Haddenham issues
This is a list of the issues relating to Haddenham which I am most often asked about. They are not listed in order of priority. I have put together a few facts on each. If you feel that an issue needs to be addressed or would like further information on anything below, please contact me at gareth.wilson@eastcambs.gov.uk
Index
1. Proposed Travellers’ Site
2. Cable Laying
3. Gravel Lorries
4. Bringing Cricket to Haddenham
5. Straw Lorries
6. Council Tax: 2.45% or 3.9% Increase?
7. The Ely Masterplan
8. Mereham
9. Speeding in our Villages
10. Play Area at the Recreation Ground
11. Problems with Recycling Service
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1. Proposed Travellers’ Site
Change of use to Travellers Site
The planning application for a change of use from builders yard and offices to a traveller’s site with one pitch comprising three mobile homes and one utility block at Hod Hall Lane, Haddenham comes to East Cambs Planning Committee on Wednesday 10th June 2009 at 2.00p.m.
The officer’s report states that
“Whilst the description of the application suggests that the number of pitches has been reduced to one it is considered that the proposal in fact comprises three separate pitches. This view is based not only on the information provided in the Design and Access Statement and subsequent correspondence with the applicant’s agent but also the plans.
In light of this, the proposal does not overcome the previous reason refusal of application 08/00965/FUL as there is no proven need for this number of pitches. As this site is located in the countryside, where development is not normally allowed need is a key consideration, and the lack of need means that there is no justification for the proposed development.
For this reason, it is recommended that the application is REFUSED.”
In addition 42 local residents have written in and their reasons are summarised but their letters are available to the Planning Committee. The Parish Council ‘s long and carefully constructed list of reasons for refusal is printed in full as is the letter from Councillor Pauline Wilson which explains why she is against the proposal and thinks it should be refused. These include the well known problems of drainage and access as well as the size of the utility building and the retention of the existing building.
I will publish the Planning Committee’s decision on my web site. (garethwilson.net), where there are links to East Cambs web site.
Previous history
The applicant has put in an amended plan. The East Cambs officers were concerned that the utility building for one pitch was about the same size as for four pitches and contacted the applicant to see if he wished to change the plans.
The changes made are however very minor. The outer measurements of the site have been revised and the utility block, which originally consisted of two rooms with separate entrances now has an intercommunicating door.
The plan still shows the existing barn refurbished and four concrete hard standing areas.
If this is in reality still four pitches then this has already been rejected at Planning Committee.
The Haddenham Planning Committee is discussing the revised plans on Wednesday 27th May in the Arkenstall Centre. The probability is that it will then go to the East Cambs Planning Committee on June 10th where a decision will be made.
All letters already sent to East Cambs Planners regarding the original plan for one pitch will be carried forward to the amended plan so there is no need to write in again unless you have a new point to make.
History of this site
The Parish Council Planning Committee met on 8th April at 7.00 to discuss among other items the application to put one travellers pitch on the site in Hod Hall Lane. About 40 members of the public attended. I was able to explain the procedures to them and that only planning matters could be raised in objection to the application. I pointed out that I was unable to state my own position until I had heard all the arguments at the East Cambs Planning Committee. Pauline, however is not a member of the East Cambs Planning Committee and she told the meeting that she would call in the application to the full Planning Committee if the officers were going to give it approval and would write her own objections to the proposal, in particular stating that the new application was so similar to the previous rejected application that with such a large utility building and the retention of the original barn it looked like a site for four or more pitches not just one.
As you will be well aware, an application was recently submitted to change a site on Hod Hall Lane to a Travellers Site with 4 pitches. The details of the proposal can be accessed through this link: http://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/docs/agendas/planning/pl070109_H258.pdf
East Cambs District Council received 62 letters of objection in response to this proposal, and over fifty local residents attended the Planning Committe on Wednesday 7th January to express their opposition to this proposal. Most were from Haddenham.
