HRG Meeting Minutes: 18.1.2022
Present: Rupert Pearce-Gould, Peter & Gaynor Hayde, Hilary Roadley, Paru Naik, Margaret Greeves, Beki & Vince, Carol Stafford, Dom Bellamy, Linda Churchman, Irene Richards, John Holmes, Mavis Gardner, Claire Cock-Starkey.
Apologies: Joy Richardson, Jan Nanor
Traffic and Transport:
EWR all quiet at the moment.
Rupert has written a good article in the Cambridge Independent on EWR.
Air Quality: Monitor next to the school. Results sent to PC but no update from highways. Dom has not had any more analysis back. WHO has more stringent air quality levels but the government has made acceptable UK readings higher than WHO so the readings are within accepted UK levels, which is disappointing.
Speed monitoring: New monitors in the village. Analysis has been useful for the PC. Next year the PC will be investing in a third camera as they’ve been seen as useful and positive. In itself it is a deterrent.
Brian asks what the criteria is for locating the SIDS and how long they should remain at one position? Also can Brian see the data and what can it tell us? Dom says there is tons of info and it can be shared with Brian. Criteria, they are probably going to leave them up for 4 weeks and purchase more brackets so they can easily move them around the village. The monitors can measure speeds on both sides of the road at the same time. Frustration that the police don’t do anything about the speeding reported.
Brian wonders if having one on the corner opposite the Queen’s Head as people come into the village very fast.
The one at the entrance to the village on the south end no longer works and it’s thought it won’t be replaced.
Peter asks if the data could be used to back up aspirations to lower the speed limit? Dom says that towards end of March applications can be made to apply for speed reductions and the PC hopes to follow this route.
Meeting with the Mayor: Traffic feasibility study? Roland Potter Head of Transport said Foxton has similar concerns and it might be easier to get budget for a study if we buddy up with Foxton. Seen as a bit of a rollback on previous position.
Hilary says a lot of Foxton’s neighbourhood plan was about how the A10 bisects their village but Vince points out the A10 doesn’t really go through their village and affect them in the same way it does us. Rupert says that we should consider that joining forces with Foxton might be the only way to get the funding.
Newsletter: Next to focus on NP. Paru volunteers to help upload calendar details. Rupert requests that Gaynor shares the newsletter on Facebook.
Neighbourhood Plan: Event on March 5th after the Better Brew café, 2pm to 5pm. Working group now working towards a NP and trying to get the community together to get their aspirations for the village. PC is supportive which should help get the momentum going. NP is villagers, local businesses and community groups. The event will be called “Have a Say” and it is intended to get people to come and give their opinions. They really need volunteers, ideally 4 people per board.
Topics at the exhibition will include: housing, environment, net zero carbon, heritage, transport, business.
It will be quite similar to the community day we held a couple of years ago.
Hilary gathering lots of maps and census statistics so there will be lots of data.
Irene Richards volunteers to get involved. Margaret Greeves will also do a board about All Saints Church.
Community Groups will also be getting involved on the 5th March.
New email address to reach NP working group: neighbourhoodplan@harstonparishcouncil.org.uk
Info will be collected on the day from people who come to the exhibition, for example are you online? Do you work in the village? What aspirations do you have for the village?
Hilary asks if transport group could do a transport display? Brian says they’ll have a chat and get back to Hilary.
Green spaces: Greater Cambridge Plan is the next plan. They called for spaces to be developed but also spaces to be kept green. EWR site has something also where you can highlight green spaces you want protected. Potential for a trail along the Cam and an opportunity to try and protect these areas.
Greener Harston: Martin Harris from PC has been in contact to let us know where the PC are going to plant trees and wants to link up more with Greener Harston. A new business at Harston Mill has asked to plant 100 trees and Hilary suggests Roly’s Hill which already has a clump of trees. This could be a Jubilee Wood? Hilary suggests asking what villagers think about tree planting on 5th March.
Vujon site planting finished. Water monument in Button End, farmer had knocked the top off the monument so Hilary and some volunteers cleared the area around the water monument and put some posts up to try and protect the monument. Hilary also contacted Hurrells and told them where it was and asked them to look out for it.
End of Jan: Next Greener Harston end of January, meet at War Memorial.
Lots of rubbish was collected at Button End and Beki suggests that we take photos of the all the rubbish and ask the industrial estate to be mindful of the rubbish.
The rubbish outside the shop is currently awful. Extra bins not feasible. PC considering signs asking people not to chuck stuff in the bins if they’re full. Remind people to take their litter with them.
Next litter pick 13th March: 10am to 12pm. Covid precautions unclear at this stage. Hilary, Brian, and Claire all volunteer to help.
Orchard Group: Andy Lawson presented to the PC on the orchard. He has been helping out at the orchard for years but more volunteers needed and more trees needed. PC is going to include details of orchard group on the website. Andy.lawson1@yahoo.co.uk if people want to join the group. Claire to email him for details to share in newsletter.
Planning Developments:
41 Church Street: Grade II property extension has been approved.
To be discussed at next PC meeting: 25 Royston Road – connection to Greene family. Planned to knock it down but this was refused. Now it will not be knocked down, the frontage will be kept and extensions.
Retrospective application of Station Road: Built the extension 2 metres longer than he got permission for and a storey higher and he is still building. PC will be protesting and Dom urges people on Lawrence Lea to write and object.
Willers brownfield site on Button End: Centenary work site proposing to convert into industrial units or another one for 8 houses.
Liaison with PC: PC would like to consider a redevelopment of the pavilion and it would be good to bring this up on 5th March. It would be good to have it better used by the community.
Next Meeting: February 15th, 2022