HRG Meeting Minutes 19.10.21
Present: Hilary Roadley, Joy Richardson, Peter and Gaynor Hayde, Brian Williamson, Claire Cock-Starkey, Michael Luffman, Pilgrim Beart, John Holmes, Mareike Herzog, Russ Phillipo, Mavis Gardener, Jan Nanor.
Apologies: Linda Churchman, Rupert Pearce-Gould, Paru Naik, Carole Stafford, Peter Griffin, Beki Korb.
Traffic and Transport: Feedback from PC meeting – PC had had second meeting with John O’Brien from highways including asking him about Church Street. White lining on Button End corner. PC asking for hedges and overhanging vegetation on Church St to be cut back.
Potholes on Button End also need addressing due to large lorries accessing the industrial area.
Narrowness in front of pavement in front of Pemberton Arms is going to be looked as dangerous for children to walk that way.
Brian asks if comments from residents about traffic problems should be forwarded to PC and Michael Luffman says yes and the PC welcomes comments.
Meeting with mayor: Been trying since August 2020 to get a meeting. Meeting with new mayor will be on 12 November, parish council and HRG joint meeting. Hope to discuss bypass and amount of traffic through Harston.
EWR: Story in Cambridge Independent regarding new objectives for EWR regarding freight. RPG has called for mandate of EWR to be revised. RPG advises that everyone writes to MP in light of Cop26 to try and get freight/diesel engines requirement ammended.
Consultations: No current online consultations affecting Harston. Foxton consultation is looking at all comments and will report later. Hauxton travel hub also under review. In future a consultation is expected from GCP on City Access Strategy. Most local towns and villages could see a tripling in bus services to improve access to Cambridge.
Combined Authority also expecting to do another consultation on local transport plan as the old plan was thrown out by the new mayor. Last time South Cambs or PC didn’t make a submission about issues facing Harston so nothing made it into the plan for us.
Speed and air quality monitoring: Jan updates us that consultations with Cambridge Environmental health have been continuing with Tim Arnold and HRG doesn’t want to confuse matters by asking for info also. Report on air quality hopefully due but at present HRG not seen it. SIDS have not yet been moved round the village. ML says London Road one and Station Road ones both in place and after they have enough evidence for those locations they’ll move them onto the High St. PC hoping that reduction in speed for London Rd could be arranged as a result of evidence from SIDS and that traffic count for Station Road can also be used against EWR plans to close Station Road.
Greener Harston: Beki Korb says next meeting Saturday 30th at 10 opposite Vujon to plant hedging and rake up the grass.
Action: We need to create list a people who are interested in helping out with Greener Harston so we have a pool of people to help.
Hilary reports back on meeting to schedule Greener Harston projects for the year. October and November will be hedge planting. Southern end of village probably summer. War memorial cleared and the scouts have planted out pansies. In week before Remembrance Day the area needs checking for weeds. Orchard group are managing the wildflower meadow at the rec. PC is also planning to plant more trees. Paru Naik also going to put in some bids for funding. It is also hoped a big list of all gardening projects in Harston by different groups could be kept so everyone can keep across what each group is working on.
Action: Claire to advertise in newsletter. List of projects also needs to be arranged. Claire to circulate list of projects with minutes.
O2: Pilgrim reports problem with 02. They live opposite Queen’s Head and for about 3 weeks the service has gone really bad with no reception. Pilgrim has raised it as a problem with O2 and urges anyone else with problems to raise the issue so they fix it. Harston does seem to be a bit of a black spot.
Neighbourhood Plan: Hilary reports that small paragraph on neighbourhood plan in last newsletter was good to get awareness up in village. Dom and Hilary had meeting with Historic Environment Team at GCP and they were very encouraging of us doing a neighbourhood plan.
Neighbourhood plan involves development of the land in the village but it gives villagers a chance to specify what kinds of developments could go ahead. Essentially it has to promote more development than exists at the moment however it will mean that we can specify where development can occur and what type we’d like. Without a neighbourhood plan developers can overdevelop areas.
To go forward with a NP you need a steering group who are prepared to carry out the work on behalf of the village. Lots of grants and help out there to get you started.
Gaynor suggests info to every single household in the village and then hold an open meeting so everyone can say what they think. This could be used as a starting point and could encourage more people to join the group. Paru Naik has volunteered to chair a steering group. Hilary suggests being a bit more provocative to try and get better engagement – perhaps identifying areas that could be developed and getting people to make comments.
9th November 7.30 Zoom meeting for anyone interested in being part of NP steering group. Email Dom if you’d like to go join this meeting.
John Holmes points out how difficult it is to deal with the traffic problems because it is not joined up thinking. If EWR goes ahead then a bypass surely won’t happen but no overarching body is looking at everything together.
Consultation for new local plan starting to happen in November and December.
Hilary recommends looking at Swaffham Bulbeck and Foxton neighbourhood plans which are available online as they can give an idea of what they involve.
Newsletter: Link to some other NP so people can have a look.
Buildings of Interest: Historic Environment Team are developing a website to do a Cambridge wide buildings of interest and villages will be able to upload and add our own buildings of interest. The website will hopefully go live in November. PC are adopting the buildings of interest to use as a guide for developers.
Grant application: Gaynor community chest grant for litter pickers.
Planning: Michael Luffman reports back on PC planning committee:
Applications being supported by PC: 30 Queens Close, 49 High St, 17 the Paddocks, Vujon, 28 Lawrance Lea, Hope Cottage (Button End)
Objections: 25 Royston Road.
Looked at Tanner and Hall resubmission. PC will go to face to face planning appeal on this one.
Gaynor asks if the PC can pursue getting South Cambs to get the developers who own the Pemberton Arms to stop it from falling down and keep it maintained.
Joy asks if colour plans could be better detail. ML to bring up with PC.
PC Liaison: Martin attending meeting regarding trees for Queen’s jubilee and six trees also being requested.
Joy thanks PC for always having a representative at our meetings as it is really useful. HRG will attend PC meetings as and when HRG requires funding. Gaynor asks if HRG could attend PC via Zoom but ML says that Zoom not allowed at PC meetings. Both Brian and Gaynor found the PC meeting at the church really difficult as it is so cold and the acoustics were awful so difficult to hear. The pavilion not big enough and has no wi-fi.
Peter Hayde would like to respond to John’s comments on lack of joined up thinking. Peter says that there are some joined up thinking higher up in transport forums but we don’t know what they are thinking so to us it seems like no joined up thinking. Peter says we need to push our local representatives to speak up for South Cambs and get our issues on the agenda.
Next meeting: 16 November 2021