VILLAGE GREEN A DREAM?

ASTON VILLAGE GREEN
NEED NOT BE JUST A DREAM

Centre Field could be a wonderful open traditional English village green to rival Datchworth and Benington. It would bring joy to residents and visitors alike.

It has so much potential positioned as it is right in the centre of the village with views from the adjacent roads passing on three sides. It could be made attractive with professional sensitive landscaping enhancing the vistas by removing ugly fences and overgrown hedgerows. And introducing Macadam surfaced public footpaths with attractive welcoming easy access entrances for prams and children riding pedal cycles. Plus the addition of comfortable seats to view the cricket and the creation of an area of wild flowers that could perhaps be managed by local teachers and schoolchildren as a nature project?

With the closure of the shops and the essential public house, life has gone from the village centre.

A green open space is an invitation to stroll. A restored Rose and Crown would have an unbroken view across the green. I am sure that some customers would enjoy taking a pint over the road to watch the cricket. Trade at the pub would probably increase as it would become an inn on the green making it doubly attractive and popular to its patrons.

A 'Villagers for a Village Green Group' was formed in 1994 and a questionnaire was sent out to every person in the village. The result was an overwhelming vote for Centre Field to become a traditional village green by 277 votes for and only 10 against! But nothing was done rather like Brexit!

The speed of 'through' traffic along Benington Road has noticeably increased since the shop and pub and the customers have disappeared. It has always been a 'rat-run'. A traffic calming scheme could be incorporated as part of a new village green scheme allowing villagers to cross the road to the green in safety. Is there no one who shares my dream, vision and enthusiasm to create it?

Some computer generated pictures below are the best I have been able to create to illustrate what the changes might look like compared with what we have today.

THERE WAS SOME GOOD NEWS IN OCTOBER 2001!
The ASTON VILLAGERS FOR A VILLAGE GREEN organisation was reactivated and good progress was made.

THE BAD NEWS WAS -

It all came to nought. After many meetings problems were overcome but then the agreed grant from the Countryside Commission Doorstep Green scheme was withdrawn due to a technicality. Aston does not own Centre Field outright. It is a gift to Aston from the Fleming Family Trust for 999 years and then reverts to the Trust. Therefore, a rant from an official body seems to be out of the question. Sadly, the dream became something of a a nightmare.
Nevertheless, Aston has exclusive use of the land for almost a thousand years, why not make the most of it while we can and raise the money ourselves? Global Warming may decide the outcome anyway, before we have to hand it back!