Looking tidy at Heathfield

Complaints earlier in the month that the play area at Heathfield, maiantained by the developers for the moment, was looking a bit scruffy.

The district council's team that liasises with developers over what is known as Section 106 undertakings (because section 106 of the relevant act deals with what money developers will pay over to the local community for getting permission to build) had a word.

I checked it this week and the result looks pretty good. So some credit to the developers.

Knights Walk and affordable homes for Whittlesford families

The development at Knights Walk, off Station Road, Whittlesford, is now shaping up - two families have moved in already, presumably to houses further down which are more finished than these! Some of the properties are very presentable affordable housing, and are being advertised in the HomeLink magazine. I have this week asked the allocation officers to take into account the long periods of time some families in the village have been waiting to secure affordable housing, and pressed their case as hard as I can. As the houses are offered across South Cambs this means that other people can apply who may have more "points".

I have also asked he district council officers about the numbers of people on the waiting list for homes, who live in Whittlesford. I've also asked the Cambridge Housing Association if they could put a lick of paint on one or two of the fences of their properties in Maynards.

Swimply the best!

Wonderful name, wonderful small business operating at Thriplow Heath along the A505. The pool there is used by countless numbers of young children from villages in this part of South Cambs learning to swim. I went to see the owner about 18 months ago, who was putting in a planning application to enable the business to keep operating. Unfortunately, as it is in the green belt, the application was refused by South Cambs planners, and the application went to the planning inspector on appeal, which I wrote in support of - as did half of South Cambridgeshire!

I'm very pleased that the appeal was successful, and this small business can keep going, providing lessons for many hundreds of youngsters.

Some good news on waste recycling

Went along to a meeting this evening of all the 15 parish groups who are members of the District Council's Sustainable Parish Energy Partnership (SPEP). Whittlesford is the new boy so three of us went, we're so keen. A good mix of news and information, including more details regarding South Cambridgeshire's plans to change the way it collects recyclable waste by replacing the existing green box scheme with a blue wheeled bin, which comes with a specially designed inner caddy to keep paper separate from everything else. But more importantly, the blue bin will take plastic cartons and tubs, as well as tetrapaks like orange juice containers.

Pooping pooches "drinking in the last chance saloon"

Whittlesford Parish Council have decided not to go ahead with a move to ban all dogs from the green space at Maynards. The original proposal, to erect signs banning all dogs from an area owned and maintained by the parish followed calls for action from local residents. People living in the Maynards area, disgusted at having their parkland covered in dog poo, brought the problem to the parish council meeting in March. Complaints included that the grass could not be cut by the contractor because of the problem, and children were having to be cleaned up having stepped in one of Fido's little presents. The local children made their own signs asking dog-walkers to be more considerate.

(This issue came up last year at pretty much the same time (see April 16 2009 post) and I looked into the options then, including the legal position.)

The parish council was poised to take a tough line, with notices ready to go up banning the exercising of dogs on that open space. But dog-owners who came to this Tuesday's meeting say they now have the problem under control and are using peer-pressure to make sure everyone cleans up.

The parish council's final decision, which I helped formulate, was that for the moment the signs go into storage, but if the situation deteriorates, then they go up on the green space. It is a drink in the last chance saloon for these particular pooches.

Commercial activity in Station Road that doesnt have planning permission

Whittlesford Parish Council meeting on Tuesday evening covered a wide range of topics, including co-opting a new parish councillor.

One issue I reported on was what action the district's planning enforcement people are taking over the change of use of one of the commercial sites off Station Road. This was first raised months ago and I have been working with Charlie Swain, the enforcement officer, for a resolution. I spoke to Charlie today and have followed up with a detailed letter to the County Highways Department.

This is because the people using the site say they are about to put in a retrospective planning application, but before that can happen there is some discussion they need to have involving County Highways. I'm now chasing the said Highways Department (and copied in Tim Stone, our county councillor, so he can use his influence). What I want to avoid is this highways issue becoming a red herring that further delays the retrospective planning application coming forward for proper public scrutiny.

