Remembrance Day Gathering 2008
On Sunday, 9th November 2008 a wreath was placed on the Fishpool Street memorial to commemorate residents who fell in the First World War.  Some 20 residents attended to pay their respects to them and all those who have died in action. After two minutes silence at 11am, the names of all the men from the street who died were read out. Fishpool Street’s is one of several First World War memorials throughout St Albans and was part of a coordinated effort to ensure all those who died were remembered.  Unfortunately strong winds on the evening of 9th November has resulted in a number of wreaths being blown away - though luckily our wreath has remained. Many thanks to Kate Taylor and her husband (No.58) for organising the ceremony.

Verulam Ward – Neighbourhood Policing 
The photograph on the front page shows the Neighbourhood Policing Team. PC Philip Snook (left of photo) is the Ward Constable and PCSO Caroline Davies is the Ward’s Police Community Support Officer. Sergeant Jamie Bartlett (centre) has a wider responsibility than just Verulam Ward.
Regular meetings now take place between the above and resident’s groups in the Ward, which include this Association. They are usually also attended by one or more of our Ward Councillors (Martin Frearson, Fred Wartenburg and Irene Willcocks) and a Herts County Councillor, Bob Clarkson. Two meetings have taken place since our last Newsletter and the next is scheduled for 21st January 2009. Recent meetings have taken place at Waitrose (in King Harry Lane), who kindly provide a room for the meetings (also tea, coffee and biscuits, which may explain the usually good attendance). The meetings are an opportunity for the police to communicate problems in the Ward and the steps being taken to deal with them and for resident’s groups to flag up any concerns they have.   At the last meeting on 10th November 2008, among the topics discussed were:
??A fence has now been erected round private land at the South of the Abbey Orchard, which has for long been a magnet for drinkers, drug-takers and other anti-social behaviour, much to the annoyance and distress of local residents, one of whom has paid for the fence from his own pocket. The possibility of the site being developed for housing is now on the ‘back-burner’.
??Local residents opposed the re-siting of the benches at the George Street end of Romeland Garden, even though the area is much used by vagrants and often disfigured by litter (bottles, cans, cardboard etc). The area is much used by those waiting for Centre 33 in Spicer Street to open, where food and washing facilities are available. Centre 33 is now proposing to put benches in its own courtyard, in the hope that this will become the new waiting area. Centre 33 does an excellent job and was recently given an award for the service it provides by the Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire.
??The Abbey is being forced to take a tougher line against vagrants and rough sleepers who have taken to using the porches on the West Front where recently it was found that a fire had been lit.
??Steps have been taken to improve the lighting of the Car Park next to Verulamium Museum.
??There had been a spate of thefts from garden sheds on the King Harry estate, bicycles, golf clubs etc being stolen. Moral – make your sheds secure.
??Theft of number plates continues, one recently from a car in Fishpool Street. The purpose is often to facilitate not paying for petrol. The Total garage in Verulam Road/Folly Lane and the Esso garage in London Road have suffered from this.
??Anti-social behaviour by young people in the ‘Brickie’, alongside New England Street has been tackled by the police and has been reduced.
The Police table a “Ward Plan” at these meetings, listing Priority Issues, the action taken and proposed, progress made and how such progress is measured and we appreciate their efforts and the much improved communication between them and the local community which the Ward Meetings provide.

Combined Societies
Residents’ groups in the Conservation Area continue to meet about twice a year to discuss matters of common concern and exchange information. The Association is represented at these meetings, the last being on 7th October 2008 and the next being on 14th January 2009. The main topic affecting the Street on 7th October was the possible 20mph limit (details on page 3).
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Kingsbury Manor has moved (and so have the bats)
Kingsbury Manor used to be 200 Fishpool Street. As previously reported it then became No.200 St.Michael’s Street because it is the St.Michael’s side of Branch Road. 
Since St.Michael’s Street has nowhere near 199 other houses, this caused some confusion, especially about deliveries. Jill Singer who lives there, tells us that after tortuous enquiries involving the Council, the Post Office, not to mention the Ordnance Survey, Kingsbury Manor is now officially 2 St.Michael’s Street, with Kingsbury Mill (the Waffle House) becoming No.4. These numbers were vacant because some cottages were demolished to make the entrance to what is now Prae Close. Fishpool Street’s loss is St.Michael’s Street’s gain.
Meanwhile, the bats in the barn (Pipistrelles, Brown long-eared and Natterers) have departed, allowing restoration to commence.

