On Monday the planning officer responsible for dealing with the Allens West planning application published his report for planning committee.  Perhaps not surprisingly he's recommending approval.  The Highways Agency hasn't said the roads can't cope.  Tests on the land haven't shown it to be contaminated with anything horrible.  He considers there to be no good planning reasons for refusal of the application.  I still have real concerns over the loss of employment land, the increase in traffic and the impact on community facilities such as doctors, dentists, schools and so on.  The decision will be taken at a meeting held in public on May 9th at 1.30pm in the Jim Cooke Conference room, accessed through Stockton Library.
The first meeting of the new committee of Friends of Preston Park took place on Tuesday afternoon.  It was agreed that the Friends will host an event leading up to the lighting of a Jubilee Beacon at the riverside on June 4th, and a sub-committee was set up to finalise the details.
Later on the same day there was a meeting of the Jubilee committee of Egglescliffe & Eaglescliffe council to finalise the plans for the Jubilee weekend in the parish.  Fun activities for children on the green in front of Orchard shops, an exhibition and a talk in the community centre and then a murder mystery evening on the Saturday; picnic lunch, fun and games on the village green, afternoon tea in the parish hall, a service of thanksgiving on the green on the Sunday; music and refreshments leading up to the lighting of the beacon on the Monday evening at Memorial Garden.  All we need to make it perfect is fine weather and the good people of Eaglescliffe to turn out and enjoy yourselves.
Taylor Wimpey are about to launch a public consultation prior to submitting an application for housing at Urlay Nook, opposite Hunters' Green estate.  They claim of course that it will be energy efficient, well designed housing but it's going to be a long way from the nearest shops, have no bus service going past, and generally not be very sustainable from a first look at the proposals.  And so life goes on in Eaglescliffe!