From our Reporter at the Parish Council Meeting
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT AT THE PARISH COUNCIL. 11 December 2003
After the meeting, the Christmas Fairy produced a bottle of wine and mince pies
from her magic basket, the sort of reward for good attendance that's really
appreciated. The conduct of the meeting beforehand had also reflected the
warmth of the season, with some humour, much of it funny - especially when a
jovial Santa figure refused to countenance your reporter as the
"referee" for a lottery fund application. "No. Not him - it says
here they must be a person of good standing. Ho. Ho." The general hilarity
provoked by this thinly veiled attack on the press was not unique. Others found
themselves the butt of jokes too, and I'm sure that Henry will soon get
over it, as I have, really.
A piece from "The News Quiz" on BBC R4 - a very short account of a 19th century PC meeting: "The subject matter was unimportant, of no general interest". Oh, that it were so simple.
To business: Charlotte Cane sent copies of letters from the owner of Dencora Field to four housing associations saying, in effect, "Do you want 8 houses?", so something may happen there. The Police Authority announce that we are no longer with Histon, but now with Ely Policing Area. Our Beat Officer will also have six more villages in his patch so he will have to work more than his present 24/7. Santa got quite cross about all this. "Why bother at all?" and, some J. Wilkinson influence here, "Kick it into touch". Luckily, though we managed seven incidents in the last reporting period, Burwell had about seven million. So we should worry?
New playground equipment could be in place by Easter, if we hurry, we hope. Trees in the Village Hall car park will be cut down, as recommended by the ECDC tree person, making more space - for cars, or for boules?. No one knew what ACRE stood for, so it was looked up ĞAction for Communities In Rural England Ğand we subscribe to it. That's nice, but what does it do? There's not much action around here for £25. A planning permission at Cage Hill could mean the sad loss of a major feature of the Conservation Area in pink and eau de nil. Have they no sensitivity, or appreciation of tradition?
The subject of horses returned again this month, and it's so educational. How big should a horse shelter be? Apparently, it depends on how many hands its got, (yet another very silly joke struggled to get out here, but the temptation was successfully resisted). And there's waste to be disposed of too; we don't like the smell of it, we don't like flies and, anyway, horses like to eat clean grass. It got quite rural then, so perhaps ACRE is relevant.
Much time was devoted to Coopers' Lane. Is it a footpath, a bridleway, or what? The PC owns the hard surfaced part from Greenhead Road to the cemetery gates. Who owns the rest? What do dotted lines on the plan at the High Street end actually mean? (They record a carriageway with verges. Four dwelling units enjoy vehicular access via the lane from the High Street). Although County Highways describe The Old School House as having no vehicular access, dotted lines on the OS map extend from the High Street to The School House and there is historical evidence to contradict the CCC view. Laying new stone over this carriageway has been proposed.
The character and the appearance of Coopers' Lane change around the corner at the top. Here a green carpet is rolled out to the cemetery between hedges, gardens and open fields. Ignore the traffic noise and enjoy a taste of bucolic paradise. The simple, appropriate timber post and rail barrier between the cemetery and the churchyard just looks so right, but it was suggested that the old barrier should go; a lockable, barred gate would be better, with just a gap for prams. I felt quite weak at the knees, faint, and in urgent need of stimulating refreshment. Fortunately, - - - - - - (return to top of page).
PS There was no mention this time of traffic calming for the village though, in my opinion, there always should be, so I cannot refer to "those fast ladies from Reach". Pity.