From our Reporter at the Parish Council Meeting
Report of a marathon Parish Council Meeting on 11 March 2004.
We don't have to wait for the Athens Olympics to watch marathons. Yet
another PC meeting finished well after bedtime, showing how well our village
affairs are cared for. All those involved deserve the recently proposed
Swaffham Prior Award of Merit, SPAM (not to be confused with SPAMfest, the
Swaffham Prior Arts & Music Festival).
James Fitch had news of proposed boundary changes that are so hard for the average man on the no. 111 omnibus to grasp, though women and children may have no difficulty. We may become part of an enormous territory in the fastest growing district of the fastest growing county, and some reorganisation is needed. Super car parking fines in Cambridge City are coming, and guided buses on a single track between Cambridge and St. Ives may seem a little bit remote. Well, the old rail line towards the setting sun is a bit remote, but that should not stop us participating during the discussion period. Council tax will rise by 8%.
Charlotte Cane has achieved a delay to enable proper consideration of the illconceived plan to sell the ECDC offices. We, our children, and theirs, will all be grateful. A planning officer will meet the PC to explain new planning rules. Perhaps others would welcome a chance to join in too? A housing association wants to build 8 units on Dencora Field, but funds will not be available for 2 years, unless shared ownership is adopted. That needs time to think about; please do let the PC have your views on this. For those who are still unsure what this is all about, I can do no better than recommend my own report in the Crier of Aug/Sep 2003. The drama at Smock Mill may be resolved in 1 of 2 ways Šeither try to get public footpath status, needing proof of 20 years uninterrupted access, or adjacent land owners seek an injunction for grant of access. Then, any obstruction would no longer be just a civil matter. Breach of an injunction means contempt of court, police involvement, and possible detention of the culprit. Unlike the first, this option is neither difficult nor expensive to achieve. Why not both? According to our representatives, the recent Parish Forum was badly run, seemingly a cynical attempt to stifle debate on the sale of the ECDC offices, with no responsible councillors present; but ultimately it failed!
The initials PCSO at first confused me, but discussion about special police officers revealed the subject, and all agreed that the proposed numbers are woefully inadequate in rural areas. Recent events clearly demonstrate the need for an effective presence. Mole hills were not made into mountains, but all the angles were covered, and no poison will be used by the appointed contractor. Should the usual suspects need to rake the mounds of soil before action, afterwards, or not at all? Tangible relief swept around the table as the last option was adopted. The CALC subscription was deemed good value for the free legal advice we enjoy. We have 3 important wildlife sites in the parish, one near the old rail line (no plans for guided buses here). Not many people know that.
The Annual Village Assembly will happen on Thursday 27 May. Be there, so we get into double figures this time, and do let the PC have your ideas for discussion. There will soon be an interactive speed sign on Lower End at the village entry. Apparently, too many Reach cars have scratches on their door handles. Where's that grit bin? It's bin at the top of Fairview Grove and, when all the grit has bin removed for use on private front paths, it will be moved to a point half way down. Residents will then grin a bit.
The Coopers Lane dilemma seems to be resolved by evidence that access for vehicles from Greenhead Road was never permitted. Now seen by CCC as a footpath, Coopers Lane was a well-established bridleway, never more. A contemporary photograph shows a vehicle barrier built at the Greenhead Road end in 1972, with no drop kerb. This barrier was removed and replaced by the present posts and rails when the parish acquired the paved route to the cemetery gates in 1987. The timber posts are fine, but the old rails are to be replaced by new rails, properly secured. Access for agricultural purposes to fields off Coopers Lane can be obtained from the High Street end.