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Latest News
Highways England Raising the Benchmark with Gift to Local Community
Three beautifully carved benches created from an old oak tree and decorated in woodland creatures have been presented to the local community.
Highways England lifted the wraps to reveal the finished artworks as they were placed in their new home at Castle Fields.
The oak tree had to be taken down for safety reasons as part of a £24 million improvement scheme at the A45/A6 Chowns Mill roundabout. More »
When all efforts to save the tree – known as Three Oaks – proved fruitless, the project team recruited woodcarver Carrie Yuen who has transformed the three trunks into unique artworks.
The benches were officially handed over to Mayor Councillor Tina Reavey at Castle Fields where they will complement a Timber Trim Trail planned for installation in October.
After lifting the covers from the benches, Mayor Councillor Reavey said:
I am truly honoured to be unveiling these benches that have been so skilfully carved by Carrie to depict the wildlife in and around the environment of the Three Oaks tree. It was a shame the much-loved tree had to be removed but the use of the wood to create the benches is a fitting tribute.
On behalf of Higham Ferrers Town Council I cannot thank enough all of those involved in the project to bring the Three Oaks back to life and to the Castle Fields - Ground Control, Highways England, Carnell and local resident, Justina Bryan who was instrumental in the campaign.
I encourage you to come and view the true beauty and artwork of the benches for yourselves; I have no doubt you will be as thrilled and impressed with them as I am.
Highways England Construction Assurance Manager Dave Marlow said:
It is fantastic to see these wonderful artworks in place for all to enjoy. Carrie has done some incredible work in creating the benches and I'm sure they will be admired by local people for many generations to come.
We were very disappointed that we could not retain the Three Oaks despite all of our efforts so we are delighted to have been able to play our part in ensuring its unique legacy continues.
Thanks to the town council for helping us find the perfect home for the artworks and giving the tree a second life.
There are three themes to the bench. One has animals that lived around the tree such as the fox, badger, rabbit, squirrel, owl, mole and mouse. A second bench features creatures that fly around the branches such as butterflies, moth, dragonfly and bat. A third bench depicts the bugs of the oak habitat such as the caterpillar, spider, beetle, ladybird, worm and millipede.
As well as the benches, some of the smaller pieces of wood are being used to create carved owls and mushrooms which will help raise money for the Mayor's charities. While some of the branches have also been donated to Stanwick Lakes to create some natural habitat for the wildlife there.
Contractor Ground Control, appointed by Highways England to carry out environmental and landscaping works for the Chowns Mill scheme, have met the costs of transportation, woodcarving and delivery of the benches.
The much-needed improvements at Chowns Mill would have left the tree unstable and at risk of falling down. The junction is being redesigned as a half hamburger layout with a new link road connecting the A6 South and A5028 with the existing roundabout. All approaches are being widened to provide extra lanes and capacity. Highways England is looking to plant up to 1,500 trees and to create wildflower meadow areas as part of the improvements scheme. » Less
Posted: Thu, 17 Sep 2020 16:38 by Alicia Scholfield
RUSHDEN EAST – POTENTIAL IMPACT FOR HIGHAM FERRERS.
Rushden East Sustainable Urban Extension has always been the aspiration of Rushden. Higham Ferrers has reluctantly supported the concept as long as it was located south and only a small section was in Higham. Higham Ferrers Neighbourhood Plan supports a mix of residential, community facilities and employment in this area.
Rushden East is a proposed new development on land to the east of the A6 bypass between the John Clarke Way and Newton Road Roundabouts. It is identified within the North Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy as a suitable site to meet the long-term housing and employment needs of the area. More »
The site is being promoted by Barratt Developments and Taylor Wimpey. It will comprise:
- Around 2,700 new homes, including affordable housing and homes for the older population.
- Employment opportunities, including offices and industrial premises as well as 2 local centres, small-scale business space and dwellings suitable for home working or business start-ups.
- New schools for local education provision.
- A new town park, open greenspace and play areas.
- Land for a new cemetery and other local community facilities such as allotments.
- New links to connect with the wider Greenway network.
- An energy strategy to ensure that the highest viable amount of heat and energy used within the development is generated on-site from renewable or low-carbon sources.
From the start Higham Ferrers has had to fight to have their views heard. As far back as the public hearing for the Core Strategy, the Council was asking for the boundary be defined. The Inspector said in his report: -
"the masterplan will need to consider Higham Ferrers Neighbourhood Plan ". He also said that "the detailed concerns expressed by Higham Ferrers Town Council regarding site boundaries and related matters… .will need to be considered in the masterplan process".
Four years later the boundaries have changed little since the concept produced for the Core Strategy. There has been no agreement with Higham. The Rushden East Board has only one representative from Higham Ferrers Town Council despite lobbying for more, whilst Rushden has 7. (2 Town Councillors, 4 District Councillors and 1 County Councillor)
We understand an outline planning application is due before the end of the year , which will include proposals for employment only (B8 (large warehouses) included) in the parish of Higham, a cemetery in Rushden as far south as it could be, and connectivity being pushed towards Rushden Town Centre.
The Town Council wants residents to know this planning application is due, so they can make their voice heard. The Town Council will be considering at their next meetings whether to review the Neighbourhood Plan in the hope this will help.
This development will affect Higham and the council want to ensure that Higham get some benefit and not all the negatives. » Less
Posted: Mon, 07 Sep 2020 14:01 by Sandra Mitcham
New tool to increase recycling in East Northants launches
New tool to increase recycling in East Northants launches
As part of East Northamptonshire Council's (ENC) long term strategy to combat contamination in recycling bins across the district, each household will shortly receive a sticker to place inside their recycling bin lid which reminds residents about what can and cannot be recycled.
The stickers will be included in the next issue of ENC's resident magazine, ENCircle, which is due to hit doormats throughout East Northamptonshire from 12 September. More »
Steven North, Leader of East Northamptonshire Council explains more:
"As a Council, we have a duty to collect waste, but are also committed to educate and work alongside residents when it comes to recycling and our Waste team work constantly to ensure this happens."
"But we are always looking to do more and after listening to residents, we have decided to introduce this simple tool which we hope will help.
"This new sticker will be supported by existing information on our website, regular social media posts and the great work our Waste and Customer Services teams do on daily basis with residents."
The hard wearing sticker should be affixed to the inside of the household's green-lidded recycling bin and is designed to be a visual reminder of what should be recycled in East Northants.
If you do not receive a copy of ENCircle or your sticker is missing, please email waste@east-northamptonshire.gov.uk and a sticker can be sent out to you.
For more information about recycling in the area, please visit www.east-northamptonshire.gov.uk/recycling » Less
Posted: Thu, 03 Sep 2020 10:55 by Donna Anderson
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