Parish councils, cricket nets and hedgehogs

A busy Whittlesford Parish Council meeting this evening, with a lot going on.

Highlight of the evening: the cricket players on the lawn are now securing the practice nets off the ground each evening to prevent hedgehogs getting trapped during the night.

thriplow parish council meeting - update on heathfield planning issues

Drove over to Thriplow for the Parish Council meeting pausing only to take this snap of a spectacular sunset. A good PC meeting with progress being made on a number of fronts. Here are the bits I'm most involved in:

- an update on the very positive meeting that morning with the Imperial War Museum at Duxford on reducing the sewage tanker journeys through Heathfield that occur on major event days at the airfield there. Derek Pinner, Thriplow PC chair, Tim Stone, county councillor, and I, met with Richard Ashton, IWM Director and his team about this;

- the planning officers at South Cambs have reassured me that the latest amendments to the proposals for building two houses at Woburn Place near the entrance to Heathfield will be given out for all statutory consultees (Parish Council, local residents nearby) to comment on;

- the planning enforcement officers have asked for any further information on allegations of someone running a (innocuous)business from a residential premises in Heathfield, to the annoyance of neighbours;

- the parish council is going to organise an information dissemination meeting on the proposals for a wind-farm at Heydon and what this might mean for Thriplow;

- I need to follow up on the results re the condensation that was affecting houses in Sherralds Croft Lane during the earlier part of the year, where some people are happy, others less so, with the service provided by the housing teams at South Cambs

Sustainable Whittlesford

Full marks to Adam Polczyk, founder of the Sustainable Whittlesford group, for booking a stand at this morning's car-boot sale at Ashley's field. Le tout Whittlesford was there, buying and selling, and there was a lot of interest in the power meters (pictured below) that we had on display and which are available on loan to local residents, which basically tell you where all your electricity is going.

The group is part of South Cambridgeshire District Council's Sustainable Parish Energy Partnership (SPEP). The Whittlesford Group and its website are very new. But little acorns...

Whittlesford Annual Parish meeting - this Friday!

After all the election excitement, out and about this morning distributing the Parish Council's Annual Report. I did Duxford Road and Mill Lane, then called in at Lettice Martin Croft, where the residents were tucking into a full English breakfast (I had croissants warm from Masseys) and I caught up with some people outside the Post Office also keen to have a copy of this riveting read!

The report includes info from a wide variety of Whittlesford organisations, and is discussed at the annual meeting this Friday at 7.30 in the Memorial Hall. All welcome.

A vibrant democracy

Telling returns for Whittlesford suggest a very high-turn out of over 75% of the 1100 people on the electoral roll, with over 80 people an hour voting in the evening. So good for democracy and public interest.

Whither Whittlesford Bridge?

Lot of things happening down at Whittlesford Bridge, and people are rightly asking how it can be controlled. There is a significant amount of development proposed as well as currently going on, both commercial and residential. And we have the people from the south side of Station Road to bring in to the village, in terms of involvement in the parish council, for example, and of course we have the parking issues on Station Road that continue there.

Discussions going on about how to involve people with an interest, residents and businesses down there, to draw up a sense of what we want to achieve, such as minimum disruption/planned development/clear what impact will be on village amenities such as school and so on.

Then the next step would be to have a session with the county highways people, the district council planners, and anyone else, to do two things: work out what levers there are to control things and where what we want, representing the village, is likely to butt up against planning issues, or business plans etc.

Vote early and vote often!

Went to a real old fashioned hustings last week, with all six of the candidates (Conservative, Lib Dem, Labour, UKIP, Green, and dear old Robin Page) for South Cambs appearing on the platform at a church hall in Cottenham. Well run, with strictly one minute answers per candidate on a range of questions from local to global. Beats twitter and all the social media stuff.

Whatever the outcome on Thursday, there will be big changes for the local services that the district council delivers and the money it has available to do it. Lets hope for a high turn-out as a sign of voter engagement. Wonder what the parties views are on the dog fouling still going on at the green space at Maynards!