September report to Parish Council

Peter Topping reported:

1. Consultation about proposed traveller and gypsy sites was continuing at South Cambs and he had attended a briefing session at Cambourne. There were currently no plans for traveller and gypsy sites for Whittlesford, but new sites could be proposed by private landowners during the process, so he would continue to monitor;

2. Planning - three matters

- he had asked the planning department to ensure that traffic entering and leaving the two construction sites on Station Road did not disrupt other residents or endanger station users, especially cyclists.

- He had attended the East of England Assembly meeting in July where the proposals for new regional housing targets were presented, and these were now out for consultation in the region. The risk for Whittlesford was that Hanley Grange was put forward as a means of helping to meet these very high housing targets.

- Other parish councils had raised the issue of their involvement in the district planning process, and he would draft a flow-diagram with Ken Winterbotham showing how and when the parish could and should get involved. He said that for contentious planning applications, having the parish council attend and speak at the district planning committee before it made its decisions was always helpful, and Whittlesford parish should keep that in mind.

3. Sheltered Housing – he had met the residents of the sheltered housing scheme at the Lawns to discuss their fears about possible reductions to the warden service. This is being considered by South Cambs as one option to make up its housing budget shortfall. He will be raising this issue at South Cambs this week with the Housing portfolio holder, and handing over the petition that the residents have signed.

4. Ledo Road – residents in Ledo Road report some issues around vehicle access and turning, which he will investigate. The residents are having their road resurfaced and one of their concerns is the damage done to the road surface by large lorries like the refuse trucks which have to reverse down the road.

5. Discussion re boundary with Duxford – these are due to be considered at the South Cambs Electoral Arrangements Committee next Thursday and he will attend.