Kitelands New Play Equipment

If you are wondering what ever happened to that, here is a quick summary shown below. Do you think it will happen this year?

DATE		Content
16th June 2010	CBC Planners	Received planning application for play equipment.
7th July 2010	Richard Mason, email to CBC Planners.	Reference the above application, we have today received a letter concerning this but we are not listed on the documents, on the web site (neither are a number of our neighbours) as having been sent it. Can you update the documents please so we know who was sent the letter. We will be making comments on the application in due course but in the meantime can you clarify something. We were always under the impression that Kitelands Recreation Ground was on top of Pit 72, which at one time was used for the depositing of commercial and household waste. I was given to understand that regular methane testing is carried out and Anglian Water also test the surface water run off. The application indicates at Section 15 that, the land is not known to be contaminated or suspected to be contaminated. If it is contaminated then it states an appropriate contamination assessment needs to be submitted.
14th July 2010	CBC email to Richard Mason	I acknowledge the receipt of your letter with regard to the play area, I need to speak to our Minerals and Waste team with regards to the issue over "Pit 72" and I will get back to you with regard to this and your other comments shortly.
22nd July 2010	Richard Mason email to CBC Planners	Advised that the land is contaminated, application says No, therefore no environmental risk assessment prepared. Application invalid.
22nd July 2010	CBC Planners email to Richard Mason	A full list of neighbouring properties consulted on this application can be found on the central Bedfordshire website. I have consulted both the Minerals and Waste Department and Public Protection (Environmental Health) with regard to any issues over the lands previous use. Any correspondence from yourself should be within the consultation period and be written representation.
26th July 2010	CBC Minerals to CBC Planners	C.B.C. Minerals & Waste advises C.B.C. Planners that land is contaminated.
26th July 2010	CBC Planners letter to Levitts	Wrote to Levitts, (Biggleswade Town Council Agents), pointed land is contaminated and an appropriate assessment required. Information required by 16th August 2010 or the application will be withdrawn.
27th July 2010	Richard Mason email to CBC Planners	I have commented on the application but I think you have missed the point. The land is contaminated and the application says it is not. The application should not proceed until an assessment has been provided. I will be writing to Gary Worth about this.
28th July 2010	CBC Planners email to Richard Mason	Last Monday I informed the agent for this application that it is invalid, they were unaware of the potential contamination from the former landfill site. They will have to provide us with a contamination assessment. Please note should you wish to take this matter further Gary Worth no longer works for this Authority, Andrew Davie is our Development Control Manager and Trevor Saunders is our Assistant Director. Once the application has been made valid, should the applicant wish to proceed you will get another consultation letter, should you still wish to comment upon the play park then comments will need to be sent again as it will be considered a different application.
24th August 2010	Biggleswade Town Council Meeting	Minutes - Levitt Partnership has received correspondence from Central Bedfordshire Council Development Management stating that the above planning application cannot be continued with, and a copy is attached to this agenda. It was RESOLVED that Cllr P Vickers would discuss this application with CBC Planning Dept and report back to Town Council.
31st August 2010	CBC Planners letter to Levitts	C.B.C. Planners wrote to Levitts, (Biggleswade Town Council Agents), work could proceed under Permitted Development, providing an appropriate risk  assessment and investigations are done.
28th September 2010	Richard Mason email to BTC Town Clerk	The above application was sent back because your agent stated that the site was not contaminated or part of the site was not suspected to be contaminated.  It seemed to be common knowledge that the site was either contaminated, or adjacent land was contaminated. This was apparently not known by your agent and I am surprised that completed application forms are not shown to you before they are sent in. As far as I know there were no objections to the application. The letter dated 26th July 2010, from the Planning Officer, Annabel Gammell gave you the opportunity to validate the application, by submitting an appropriate contamination assessment by 16th August ,which you have failed to do. Contaminated land assessments were not a requirement when other applications were submitted for Kitelands. They are in this case, a paper exercise, gathering information from the various agencies and could have easily been completed within the timescales. The minute shown for the 24th August 2010 Town Council Meeting is simply not correct. The application can be continued with and could have been validated and can still be resubmitted, albeit now with another planning fee, providing it is accompanied by a contamination assessment.
14th January 2011	BTC Town Clerk to CBC Planners	Advised that the Town Council are awaiting a test pit to be dug and a risk assessment carried out in order that we can proceed.
9th August 2011	Biggleswade Town Council	Public Land & open Spaces Committee, Town Clerk advised he was currently awaiting 2 forms of information for a survey to be undertaken to move forward. This item would be brought to the next Council meeting.
5th November 2011	Steven Watkins BTC Councillor email to Richard Mason	The soil testing has still not yet been carried out. We apparently are awaiting for a quote for the work, having originally obtained one there was a delay meaning we had to go out to tender again. Clearly this is a nuisance but in the defence of the Clerk he does have a heck of a lot of work on at the moment
23rd January 2012	Steven Watkins BTC Councillor email to Richard Mason	The soil testing has either been done or is very close, because new equipment is being installed at Kitelands after quotes are obtained, this was discussed at the last meeting. I will again ask the Clerk to confirm this.
7th March 2012 (received 17th March 2012)	BTC Town Clerk email to Steven Watkins BTC Councillor	This was discussed at Council, resolution that I try and get C.B.C. to allow use to use some of the 106 monies to pay for the soil samples, I have met with C.B.C. and they have agreed we can. I am awaiting application forms and I will apply. When I get the go ahead from C.B.C. I will get the test done and install the equipment.