School Coaches
Residents continue to complain about the large coaches in the Street, which it was never designed to accommodate, and particularly when they are large coaches with only a very few boys in them, scarcely enough to fill a mini-bus. This has been raised with the School, who have noted residents’ desire to ensure that the number of large coaches is minimised.
The Association has persuaded the Council that it is unnecessary to reserve spaces on the south side of Romeland Hill exclusively for coaches 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. To state the obvious, there are large periods of the year when there are no coaches because the School is on holiday. In addition such spaces are really only needed at the peak times for congestion, i.e. around the 4.00pm and 6.00pm pick-ups. Both the Association and the School had agreed that therefore the period when bays should be reserved for coaches should be 3.30pm to 6.30pm Monday to Friday inclusive, school terms only.
When at the beginning of October the Council at last changed the signs, the period they chose for coaches was 3.30pm to 5.30pm, the logic of which escapes us. The period is excessive to cover 4.00pm pick-up and does not cater for the 6.00pm pick-up at all. We will continue to press for 3.30pm to 6.30pm. 
The Association’s position has consistently been that we favour space being reserved during term-time but only when they are actually needed, as it will lessen congestion, obstruction and double-parking on Romeland Hill. Otherwise parking by residents and visitors should be allowed, subject to having the appropriate voucher or permit, during the restricted hours, which in this area (Zone B) are 8.30am to 8.00pm.

THE CAMPAIGN FOR A 20mph LIMIT
In May last year, Herts Highways, part of the County Council, put out a weighty document for consultation. It is called the ‘St.Albans Urban Transportation Plan’. Believe it or not, it contains some very interesting information, including the fact that between March 2003 and June 2006, there were 578 reported accidents in St.Albans, of which 142 involved children. The document says that “more resources should be focused on speed management”. 
However, it then goes on to suggest only that consideration could be given to a few streets for a 20mph limit. Residents frequently note vehicles driving up or down the street at unsafe speeds and most would welcome some attempt to curtail this and the Association has urged Herts Highways to take a bolder approach than that contemplated, basically by making the city a 20mph zone. The exact boundaries of the zone could be for discussion. 
Its advantage, among other things, would be to avoid their fragmented approach whereby one minute one is in a 20mph zone and the next in a zone where a higher limit applies, for no valid reason. An example is where the 20mph limit ends at the junction with George Street, encouraging vehicles to accelerate to 30mph down one of the narrowest streets in the city centre, often made even narrower by illegally parked cars. 
Whether progress can be made on this remains to be seen. Herts Highways is good at coming up with reasons against, e.g. cost of signage, need for 20mph zones to be ‘self-enforcing’, the limited resources of the police to enforce etc. But at least, we now have some useful allies. 
At the last meeting of the Combined Societies (basically city centre residents’ groups) it was decided to write to Herts Highways supporting this idea. In addition residents in the St.Michael’s area have put in a petition seeking a 20mph for St.Michael’s Street, not least because of fears for the safety of children at St.Michael’s School.
In short, more than possible pilot schemes on a fragmented basis is wanted.
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Planning matters 
87 Fishpool Street
Residents will recall that planning permission was granted for this house to be demolished and for a larger house to be built in its place. The site was then advertised as being for sale with the benefit of this planning permission. 
It has now been bought. It is understood that the new owners intend to live in the house and that, for the time being at least, there is no intention to demolish it and to build a replacement.
122 Fishpool Street, Bank House
The restoration of Bank House now seems to have been completed, along with the outhouse adjacent to Cock Alley and situated in that part of the original garden which was retained with the house. That part of the garden which was not retained has been the subject of two applications for permission to build houses, one for two large five bedroom houses and one for five smaller houses. In both cases, access would be from Offa Road and Kings Road, not Fishpool Street. The Association’s main concern has been to minimise tree loss and wrote to the Council asking that tree preservation be given special attention. The application for 5 houses has been approved. The one for 2 was rejected. An appeal against this decision will be heard on 28th January next.

THE FORD GARDEN AT ST.MICHAEL’S BRIDGE
‘HOE AND TROWEL GROUP’
Thank you to all those who have come and helped. Another wet year and the shrubs have grown enormously, the branches of the two willows growing to such an extent that they are again menacing the telephone lines and obscuring road signs. We have asked the Council’s Trees and Woodlands Department to reduce them next year. 
Early on this Spring the two yew trees were reduced in height and reshaped. This work was done by Anthony Oliver (No.17). It involved climbing up ladders and complicated manoeuvres with saws and expertise which the rest of the group could only wonder at. In the summer Angela Silverman (No.7 St.Michael’s Court) planted foxgloves again in the flower bed having gained a £50 grant. The group is an active one but relatively small and we would really welcome your support if you could give it. Please come along to the Ford Garden at any of the dates below in 2009 and stay for as long as you wish between 10.30am to 11.45am, bringing along whatever tool(s) you like to use.
All dates are Saturdays: 7th February, 15th March, 18th April, 16th May, 20th June, 25th July, 22nd August, 19th September, 17th October and 21st November.
Madeleine Sansom
											       
