News

The Society received several requests from older residents for a bench along Chester Road where they could pause for breath on their way to and from the shops. We have arranged for the location of a cast iron seat at the junction of Booth Road and Chester Road. Not only will this provide a welcome resting place but it will help to support our local shops. It will be installed as soon as the necessary permissions are in place.

The Parish Council, during 2010, identified a number of projects to improve the appearance of and facilities in Hartford. One of these was a very dilapidated old concrete fingerpost in the centre of the village. Only one wooden finger remained and the whole thing was very unappealing. The society agreed to take this on board and arranged for a cast iron replacement with four metal fingers in the traditional Cheshire style. We were very grateful for funding from Councillor Keith Musgrave's community projects fund, which allowed us to make this happen. Everyone agrees that it will be a vast improvement.

Once again volunteers from the Parish Council and Civic Society came together this May to remove all the litter from the centre of the village. This makes a big difference to the appearance of our village and tidies it up before the hedges grow and make the task more difficult.

Having already purchased a projector screen and display stands for the hall - to be used by all village groups - the Society has now bought a projector and donated it to the village. The Parish Council kindly agreed to fund the installation work. This is a professional model, fixed to the ceiling and should be of benefit to many of the organisations and groups that use the hall.

On Tuesday 25th March 2008 the Society organised a litter pick in the centre of the village. Volunteers from the Society and the Parish Council removed ten bags of litter from the hedgerow opposite the shops, together with a road works sign, a giant traffic cone, an old waste paper bin and a length of guttering! The equipment (pickers, bags, safety vests etc) was loaned by Vale Royal Council and it is hoped that a permanent arrangement can be put in place so that the Society and Parish Council can do more of this tidying up in the future.

In 2009 the litter pick was repeated, covering the whole of the village centre. Once again Society and Parish Council volunteers came together, now using the village's own equipment, to remove numerous bags of litter and rubbish.

In the March 2006 newsletter we reported that the footpath that crosses the Grange farmland had been closed off at both ends by the landowner. Although not a pubic right of way this path had been used for many years as a shortcut to the shops and by people taking their dogs for a walk - this made the path eligible to declared a public right of way by virtue of "custom and practice". We are pleased to report that the Cheshire Council process - consideration by the Rights of Way Committee, addition to the Definitive maps, issue of a Modification Order, consultation and appeal - has now run its course and the path is officially a Public Right of Way. The Council will be taking steps to reopen the path and ensure proper access,

Hartford Parish Council has a new website, which you can visit at www.hartfordparishcouncil.org.uk.

As well as details about the Parish Council itself, it is also an online home for the Parish Plan and its associated Action Plan, both of which can be downloaded from the site. You are able to contact the Parish Council, and submit items for Hartford News, via the website. One of the aims for the site is to provide up to date news as soon as possible, and we will be able to post items on the site as soon as they are received. You can also download the current and recent editions of Hartford News from the website.

It also aims to provide information about the village as a whole. There are sections about shops and services, transport, and education which include contact numbers and links to a wide range of companies and organisations. You will also find background information about the village, its history and what it is like today. Shortly an interactive map will become available, locating places of interest in the village.

Volunteers Andy Dunn, and his colleagues at the Hartford-based firm Greensplash Design & Communication, have transformed words and pictures into a website that the Council believes is easy to navigate and displays its content clearly and attractively: Hartford Parish Council is very grateful for the ongoing work that they continue to put into this project.

The Society has registered with the Inland Revenue under its charities scheme such that tax payers can now choose to donate overpayments of tax to the Society by filling in the relevant section on their assessment form. The code for the Society is NAR96FG.

One of our members brought to our attention a dangerous manhole cover near the bus stop on Chester Road near its junction with Walnut Lane. We followed this up with Cheshire County Council and were happy to note that a new cover was installed within a few days.

On 27th February the Full Council approved the draft Hartford Village Design Statement and the document became Supplementary Planning Guidance. This is a major piece of work by the village and gives the residents an opportunity to affect planning matters at and before the application stage by ensuring their views are taken into account. In combination with the Parish Plan, it represents a statement of direction by the village. For more information see the VDS section of the Website.

Although not strictly Society news the Parish Plan (the parish being the civil not ecclesiastical variety) is closely linked to the Village Design Statement currently being managed by the Civic Society.

On Friday 19th November the official launch of the Parish Plan was held at the Village Hall in the presence of Mike Hall MP and the Lady Mayoress of Vale Royal. This document forms part of the vision for Hartford and represents the views of the community about the place in which they live. Every household in the village will be receiving their own copy of this important and beautifully presented document, which is the product of an enormous amount of voluntary work by members of the village. Coordinated by the Parish Council it is a living document that sets out aims that will be monitored on a regular basis. This is a wonderful achievement and a major step forward in the village having a say in its own future.