graffitti

Mmmm - someone had some time on their hands over Xmas - need to get the graffitti squad out from south cambs to clean this off. I'm assuming it isnt a banksy.

planning advice

This past year has seen completion of a number of major building developments in the village of Whittlesford - the Holiday Inn Express franchise at the the Red Lion Hotel at Whittlesford Bridge (right pic), which seems to be doing very well in terms of bookings, and the two roads on the south of Station Road - Knights Walk (left pic) and The Moraine - which are more or less complete. As well as extensions and new houses on a residential level.
It is always a balance between development and preserving the reason for people living in a village in the first place. I think we are getting it right.
I was talking to the planning people at South Cambs about the increase in planning appeals to the planning inspectors. They reckoned that as property prices were still flat, people were thinking more about extensions than moving, and inevitably if the planning application is turned down then there isn't much to lose by putting in an appeal.
The best advice I give is that (a) it is the job of the architect to work with the planners at the district council - that is what he or she is paid to do - not leave it up to the householder and (b) getting the parish council to be supportive - by turning up at the parish council meeting where the application is considered - helps considerably. Although the parish council view is not binding on the planners at the district council, it does have to be taken into account, and will often result in the application being considered by the planning committee - at which the applicant gets the chance to put their case in person.

Tough times ahead for local government

The detail of the grant settlement announced today by the government makes for tough times for South Cambs.

Officers at Cambourne have done the math and reckon it to be a cut of £1m in formula grant in 11/12 then another three quarters of a million off the following year. So a %16 reduction in year one and another ten per cent in year two.

Government adds it up differently, saying the cut is 5%, but it counts the £3.6m from parish precepts in there. It is a lot to lose taking effect almost immediately, ie "front-loaded". Lots of savings will have to come from back-office mergers, but to be effective, these take time to put together.

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land west of Moorfield Road

Here's what the planning inspectors appointed to review South Cambs site specific planning policy said about the land along the A505 to the west of Moorfield Road:

27.12 Land at Whittlesford Bridge, just north of the bypass, is open, and forms a continuation of the large open area to the west. The site east of Moorfield Road, included in the Development Framework by the Inspector who considered objections to the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan, has housing on 3 sides as well as the bypass to the south. This is not true of land west of Moorfield Road, which land should not be included in the Development Framework.

So it will be interesting to see what happens to the planning application for change of use from agricultural to office acccommodation of some barns along the A505. Thin end of the wedge, say some. I've asked the planning officers to bear this report in mind, and let me know their thoughts.

Welcome to Whittlesford's "new villagers" at Duxford Chapel

A welcome break in the weather co-incided with the Whittlesford Society's welcome to the "new villagers" in the two small developments off the south side of Station Road (Knight's Orchard and The Moraine) plus the people who have lived in the existing houses between Station Road and the A505 and who now find themselves officially part of Whittlesford.
A good turn-out, at the ancient Duxford Chapel just next to the Red Lion Hotel.
While the assembled Whittlesfordians - old and new - sipped wine and munched on Christmas cake, there was a brief exposition on the history of the Chapel, and then Robert James, WhitSoc president, made a presentation to Whittlesford Parish Clerk Ian Skellern (pictured right) for all his hard work in driving through the amendment to the parish boundary. It has taken a long time, and several meetings with the district council's boundary committee, and legal officers, and a submission to the Boundaries Commission, for all this to happen, so well deserved thanks to Ian.

Community Orchard - a possibility?

Went along to a district-council sponsored training day with the East of England Apples and Orchards Project. There were people from about ten local groups there from villages across south cambs all interested in setting up a community orchard.
Cambridgeshire is one of the least wooded counties in the UK, with only 2.1% woodland cover. Its orchards are both valuable wildlife
habitats and important landscape features, even though they are dwindling.

The day-long event covered ideas about planning, design, site selection, and technical stuff on cross-pollination and rootstock selection. The pic on the right is of us all shivering round an apple tree at Melbourn's community orchard taking in the finer points of pruning, and the pic next to it is the aspiration!
We will discuss at the parish council next week, but this will take some organising to grow it from a seedling into a Thoday's Quarrenden or a Huntingdon Codlin!

The planning process

Went along to the monthly planning committee at South Cambs because a retrospective application for converting a house into four flats in Heathfield had been submitted and I wanted to ensure there was a full planning committee discussion on the matter.

Which there was, and despite local resident association opposition, the planning application went through. Do I agree with that - no, I spoke against it - but at least there was due process, and the developer set out his arguments as to why the application should be granted and I respect the decision of the committee.

I believe that planning applications are an area of council business where councillors can make a difference, and it is a privilige to be able to do so.