The Planning Committee listened carefully to the planning officer summing up of their position. She read out the statement from Cllr Pauline Wilson expressing her opposition to the proposal to site 4 pitches on land in Hod Hall Lane. Mr Steven Blackmore then spoke on behalf of the local residents who were objecting to the application. Mr John Flanders the applicant then spoke in favour. Cllr Ian Allen as local member and Travellers Champion explained why he was against this proposal although keen to see that travellers were given a fair deal.
It was then open to members of the Planning committee. I explained the local circumstances, in particular the problems of drainage and access, pointing out that the officers had refused to allow the bus transporting committee members, on the site visit that morning, to go down Hod Hall Lane in case they could not get back again. I proposed that we should support the officers recommendation to refuse this application. This was passed with no one voting against.
The application to change the use from builders yard to a travellers site was refused.
2. Cable Laying
Ansons, a local plastic recycling company, has been struggling to get sufficient power to its new factory on the Elean Industrial park at Sutton. This shouldn’t be a big problem, because its neigbour, the straw burning power station, has spare capacity. But bureaucratic regulations mean that they are not allowed to get their power from the straw station.
Instead, they are being forced to get additional power from the sub-station at Aldreth, which means laying a new cable from Aldreth to Sutton. This means that six miles of road from Aldreth to Sutton is going to be dug up, instead of the 250 metres from Ansons to the straw burning plant. This madness is going to cost this local company a fortune and disrupt all of the services in Aldreth and Haddenham while the road is being dug up.
Ansons have been trying for over a year to get round this bureaucracy, but to no avail. I have since taken this ridiculous situation to Steve Webb, Lib Dem Shadow Secretary of State for Energy. The Parish Council was very concerned so we organised a meeting with the managers of Ansons, EDF electricity, Carillion the contractor and John Brown who will be digging up the roads.
We have been assured that the work will not close any roads, and will be carried out in small sections of about 20 metres at a time. Work will start after the rush hour and finish by 3.30pm. They promised to keep all shopkeepers and affected residents informed.
We have been given phone numbers to use if there are any problems, so please be in touch if you have any concerns.
3. Gravel Lorries
Heavy lorries carrying tons of gravel could thunder through Haddenham and Wilburton every two minutes under a controversial county council plan, which would allow gravel extraction at Mepal. There could be more than 1,000 extra lorries a day – or a massive 40 per cent increase. It is my worry that children walking to school could be put at risk to boost the profits of gravel and waste companies.
Most of these lorries will take gravel to Northstowe and other Cambridge developments, where 40,000 houses are planned to be built, or to the works on the A14. The idea of dispersing the heavy traffic through village roads to avoid the cost of improving the necessary trunk roads is not acceptable, especially when childrens’ lives are being put at risk. I raised this issue at the latest meeting of East Cambridgeshire District Council’s strategic development committee.
The latest report reveals that three million tons of gravel would be extracted from the Mepal site every year, transported by 70,000 20-ton lorries. This amounts to over 500 lorries a day. These figures are on top of the lorries travelling through the area taking oil to Cottenham for recycling, new hazardous waste planned for the Grunty Fen tip and the lorries carrying five million tons of London waste. Not to mention the hundreds of lorries that already use Haddenham and Wilburton as a rat run.
My fear is that the lorries would travel from Mepal along the A142, turning into Haddenham village from Witcham Toll. They would then travel along Station Road, which is designated as an A road but only has pavement on one side at a time, which alternates from one side to another - this means that children going to school have to cross this busy road three time. This is profoundly wrongheaded planning. Once through Haddenham the lorries would head through Wilburton, turning along Twentypence Lane, causing chaos throughout Cottenham and Histon.
If only a third of the lorries chose this shorter route, this would still produce one every two minutes from 7am to 7pm. What is more, county council officers have hinted that the journeys could be made at night, to prevent congestion getting worse on the A10 and A14 during the daytime. Hundreds of Heavy Carriage Vehicle rumbling through our quiet villages in the middle of the night? This would be intolerable.
My proposed solution is to build a bypass around Sutton, be financed by the gravel extractors, and another one around Willingham, paid for by the Northstowe developers. These companies and developers should not be profiting at the expense of our communities. Let them foot the bill for once.