Some snippets from the St.Albans Urban Transport Plan Consultation document
Here are some snippets from the above. Could it be time to move?
A “socio-demographic mosaic profile” of St.Albans indicates that the Fishpool Street area is inhabited by “Independent Greys”. What can they mean? It also has some “Mature Professionals”.
82% of households in Hertfordshire have access to one or more cars. In St.Albans, 63% of journeys to work are made by car.
In St.Albans, nearly half of all journeys are “less than 5Km” (just over 3 miles in old money). About two-thirds of these journeys are made by car.
Congestion on motorways often generates traffic into St.Albans. Lack of a ring road causes much traffic to be funnelled into the city centre.
St.Albans is particularly unsuited to high traffic levels. There is little opportunity to widen the roads.
A survey by the pollsters Mori found that residents and visitors preferred the closure of St.Peter’s Street to car and motorcycle traffic.
The East of England Plan estimates an additional 7200 dwellings in the City and District of St.Albans need to be built between 2001 and 2021.
Traffic has grown by 64% since 1980, is expected to grow 18% by 2011 and 33% by 2021 (from a 2001 base). 
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Why not join the Committee?
The Committee currently consists of:
James Evans (No.6, Tel. 853064) Chairman
Madeleine Sansom (No.124, Tel. 846761) Treasurer
Rosie Cinicolo (No.154, Tel. 864473) Secretary
Jenny Berryman (No.92, Tel.854751), Cherie Demain (Tel.864666), Peter Godwin (No.54, Tel.843309), Anthony Oliver (No.17, Tel.841553), Sean Randall (No.71, Tel.839145), Ann Stearn (No.90, Tel.837004), Kate Taylor (No.58, Tel.839693).
All Officers and Committee Members are elected annually for one year at the AGM, usually held in May. But we can co-opt Committee Members between AGMs. If you would like to help in this way, please contact James Evans.

For the musically inclined … local concerts
For residents who may be interested, below are listed details of three concerts to be held in St.Albans Abbey in the new year.
St.Albans Chamber Choir, Saturday 24th January 2009, 7.30pm, 50th Anniversary Celebration and Premiere. Tickets are £12.50, £1 for children and students. To book telephone Edith Gilmour on 01707 663110. Details on their website www.stalbanschamberchoir.org.uk
St.Albans Bach Choir, Saturday 28th March 2009, 7.30pm, St.Matthew Passion, J.S.Bach. Tickets are £25, £21, £18 , unreserved £5. Available from the Cathedral Information Desk in the Chapter House, tel. 01727 890256. Information on their website www.stalbansbachchoir.org.uk

St.Michael’s Manor Hotel – a Request
In November the Hotel was host to Susan Hampshire, Patti Boyd, Clive Anderson and SKY Televison who were making a programme about the game of Bridge. Because of this, a security guard was on duty in the car park. It was discovered that it was being used extensively by people with no right to do so, including residents of the Street. Not surprisingly, the Hotel was not happy about this. The General Manager of the Hotel, Paul Crossey, has asked residents to note that the car park is private property for the use of Hotel guests. However, he says that on occasion the Hotel may be willing to allow residents to park there provided that space is available, that permission is specifically given by the Hotel, and that a name, address, contact number and the vehicle registration number are supplied. The latter is in fact a legal requirement. Overall the Hotel’s stance seems very reasonable and residents (and their guests) are asked to co-operate.

