crime prevention day at Whittlesford station

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Given that no one in their right mind would leave a bike at the rail station overnight, this seems like a very good idea. Thursday 1st September, from four till seven.

Where's tha bin?

Brilliant idea from South Cambs and Cambridgeshire Constabulary - stickers showing the speed limit to go on the side of the garbage bins - so that once a week on bin collecting day motorists will see a huge row of reminders as they drive through this and all the other villages..

The road less travelled...

Been a bit busy last few days because the proposed eviction of travellers from a site in Basildon has created quite a bit of media interest locally. This is because of the potential knock-on effect for the traveller site at Smithy Fen.

Since May I took on the planning portfolio at South Cambs, including enforcement of planning laws. Which is where this all kicks in, because if people move on to Smithy Fen - or anywhere else for that matter - without planning permission, then that is an unlawful occupancy.

"Call for sites" over - new houses consultation starts next year

Over the last month, people have been invited by South Cambridgeshire District Council to send in details of their land that they want the Council to consider for potential housing developments.
This does NOT mean all the sites submitted will be suitable (and some will be very unsuitable, and the owners just chancing it) but it does mean that the planners know about all the land that could be available, so there is a clear picture.
Now the process has finished, and we will get to know what land has been offered up in this area.
Next year there will be consultation on the sites, and the local Development Plan that it feeds into.
The important thing is for development to be locally owned, rather than just lumped on top of us. The development in West End, Whittlesford is a good example of development that is working:
- the site includes some affordable homes that will be managed by local charity Nicholas Swallow, and South Cambs have agreed the preference is for local people with village connections;
- unlike previous propositions, the houses fit in well with the local area;
- the gift by a Whittlesford lady which has enabled the affordable housing will be commemorated in the name of those houses - Youell Way - which keeps a local link going for as long as the houses are standing.

"an isolated afterthought" - developers lose appeal

The planning inspector has dismissed the appeal by the developers looking to build more houses at the entrance to Heathfield.

I took the district council planning committee to see this tiny patch of land last year, and thankfully they kicked out the application.

The developers then took it to appeal and the inspector has thrown it out, commenting "the development of this site requires a particularly sensitive and imaginative approach". From other remarks in the report, he clearly doesn't think what was put before him cuts the mustard: "bland and uninspiring" and "an isolated afterthought, unrelated to the adjacent form of development, and out of character".

We need now to talk to the developers so that, on the back of this, they come up with something better. The people of Heathfield deserve it.

moorfield road, junction of A505 (3)

Following further calls from Whittlesford residents early this morning, I asked the district planning enforcement team to check out this site, which they promptly did, at about ten o'clock.

The gate across the entrance has been knocked over and the owners are being told to put it back up. Residents of Whittlesford are very concerned that the property will be unlawfully occupied.

At the same time, I'm told by the county highways people that the owners are seeking planning permission for houses there (ie running along the same line as what is now Knight's Orchard.)

Formula 1 on Sept 1st

Another day of F1 testing coming up - I'm asking the Duxford IWM if the numbers of test runs proposed for the day quoted in the Cambridge News is accurate, as it seems a lot.
Maybe the News got the sums wrong. I'll check.

Whittlesford Sustainable Parish Energy Partnership

...needs to regroup now that Adam, who kick-started it all, has moved on.

As climate change portfolio holder, I had a good meeting with Cambs County climate change lead, including going through how we can help people take advantage of all the things that the government is launching next year, like the Renewable Heat Incentive - good if you are off-gas and looking at better ways of heating than a tank of expensive oil, and the Green Deal, which is all about insulation.

After next week's climate change meeting at the district, where we hope to adopt an action plan, I will need to see what can be done more locally.

Meanwhile, keeping it sustainable, my courgettes are coming along nicely, and flowering, good enough for a plate of fiori di zucchini ripieni as we say in Whittlesford.

sheralds croft lane, thriplow

Sheralds Croft Lane is nicely laid out with good open space in the middle, and views over the fields and high Cambridgeshire skies to Foxton and Fowlmere from many of the back gardens.
I'm pleased that the planners at South Cambs have not supported over-development of what is a pleasant patch of village housing.
Long may it remain so.

moorfield road, junction of A505 (again)

The enforcement team at South Cambs has visited this site at the border of Whittlesford and Duxford twice now and checked with the neighbours on what it is that is going on.
I took calls yesterday evening about two vans trying to gain access to the site yesterday morning - so I called the enforcement team again, and I followed up by visiting people nearby today.
The enforcement team (bless them) happened to be on the A505 yesterday when all this malarky was going on. So they pulled in and spoke to the people accessing the land. It may be that, in order to prevent any form of unlawful occupation, the lawyers need to be mobilised and an injunction sought. Not easy, and a lot of hassle, but maybe necessary.
I'll also get a briefing from the planning officers on the bigger picture.