4. Bringing Cricket To Haddenham
Haddenham Rec Ground
Work has now been completed and we wait for the grass to grow
Level and Seeded
Work progressed
Waiting for the sub soil
At long last the work on the Recreation Ground has restarted
For a long time the delay first due to waiting for grant confirmation, then for a licence to dump subsoil on the ground, then the credit crunch dried up supplies of sub soil from development sites. The weather caused further delays. However the work started, admittedly at greater cost.
Sub soil being delivered laying the top soil
Subsoil down to make the football pitch level. Then replacing the topsoil.
top soil being replaced checking the level
This will be followed by seeding.
Please keep children and dogs off the newly seeded grass.
Work has started to level the Recreation Field. This will enable the football pitch to be moved towards the allotments and allow space for a cricket square. While it will cause inconvenience for the next few months it will be worth it in the end. We have managed to get grants from The Football Foundation, from WREN and from Haddenham Charities.
Please stay off the area we are working on, particularly when the new grass seed has been sown.
5. Straw Lorries
Residents in Haddenham have contacted me, complaining about the straw mess when straw lorries drive through the village. I have taken this up with the power station management and they came to our Parish Council working party. They are now applying for a change to planning conditions.
Managers of the Straw Burning Plant at Sutton are requesting that East Cambs Planners relax their planning conditions on the lorries that carry the straw to the power station. The planning consent that enabled the straw burning power station to be built originally stated that all loads should be netted, except when wind conditions made it unsafe.
However, they are insisting that there is no safe way to do this netting. Throwing a heavy net over the straw whilst balanced on a fork lift, high in the air, is obviously unsafe. They are requesting that if this netting condition is removed they will route their vehicles so that the majority use the A10 and A142. Some vehicles will however still have to come through Haddenham, as some of the straw is collected from Aldreth.
I will be asking them to inform the Parish Council when they will be using this route and to sweep up the straw mess after these lorries have come through.
We desperately need to reduce the straw mess in Haddenham. Will the new arrangements work? Please be in touch with your thoughts.
6. Council Tax: 2.45% or 3.9% Increase?
Cambridgeshire Lib Dems have proposed a 2.45% County Council Tax increase, compared to the Conservative plan for a 3.9% hike, one of the higher increases in the country. Which figure would you prefer?
We are also proposing to invest an extra £10.5 million in priority services.
These proposals can be afforded because we have identified fat in the Council’s budget - and cut it out! Reserves are 27% higher than forecast a year ago, yet during the same period highway repairs have been halted and more bus services lost.
Aside from the Council Tax reduction, our proposals include a £10.5 million 2 year spending package which will fund:
- A new policy to put more police officers into our local communities to beat anti-social behaviour and neighbourhood crime.
- Delivery of lower speed limits and better enforcement where requested.
- A major £7 million package to transform our neglected roads and pavements.
- Practical projects to give young people something to do in the evening.
- Much needed improvements for bus and rail travel.
This Tory administration is a shambles. It has frozen highways repairs while spending a small fortune on glossy publications that are shamelessly political; it is cutting back already substandard care for Adults and Children and is now proposing one of the highest council tax increases in the country, in a time of deepening recession. They call their leaflets “In Touch”, but has any budget ever been quite so out of touch?
7. Ely Masterplan
The Ely Masterplan is a plan for Ely’s future. Which ought to be a good thing. Unfortunately the Conservative administration have turned it into a plan for massive housing growth; potentially as many as 10,000 new houses over the next 20 years. They should have listened to the people, who want future developments to conserve and enhance Ely’s unique character.
Infrastructural development has not been able to keep up with the rapid expansion of the city in recent years, and it is my view that we need to consolidate the environment in the centre of the city, instead of building thousands of new houses.
The first version of the Masterplan was scrapped, because it was found to be illegal, wasting a lot of time and taxpayers’ money. All work on the original Masterplan was immediately stopped.
However, a new Ely Masterplan Working Party has been set up. And the Conservative members of the working party remain convinced that Ely should expand by 5,000 to 10,000 more houses, virtually doubling in size and including all the farmland to Chetisham.
