Page 60 - Phonebox Magazine October 2015

Newport Pagnell Ghost Trail
With Halloween just around the corner, it’s time to go and visit some haunted places in Newport Pagnell!
Classed as one of the most haunted towns in the United Kingdom, it is the perfect place to get spooked out. The Newport Pagnell Heritage Trail and the Newport Muster Spirit Walks are generally the most popular trails for spotting ghostly happenings around the local area. Sometimes tour guides are available for these walks but they only operate at particular times of the year so if you find that you can’t book a tour, why not gather together a group of friends together and visit the places below?
The Iron Bridge
This bridge is along Tickford Street and was built in the early 1800’s. The bridge is said to be where two young lovers fell to their deaths into the river; often described as Newport Pagnell’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’! It is mainly unknown as to how they died – some believe it was suicide while others have varying stories. It is rumoured that they were both still alive once jumping into the river, and travelled in the strong current under the bridge, but witnesses say they never appeared the other side. Rumour has it that a pair of beautiful swans travel down the river every winter, and many believe they are the spirits of the two lovers.
A Plan for Olney
In the May edition of Phonebox we gave an update on how we were getting on with the production of the Neighbourhood Plan and we said that we would be
producing a draft Plan for consultation and comment. The document that you will have received with the previous edition of Phonebox, if you are a resident of Olney, represents a change in tactics.
It is a consultation document that deals only with the number of dwellings to be built in the town between now and 2031, their location, and the location of sites to be earmarked for employment usage. The full draft plan that covers all the topics will be issued for your comments at a later date.
So why this Site Allocations Plan now? There are a number of reasons. All the subjects we raised in the questionnaire are important 60 Phonebox Magazine
Bury Field
This field is located just off Queens Avenue in the town. It still remains as the resting place of several hundred victims to the Great Plague in the 1660’s, hence why it is called ‘Bury’ Field. It is estimated that around half of the population of the town died of the plague and were then buried in the field as the remaining population struggled to keep on top of the burials. There have been various sightings of the victims, commonly seen on foggy evenings in the historical field.
St. Peter and St. Paul’s Graveyard
This haunted graveyard is often said to have spirits and ghosts roaming the grounds, with both day and night sightings reported. Years ago, many of the original gravestones were moved to form the path which runs alongside the church, and this may have disturbed the spirits. St. Peter and St. Paul’s church is located along the High Street in Newport Pagnell.
Pin Petch Restaurant
This restaurant, situated along the main High Street next to St. Peter and St. Paul’s church, has been here for a few years but was originally Odell’s Ironmongers. The restaurant contains an ancient well, said to
be haunted by the spirit of a lady who fell down the well to her death. The restaurant also contains a smaller room to the left of the main eatery, and many say this houses the spirit of a young lady, called Emily, who used to cook breakfast for the local workmen. One morning her apron caught fire and she burned to horrifically death.
The Old Granary
Found along Ousebank Street, this corn storage building is listed as one of the most
Progress on the Neighbourhood Plan
to you and to us as you demonstrated by sending us the 5209 comments. However, the question of the number of dwellings and where they go, and what provision is made for employment, is obviously one of the most important issues and has a knock on effect on many of the other subjects, for example, infrastructure improvements.
In addition we wanted to obtain your opinions ahead of the issue by Milton Keynes Council of the proposals that they will be making as part of their continuing planning review.
If we can establish a clear steer on what goes where, we can also start discussions with landowners about the many topics that will need clarification. The draft Plan needs to be both robust and deliverable.
The responses to the initial questionnaire demonstrated very strongly that you wanted
more opportunities to work locally, and that we should plan to meet that need. In order to get more information on the issues surrounding employment we have recently sent out a consultation to over 200 local businesses, in the anticipation that the responses will help us produce sound policy proposals.
We hope we managed to find most of the businesses in the town but if we did not receive a copy, please contact the town clerk on townclerk@olneytowncouncil.gov.uk or 01234 711679
In conclusion we ask you to take the time to answer the questions at the end of the Site Allocations Plan, and either submit them online, by post, or by dropping them in to the Olney Centre by the 16th October.
We really need to hear your views.