St.Albans City Vision
The Future Scenarios Workshop took place on Saturday 8th November 2008 at the Council Offices and was set up due to a grant from the Government to St.Albans City Council. It was run by Cllr. Melvyn Teare (Portfolio Holder for Culture and Heritage) and facilitated by Melanie Howard (Future Unwrapped), Louise Mansfield (Urban Practitioners) and John Griffiths (Rocket Science) who had been commissioned by the Council to gain a perspective on what the residents want for 2020.
The Workshop was well run and interesting. The participants were drawn from a good range of ages etc and initially took part in electronic voting on their views about the world.
This was followed by group discussions. The groups were given a task to envisage St.Albans in 2020 with briefs about technological advancement, housing, etc on the world stage and my group (the Mavericks!) tourism. Each group presented their vision and there was a final vote for the preferred scenario which the Mavericks won.
Our 2020 vision for St.Albans was a Centre for Arts and Culture, with a futuristic Arts Centre (replacing the ugly buildings around the Council Offices), a covered square for entertainment and relaxation, punchy targeted publicity, cheap rates for small businesses and solar (or rain) powered free transport running round the sights (including Butterfly World) from the station. More Roman sites would be exposed and a stronger emphasis on the other areas of our City’s history, to give a flavour of our vision.
It will be interesting to see how the ideas change once financial reality takes its toll. Anyway the consultants will take away all the ideas and come up with a consultation package in the new year for all residents so … watch this space. Cherie Demain
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Have you seen the Fishpool Fox?
Urban foxes are fairly common these days and it would not be a surprise to find foxes in Fishpool Street, especially given the ready access to the Park and its well stocked larder!
We noticed some months ago unusual droppings in our garden that we knew were not those of our dog Daisy, nor of the smokey grey cat that snoozes on a chair in our barn.
The proof of a visiting fox came when our neighbours told us of an attack on a cat they were looking after. The vet confirmed a fox attack and happily the cat survived (but only after extensive surgery). Since then we have heard from one or two people of dogs barking in the night at “something in the garden”, but has anyone actually seen our night-time visitor?* 
John and Jenny Berryman, No.92
*A photograph would be rewarded by publication in a future Newsletter. Meanwhile, see the Identikit drawing (on page 1) kindly supplied by the Berrymans.

Latest additions






Verulamium Park Matters 
FSRA has been a supporter of the Verulamium Park Project as a Stakeholder, together with other local residents’ associations and societies and St Albans City and District Council (SACDC). The application made to the Heritage Lottery Fund for close on £2 million was not successful.
However, since St Albans has been designated by Central Government in July 2008 as an area for ‘regional growth’ we are now eligible to apply for grants to the Growth Area Fund (GAF). These monies are to assist local governments to develop the infrastructure needed to cope with the extra pressure on schools, water supply, sewerage, transport, parks and the like. SACDC has put in a bid for £40 million pounds to the GAF. Given that in the previous round of bidding all of the one hundred and twenty two authorities eligible to apply got between twenty five to ten percent of their bid, SACDC is hopeful of getting a significant sum of money of which some is earmarked for the Park.
In the meantime the Parks Manager, Jim Bennie, is seeking to persuade English Heritage to allow the planting of fifty new trees. The Friends of Verulamium Park (FVP) plan to work with the Parks Manager to support a scheme for individuals to sponsor such trees. As more details become available they will be added to www.fvp.org.uk
Madeleine Sansom
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Fishpool Street Residents’ Association Invites You to Tea on Sunday 22nd February at 3.30pm in St.Michael’s Parish Centre

We’re providing sandwiches, lots of cake, tea and fruit juice. The cost is £3.50 adult, £1.50 child, £10 family ticket for parents and up to 4 children. 
Cheques payable to Fishpool Street Residents’ Association.

Before the tea there will be a optional walk in Verulamium Park with walkers meeting at the Puddingstone outside Kingsbury Mill/Manor at 2.15pm. During the tea there will be a showing of John Bethell’s excellent video film of the Summer Party last June. See Page 8 for details.

Please reply on the tear off slip below by Thursday 19tht February – this allows us enough time to get the cakes baked!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

To: Madeleine Sansom, 124 Fishpool Street

From: ………………………………………………………………. at No. ………….

Yes, we are coming to tea on Sunday 22nd February 2009 at 3.30pm!

We enclose cash/cheque for …………… adults and …………… children

We shall be joining in the walk at 2.15pm (delete if not walking)

OR

Thank you for your invitation but we regret we are unable to come

From: ………………………………………………………………. at No. ………….

P.S. Please renew your household membership to FSRA if you have not already done so for 2009 (£5 pa) and send to The Treasurer at 124 Fishpool Street. Cheques payable to Fishpool Street Residents’ Association
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JOHN BETHELL’S VIDEO

At the Tea Party on 22nd February 2009 there will be a showing of the excellent video film made by John Bethell (No.89) of the Summer Party. 

This was held in June 2008 in Betty Davies’s paddock (at No.59) on a gloriously sunny Sunday afternoon. 
Do come and see yourselves munching cake, doing the Quiz and the many children now living in the Street having a wonderful time. Talent scouts for Manchester United could well be interested in the many budding Ronaldos on view in the football match. 

John is a professional photographer, with much distinguished work to his credit, and we are very grateful to him for making his film available.
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