The Tories are bulldozing ahead, ignoring public opinion and political opposition alike. How many people do they need to tell them thousands of new homes don’t guarantee instant commercial success for Ely?
What do you think? The Regional Plan already has 1,700 more homes. Is this sufficient? What about the extra facilities that all these thousands of new people will need?
For more information, see “The Ely Masterplan” section of this site.
8. Mereham
Five years ago developers proposed to build 5,000 new houses, with space for another 2,500, on all of the agricultural land between Stretham and Wilburton, effectively linking these two villages together. This new town would havae been as big as Ely, but without the facilities, without the station, and right on our doorstep. Following a public enquiry at Haddenham, the planning inspector turned this application down, and Government Minister Hazel Blears backed this decision.
Incredibly, this development is now being resurrected, following a new bid, which the East of England Regional Assembly accepted, which local Liberal Democrats have attacked.
Tory county councillor John Reynolds claimed that “it might be a completely different project to the one that was rejected before.” I have repeatedly made it clear to him that this is completely naïve. Even Hazel Blears said ‘No to Mereham’. What is it about the word ‘No’ that Cllr Reynolds does not understand?
East Cambridgeshire taxpayers are still counting the cost of the Mereham fight which left the district with a £150,000 bill which it cannot claim back from the developer. We have proved to the Government that Mereham is totally unacceptable and now, just two months after the appeal victory, we appear to be back to square one.
The Regional Assembly should never have accepted the submission of Mereham as a ‘new’ proposal as the definition clearly excludes proposals that ‘have previously been deemed by the Secretary of State to be inappropriate locations’.
A complete history of this ongoing saga is provided in the “Mereham” section of this site.
9. Speeding in our Villages
Speeding is a serious problem in Haddenham, as throughout the county. What not everyone realises is that the Conservatives who control the County have made a series of decisions which not only fail to tackle speeding, but encourage it. I am strongly in favour of implementing a 20mph speed limit on the High Street in Haddenham, but the Conservatives have decided (despite government recommendations to the contrary) that 20mph speed limits shall no longer be implemented in Cambridgeshire on roads where the average speed is 21mph or above. We have persuaded the Tories to review this policy.
One scheme worth mentioning is “Neighbourhood Speedwatch” is now being implemented in Haddenham, and other parts of our Neighbourhood Panel Area. My hope is to use this to reduce speeds through the villages, to make crossing the road safer for children and the elderly. Operated by local volunteers, Speedwatch works by recording the speed of approaching vehicles and showing this speed on a screen to the motorist. It has a number of advantages. Firstly, it is an educational tool: it teaches drivers to be more aware of the speeds they are travelling at. Secondly, it allows us to provide hard evidence to the Police Authority and County Council that there are speeding problems on some roads, so they will in turn be able to target the right roads at the right times, to better enforce the limits. And finally, persistent offenders receive letters and police visits. Anyone interested in participating should get in touch at gareth.wilson@eastcambs.gov.uk.
10. Play Area at the Recreation Ground
The play equipment at the Haddenham Recreation Ground urgently needs upgrading. Some of our Parish Councillors can remember playing on the equipment when they were children! The Recreation Committee recently met and decided that replacing the equipment should be the next project. Fortunately it has been possible to identify a likely source of funding: Section 106 money from the developer of the new houses being built in West End can be used for this purpose. The hope is that we can apply for additional grants as well, so we can do a really good job. However, the first thing we need to work out is what the children would like. I intend to make sure a survey is carried out. There should be questionnaires at the school and nursery groups, and an exhibition of possible items of equipment, to help the children decide. Would you like to be involved? If so contact me at gareth.wilson@eastcambs.gov.uk.
11. Rubbish Collection and Recycling
The Recycling Service in East Cambridge remains extremely poor, recycling only 36% of its waste compared to around 50% for other councils in the county. One recurrent problem is that residents are not being given the right recycling bags in sufficient quantities. Despite hundreds of complaints, residents are still not receiving brown paper sacks to recycle organic waste, with the consequence that the bulk of material is still being sent to landfill. People who are keen on recycling have told me they are going to give up, because of their frustration with the poor service.
