Ransom strips, footpaths and developments in Whittlesford

In Whittlesford there are two developments that would generaly be welcomed and where progress involves sorting out land access issues with the district council. I'm setting up a meeting for early this month.

One of these developments is an active "live" one, which is the grain store depot at the end of Mill Lane, where the company - who have been good neighbours over the years to the school - are keen to move to a better location and so the land could be developed for about 16 houses, including some affordable ones.  The issue here is who owns land on which a footpath could run linking the houses round to the other end of the Lawn. 

The other location is a dormant one at the end of Orchard Terrace, where the developers withdrew some years back, but this could be brought back into play quite quickly.  Here the land is owned by the county council, which is looking to sell for a mixed development of affordable and commercially valued houses, and where the district council owns what is called a "ransom strip" of land, for which the developrs would have to pay.