Sparks at the Village Assembly
IT WASN'T NEARLY AS GOOD AS SPARK IN JUDEA (woe to you who failed to see
it) but the Parish Council certainly did its best to put on quite a show this
year. The meeting started with a talk and slide show which ended with a heated
"discussion". In the middle of the meeting there was a pre-arranged
cabaret and entertainment. After which was a range of interesting local issues
culminating in a most sensible suggestion.
Jake Williams of the National Trust was given the floor to illustrate the plans of the NT for the land around us. We learned that 99.9% of the wetland had been lost by drainage since 1600 so it was not a question of the NT "stealing it back" but simply reclaiming. In 1899 the NT had only 10 acres of wetland whereas the present aim is to have many thousands of acres. Even with the current holding of nearly 800 acres we were told that Wicken Fen is on a par with a tropical rainforest because it is the home to 7,000 species of wild life. Who would have thought that. And it was interestingly illustrated that the whole area of Newmarket Race Course was an environmental disaster as it sustained nothing but cropped grass. I didn't quite follow the argument that as the East Coast collapses into the sea and as new buildings gobble up land that the problem is being solved by turning huge areas of our local land into wetlands. He ended by showing us a picture of the proposed Bridge of Reeds - which was quite astonishing. There was the usual enthusiastic clapping though whether to congratulate the speaker or to welcome the end of the lecture was uncertain. And then it started.
Geoffrey Woollard said he disapproved of the whole project and did not wish to be waterlogged. He listed out all the fine manors in Swaffham Prior from Swaffham Prior House and Baldwin Manor through to Manor Farm and said they would all be subjected to a vast array of flies and mosquitoes which could decimate the people living in those fine buildings. And with 7,000 species (and growing) there were likely to be some interesting nippers just waiting for an unsleeved arm holding a glass of champagne. Geoffrey forecast that property values would plummet and it could be that these venerable manors will become valueless. If Geoffrey is right the owners should sell out now. Anyway, if the National Trust aims are carried out, Geoffrey will sue the NT.
Others were interested in the proposed Bridge of Reeds. It is crossing the A14
and I suppose will have the role of the "Angel of the North".
"How much will it cost?" asked Geoffrey. "Twenty million"
answered Mr Williams. "Eek!, Awk!, Gulp!" expostulated Geoffrey, as
he sank into his chair, gurgling, at a loss for words, holding his head in his
hands, rocking backwards and forwards, and he failed to hear Mr Williams
explain this also included an information centre. "How high is it"
asked another. I don't know, said Williams, and this is surprising because
the bridge has been subjected to a lot of work, has been selected from 234
entries, and there has been widespread consultation. Mr Williams ought to have
known how high it is especially as Marshalls are a sponsor and it may interfere
with incoming aircraft. Alan Alderson, echoing the concerns of some Burwell
residents, questioned whether certain byways and paths on Burwell Fen would
remain open and was assured that this would be the case, maybe.
After all this exciting rush of blood we moved on to the formal reports in which Hazel Williams, our CCC representative, explained about the CCC Cabinet which now rules. The seven members of the Cabinet are all Conservatives and the cabinet is supported by three cross-party scrutiny committees. Hazel thought this worked quite well. There is still no solution to the Bus Fare disaster though Hazel had another tirade against Gordon. The Cambridge Fire Fighters received several compliments and there was news about the redevelopment of the Parkside station. It seems that fire fighters now spend most of their time on traffic accidents and fire safety. May I here, and not at the meeting, put in an acknowledgement of the professionalism of the Burwell Fire Station two weeks ago. I had a real fire, it took two hours to quench, must have provided very good practice if fires are in short supply, and the whole crew were magnificent.
Back to the meeting. Hazel explained why South Cambs have no money. It had refused to increase it rates for the last two or three years and thereby it has the lowest rate in the county. But now it is short of money it cannot make an increase of more than 5% without being capped.
While Hazel was talking a group of threatening uniformed militia crept in and began to surround us. They appeared to be in the control of either a latterday Robin Hood with his gorgeous Maid Marion, or a rather ugly looking health freak with his very attractive moll. We were very very English and did our best to ignore them.
Alan Alderson ran through the achievements of ECDC though he studiedly avoided any mention of the reasons for the revised plans for the ECDC offices. I can only imagine that the menacing militia surrounding us prevented any one asking about this. So Alan did not have to answer questions and to reward us he said that his report for the next Crier will be a pretty full report on garbage. Every meeting has its silver lining.
Then came the next drama. Robin Hood stepped forward with four of his merry band. And what very good reports they all gave on the activities of the Scouts. Each report was received with enthusiastic clapping and the reports ended with a plea from Robin (actually Tim Doe) for any help which could be offered to the cubs/scouts in the way of facilities, know how, willingness to be involved, etc.
John Covill presented the PC report most of which readers of the Crier will already know. Sadly, since the time I reported the PC meeting on 13 May, the Recreation Field news is much worse and it seems that because of the legal costs Burwell Tigers may have to bail out and the whole proposition ditched. It is astonishing that after all the time, effort and money spent on this that the possibility has collapsed. With so many school playing fields having been sold off one wonders why this scheme should have ended so abruptly. In the minutes of the May 2005 General Assembly it said "Excessive charges by Solicitors proving an obstacle." Why is it exactly the same 12 months later? Later in the meeting we heard that the Sports & Recreation Committee have lots of money without giving any figure.
Speculation by those in the know suggested it could be between £15,000 and £19,000. The legal fees for the Recreation Field may be in the region of £5,500. With the S & R C and other local fund possibilities and goodwill gestures this surely cannot be an impossible sum to raise. If the opportunity is not taken now it will be gone for ever because I got the impression that the PC feels it has loyally kept the unused field long enough. Without the Tigers it will go, and the village and surrounding area will have lost the chance for a wonderful youth facility for ever. After the rather gloomy PC announcement there was no discussion, and just a lie down and die acceptance. Surely this cannot be acceptable, and surely there should be a village meeting of all parties before this village facility is finally consigned to the rubbish heap.
From the floor came an enquiry (mine) about the new Pylon in Whiteway Drove. EDF are trying to buy off Swaffham Prior's hostility to their behaviour by offering £1,000 to be spent on a single project which would mention the name of EDF. £1,000 for the injury they have done down the fen by putting the new Pylon so close to our Chairman's house and by putting the Pylon so close to the roadway! What an insult! Before EDF completed the works they must have known about the Sage Committee which was set up in October 2004 by the DoH to consider the affect of power lines. An early draft of this report indicates that nearby property could lose value by 10%-50%, and that the risk of leukaemia may rise by up to 69%. As for the position of the pylon a lady driver veered off the road and crashed at the pylon when driving from Upware at 6.00pm earlier this year. Even before erection, representations were made to the Highways Dept but they claimed there was no risk. Hazel explained that the accident could not be quoted to the Highways Dept because it could not be proved that the Pylon had actually caused the accident. I suppose the Pylon would need to leap in to the middle of the road before the Highways Dept accept that it may help to create accidents. Our Chairman reported hearing fairly regular sudden braking and anyone wishing to check the danger risk should approach the Pylon from the Upware direction. I proposed that we should refuse the miserly bribe from EDF and publicise our refusal. No-one was very interested.
In Open Question Time Caroline Matheson asked for white lines to be removed from the centre of the roads in the village. Hazel said that when roads are resurfaced they often omit the white lines, but some villages have complained because driving is less easy. "Exactly", said Caroline, "Surveys have shown that people have to take more care and drive more slowly."