Bank Holiday bin collections - so you know when to put yours out!

Normal collection day	Revised collection day
Friday 22nd April (Good Friday)	Saturday 23rd April
Monday 25th April (Easter Monday)	Tuesday 26th April
Tuesday 26th April	Wednesday 27th April
Wednesday 27th April	Thursday 28th April
Thursday 28th April	Saturday 30th April
Friday 29th April  (Royal wedding)	Tuesday 3rd May
Monday 2nd May (May Day)	Wednesday 4th May
Tuesday 3rd May	Thursday 5th May
Wednesday 4th May	Friday 6th May
Thursday 5th May	Saturday 7th May
Friday 6th May	Monday 9th May
Monday 9th May	Tuesday 10th May
Tuesday 10th May	Wednesday 11th May
Wednesday 11th May	Thursday 12th May
Thursday 12th May	Friday 13th May
Friday 13th May	Saturday 14th May

This schedule can also be found at http://www.recyclingforapremier.com/Bank-Holiday

St Albans Clock Tower reopens to visitors after a facelit

The medieval Clock Tower in St Albans reopens its doors this weekend following the completion of conservation work. The wooden louvre slats covering some of the windows have been replaced and the brickwork has been repointed during the ten-week restoration project.


Volunteers from St Albans and Hertfordshire Architectural and Archaeological Society and from St Albans Civic Society will open the tower to the public this weekend, from Fri 22 April to Mon 25 April, and then during the rest of the summer on Saturdays and Sundays from 10.30am to 4.45pm. An admission fee of £1 for adults applies. Unaccompanied children may be admitted at the clock watcher's discretion. 


Built between 1403 and 1412, the Clock Tower is the only medieval example in the country. It served as a look out, sounding the alarm in case of fire or fray, and rang out for the first Battle of St Albans during the Wars of the Roses in 1455. It was also used as a curfew to the townspeople until 1863. Visitors can climb the tower's steep, narrow and winding 93 steps and enjoy the view from the top.


English Heritage, custodians of the Grade 1 listed building have permission for the conservation work, which was carried out by a local architect and expert builders. 

Possible locations for future housing and business developments in St Albans

An update from St Albans City & District Council


To help meet the forecasted shortfall in employment sites in St Albans City and District and to address the need for additional housing, SADCC's Council Cabinet decided that:

• the Building Research Establishment’s Bricket Wood site is to be included in the Core Strategy as a potential site for a sustainable Eco Park for BRE’s own use and other green businesses to provide employment in the District.
• Head of Planning should investigate the possibility of designating Roehyde Farm, Colney Heath as a possible high tech business park in the Core Strategy.
• Beaumont School playing fields and land, north of Winches Farm, St Albans should be included in the Core Strategy as a potential location for 130 homes, new school playing fields, some new school buildings and a new road access to the school.
• Nicholas Breakspear School, Coney Heath Lane, St Albans should be included in the Core Strategy as a potential location for approximately 200 homes and new buildings and playing fields for the school. However, further investigations as to access arrangements are being undertaken, including the suitability of Hixberry Lane as an access road.
• the Ridgeview site in Barnet Road, London Colney be considered in the Core Strategy for either A1 retailing use or housing development for which planning permission has already been obtained.

Cabinet was not satisfied that Oaklands College had provided sufficient evidence in support of its proposals to build 350 houses on the site to the south of Sandpit Lane, in St Albans as part of development plans for the college. It requested that the Council’s Head of Planning meet with the College to discuss reducing this number and to report back to Cabinet in June.


Proposals for housing development on the Building Research Establishment’s Bricket Wood site to help fund the Eco Park were rejected, but Cabinet asked the Head of Planning to consider increasing the amount of housing already designated for Harperbury Hospital Site to make up the shortfall. 


The Core Strategy is being drafted around some key themes to ensure that most development is located in the main urban areas; the Green Belt is protected (although land previously built on in the Green Belt will be able to be redeveloped) and provision is made for 250 new homes a year of which 100 will be affordable housing. A further progress report on the Core Strategy will now be made to Cabinet on 7 June and the final version of the pre-submission document will be put to Cabinet on 5 July and full Council on 20 July. A six week public consultation will then be held in September. The aim is to submit the proposed Core Strategy in January 2012 for a formal public examination to be presided over by a planning inspector.

Under 11s' school places for 2011

Nearly 95 per cent of Hertfordshire children have been allocated a place at one of their three preferred primary, junior or middle schools. More than 17,000 applications for primary, junior and middle school places have been dealt with and nearly 16,500 Hertfordshire families will be informed of their offer of a school place today or tomorrow. The vast majority of parents and carers in Hertfordshire will be able to access their allocation information this evening.  Allocation emails will be sent, from 6pm, to over 90 per cent of parents who have confirmed their email address.  The online allocation system will be available for other online applicants only after all emails have been despatched.


This year, Hertfordshire County Council will only be sending allocation letters to parents and carers who applied on paper or who were not successful in obtaining a place at their first ranked school.  In addition, for the first time, parents and carers who applied online will be able to accept the school place offered online. The number of children applying for a place in a Hertfordshire primary school has risen by nearly 900 this year - a total of 14,124 applications for reception places were received.  Despite this significant increase, 94 per cent of Hertfordshire children have been allocated a ranked primary school, almost exactly the same rate as in 2010.  In Hertfordshire, 84 percent of children were offered their most preferred primary school, a total of 13,832 children in all. 


John Harris, Director of Children Schools and Families, said: "Starting primary school or moving on to a junior or middle school is an important step and we are pleased that so many children have been allocated a ranked school. We have been working closely with schools over the last year to create over 500 additional reception places across Hertfordshire to help to alleviate pressure from September 2011.  The percentage of primary children offered a non ranked school has actually decreased this year which is a remarkable achievement given the increase in pupil numbers across the county. I know that this can be a difficult time for parents and carers whose child did not get a preferred school place but I would urge families to visit the school they have been offered before deciding whether to accept or decline the place. Parents and carers must respond to the school place offered by 26 April 2011.  If they do not respond they may lose the offered place."


All applicants who have not been offered their first preference school will automatically be placed on the continuing interest list for any schools named higher on the application form than the school offered.  However, in a significant change from previous years, parents should note that all new applications for continuing interest must be made to their home local authority, i.e.  to Hertfordshire County Council for all families living in Hertfordshire.


Further detailed information can be found in the 'Under 11s - What Can You Do Now?' leaflet, which is included with the allocation letters for all children who have not been offered their first preference school. This leaflet, which explains the continuing interest process and how to appeal, is also available on the website www.hertsdirect.org/admissions.  Parents can also access other useful information, such as school allocation summary reports, through the website.


School places must be accepted by April 26. This is also the last date to 'opt out' of the continuing interest process. The deadline to submit an appeal is 4pm on May 13, 2011.


Hertfordshire County Council news release - 4 April 2011