Brill Parish Council Newsletter

October 2024 (vol 5, issue 9)

The temperature’s dropping, the leaves are turning and there’s lots happening in Brill village and beyond. For a full list of events plus church news and community gossip, pop into Constable Newsagents and ask for a copy of The Bernwode News, Bernwode Benefice’s marvellous monthly multi-parish newsletter - and keep an eye on the Brill Parish Council & Community website.

And, looking ahead, to November…

Harwell’s Barn for Brill : An Update

The Brill Society, in conjunction with the Hartwell's Barn fundraising committee (which includes Brill Parish Council) has been working diligently to purchase the Barn and Saunders Field for the community of Brill.

An appeal to residents raised close to £65,000 (donations and pledges) but, with the March deadline fast approaching, we knew this was not enough to secure a purchase. We therefore had to make some hard decisions and, after much discussion, a plan was made whereby a patron of The Brill Society agreed to purchase Hartwell’s Barn and Saunders Field on our behalf. This plan is now being implemented. 

Prior to the sale, TBS and the patron will sign a 25 year lease which will come into force at the point of sale. This lease will stipulate that as soon as the fundraising committee has raised the £150,000 purchase price, The Brill Society will be able to buy the Barn and Field at this price. This arrangement removes the jeopardy of the property being sold before we can raise the money, enabling us to focus on fundraising - which will resume as soon as the lease is signed. 

With all good wishes,
The Hartwell's Barn Fundraising Committee 

PS We are delighted to announce a second Midwinter Music event. This will take place on Saturday January 11th, 2025.

PPS The amended Memorandum of Understanding signed last year between The Brill Society and Brill Parish Council still stands. This stipulates that TBS and BPC will be joint owners of the Barn and Field and a protective Trust will be established to take responsibility for these assets in perpetuity. Click to read the Memorandum of Understanding on the BPC&C website.

Roads & Traffic Update

A message from Cllr Steven Judge:

Brill is a village we can all be proud of, and the Parish Council is continuing to work with Buckinghamshire Council to make the small changes that can bring real improvements.

We’ve been trying to get rid of the plastic no-parking cones on the pavement outside the Memorial Hall for over ten years! The cones were needed to deter parking as there was a risk of young children running out between parked cars. New permanent bollards have now been installed; much more in keeping with the conservation area of the village. Thanks are due to our Bucks Council Local Area Technician who helped to get the work approved.

One of our village signs was damaged by shotgun pellets a couple of years ago leaving the Tramhill approach to Brill more in keeping with the Wild West than the Vale of Aylesbury! We’re not allowed to install a like-for-like replacement (the signs no longer fit with Buckinghamshire Council’s design policy) so we have a new design, one that highlights Brill’s Bernwoode Forest heritage. This sign (shown above) will be installed at all entrances to the village.

Finally, our case for electric vehicle charging points has been accepted by Bucks Council. The first step is to install charging points in Brill Memorial Hall car park and this work is expected to be completed in 2025.

Introducing … Community Safety Officers

Here is a sample of tasks undertaken by the county’s Community Safety Officers over the summer:

• attended a Community Hub event in Chesham to give crime prevention advice

• worked with Neighbourhood Policing Teams to offer tool marking to builders

• contributed to a Violence Against Women & Girls working group at Bucks Uni

• held a crime prevention event in Iver, focusing on burglary and home security

• attended a Restore Hope Vulnerable Family Café event to provide crime prevention advice and signpost clients to further help

If you would like a Community Safety Officer to attend a local event to give crime prevention advice and information on safety schemes (such as the Safe Places initiative) email the team.

Follow the team on social media for regular advice and support:

• X (Twitter) @Bucks_Safety

• Instagram @bucks_safety

• Facebook @BucksCommunitySafety

• Click to sign up for Community Safety newsletter      

Finally!

Please tell others about this e-newsletter. Lots of people aren’t on Facebook or comfortable with social media, and we want to reach all parishioners equally.

Tell friends, family or neighbours to email hannahbrillcommunity@gmail.com or fill in the newsletter form on the welcome page of the Brill Parish Council & Community website. Alternatively, if they’d like to read a paper copy, please tell them there are always copies of the newsletter on the Parish Council noticeboard (on the front wall of the Memorial Hall), in the pouch on the door of the Parish Office inside the Hall, on the table at the back of All Saints Church, and in the shops and (usually) the surgery.

Remember you can read past issues of the newsletter on the Brill Parish Council & Community website.

All good wishes
Brill Parish Council