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Local history societyOn Tuesday 1 July archaeologist Robert Waterhouse gave a lecture on four old houses in the area.  There was a meeting 2 May to discuss the hazardous pedestrian crossing. There was an open road demonstration at 10:00 on Saturday 3 May. Pictures below, and join the discussion on the opinions page.   Clearing the scrub on the flood plainOn the 30th March about 15 villagers met to remove saplings from the flood plain above Palmer's dam, to provide air and light for enough grass to grow to feed Peter Beamish's goats and cattle, which will trample and eat the next generation of saplings. We cleared about a quarter of the area destined for grazing.  Exercising the damsee also How the dam works for Bryn Williams' explanation of the functioning of the sluices. December 8th 2007. A night of rain swelled the Harbourne to a threatening level. According to hearsay, the sluice again had to be levered into defensive position by men in fluorescent jackets, supplementing the digital automation. A spokesman for the Environment Agency, Bryn Williams, explained that the automatic mechanism was alert but the water had not reached the level at which the gradual shutting of the sluice was programmed to begin. The manual operation was in response to a number of phone calls from anxious inhabitants of the lower ground in Harbertonford. Bryn has provided a full description of the working of the sluice, and the water level which will cause it to close. 
Upriver, the reservoir was well filled by mid afternoon, raising the problem of how to rescue the cows which are proposed to munch the over-abundant vegetation. Maybe some artificial islands could be thrown up, ideally by deepening the rapidly silting ponds. 
For the Environment Agency's description of the dam and its purpose see: http://library.coastweb.info/488/1/Harnessing_the_harbourne.pdf (tim padfield 8 dec 2007, revised 15 December) Anti-social behaviour in the school groundsSouth Brent Police Station has issued this notice to Harbertonford residents on 09/10/2007: From PC 4639 Taylor, PC 2870 Hopper and PCSO Vicky Gummow. There have been a number of reported incidents of anti-social behaviour in the school grounds. Incidents such as criminal damage have been reported to us. If you see or hear any persons on the premises out of school hours then please do not hesitate to make contact with the police with details of the incident and descriptions of the persons involved. If you feel the nature of the incident requires an immediate response then please dial '999'. In all other cases dial 08452 777 444. The nature reserveOn the sixteenth of August Jeremy Bailey and Mike Williams of DEFRA met a group of villagers to discuss alternative ways of managing the land upstream from the flood relief dam. 
The concensus was that the best solution would be to fence off the wooded areas and graze the rest using a carefully selected breed of cattle which likes munching the rank but varied vegetation. Geoff Broom wrote in the September newsletter: Nature reserve - an informal meeting with the environment agency took place at the observation site at the reserve on 26th August [actually 16th]. The Agency confirmed that there was a covenant on the land restricting public access, but that a private access agreement could be made with a group concerned with the conservation management of the reserve. The Agency also indicated that they could fund the provision of a fence to protect the trees. There was general agreement that the remainder of the site should be kept open, and this could be best achieved by grazing the site with suitable cattle breeds such as North Devons or Galloways. A local management group could then undertake minimal clearance work to maintain the open land and water. The next stage is to explore the possible constitution of a local management group, clarify insurance matters, identify initial management works required and undertake a preliminary survey of the site. Another meeting will be held in October to agree a way forward. Contact: Geoff Broom (731097). Comment from tim padfield 30 Sept 2007 I suggest installing a family of beavers. Their rustic lodges may be flooded by occasional closing of the million pound pile of earth downstream but they must have evolved to cope with variable water levels. There is an article in the New Scientist, 25 August, which describes the beaver's re-introduction to Britain and what a good neighbour it is: coppicing woodland and controlling floodwater. AllotmentsA group of villagers want allotments. Join us if you are interested. The more people who want allotments, the better the chance of getting a piece of ground. Sign up here, or contact Frances Padfield 732 962, frances@padfield.dk Fordstock 2007Here's the view from the hill, Saturday 14 July 
HARBERTONFORD PLAYGROUND COMMITTEEAs you may know, the Committee has been raising funds over the past four years to install new equipment in the village playground adjacent to the school. We are now pleased to announce that two pieces of equipment are due to be installed during the first week of December. I have a provisional date of 4 December (though this may change depending on the weather) and during this week, therefore, the playground will be closed to villagers, although children will still be able to gain access to the school around the path. It is anticipated that the installation will take a week and during this time heavy goods vehicles will be going to and from the site using the Riverdale entrance which may cause some disruption for residents. I would ask that residents park cars elsewhere or park to allow ease of access for the tractors and such like to the site. I appreciate that this may cause inconvenience, but it would be very much appreciated if you could co-operate to ensure the installation goes as smoothly and as quickly as possible. If you are really not able to park elsewhere then, of course, the contractors will simply have to work around you. If they are stuck, IÂm sure they will knock on doors! If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me on 01803 732496 after 4.00pm. Jane Jeffreys Chairman/ |