (Even the flame retardant treatments cannot guarantee your safety.)
Enjoy your candlelight in safety:
Don’t underestimate candles
Always use candleholders that were designed for the purpose
Never place candles on plastic or other easily combustible surfaces
Never leave a room unattended without extinguishing the candles before you leave
If you have any questions regarding this article, or on any other fire safety issue, please feel free to ring Hemel Hempstead Fire Station on 01442 265028 where either myself or one of my colleagues will be glad to assist.
Sub Officer John Print GIFireE Green Watch, Hemel Hempstead Fire Station
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR VILLAGE CHEST
I am writing to you to support fully the views expressed in the letter from Tony Briselden which you published. I have lived in the village for eleven years, compared to many of your readers a very short time, but not until after our celebrations on Village Day had I, or my family, heard of something called The Village Chest.
I would have thought that after the excellent letter referred to above, a reply would have been sent to you for publication, even anonymously, to acquaint those of your readers who live in the village about this mysterious container! John Southworth
Editor’s note: At the meeting of the Parish Council held on Monday 13 November, the Parish Clerk confirmed that until the Trustees of The Village Chest reveal their identity it will be illegal for him, as responsible Finance Officer for the Parish Council, to pay over the monies the Council are holding for The Village Chest.
PLAYGROUP JUMBLE SALE
Please can I say a big thank you to everyone who helped to make our Jumble Sale such a big success by either helping to sort out jumble in the morning, helping to sell in the afternoon or making all the lovely cakes for people to buy. We will now be able to give the children a great Christmas Party and be able to purchase replacement toys and equipment as necessary.
I would like especially to thank all the other ladies who work at the playgroup with me for their hard work, support and commitment, not only with the Jumble Sale but all through the year in helping to keep the children happy and safe at playgroup.
Chipperfield Playgroup would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a
happy New Year. Sue Reynolds
We regret to announce that CON PACKFORD died on 12 December 2000. The funeral was held on
20 December at St. Paul’s Church.