N hal26

No 26: July 2011

Published by Rothay House, Mayfield Road, Eastrea.

Eastrea Village News

WE HAVE very little progress to report from all the planning departments. The Village Hall Trust has been ready to build since last autumn, and — so far as the Trust is concerned — the Eastrea Centre should have been opened

by Easter this year. Here are the final plans for everyone to see. The road will have turning points for cars, and also for vehicles delivering supplies to the Eastrea Centre itself. Our car park will be gravel.

This will all help to keep our costs down. The road has been redesigned in order to reduce the ‘pinch points’ where buildings come close to the pavement. The design of the drains has been complex — nobody knows who owns one of the main drainpipes into which waste water will flow! — and this called for extra work on the part of Rose Homes, our developers. After five months of silence, Cambridgeshire are now on the case.

Planning Progress?

MORE GRANT PROBLEMS FOR THE TRUST TO SOLVE! The council delays have now caused difficulties with our funders. Two of them have contradictory policies! One says that everything must be agreed and contracts signed before any work begins.

But another one is exactly the opposite — they say that the building should be finished before they will release any of our funds. A total of £50,000 is now hanging on this delicate balance.

In America there is no problem with deadlines, because they pay money into Escrow (which is a neutral account where the funds rest until needed). The Trust proposes this is introduced in the UK.

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Nag’s Head News THE STORERS STUDENT GRANTS The owners of the Nag’s Head are once again applying for planning permission to develop the premises for residential purposes. This new application is for a change of use of the public house to two 2-bedroom properties.

The current application is reference no: F/YR11/0407/F and it can now be accessed on-line on the Fenland web site at this internet address: www.fenland.gov.uk/publicaccess and it is also on show at Unit 3, Causeway Centre, Whittlesey all day (with early closing on Wednesday and Saturday). Objections must be sent to Fenland District Council, County Road, March PE15 8NQ by 15 July.

The Village Hall Trust have stated to the owners that they regard the pub as an essential part of the social fabric of our village. The two facilities have been seen as giving a complete infrastructure for village activities. In the new economic climate the Trust believes that this is vitally important.

The good news is that the owners say that, even if permission for the redevelopment is granted by the Fenland District Council, they will NOT be closing the pub if it remains financially viable. They have also agreed that they will NEVER allow the pub to be closed until the Eastrea Centre has been built, and is fully open and operational.

Meanwhile, villagers are invited to raise any objections they may have.

Further information can be obtained from Fenland by email. The person concerned is Shanna Penney in the Development Services office.

Email: spennery@fenland.gov.uk or phone 01354–622326.

COLLEGE STUDENTS (of any age) who reside in Eastrea are invited to submit applications for the 2011 Storers’ Student Grants. As a rule, the trustees award one major Storers’ Bursary and a Storers’ Student Grant. They can change this — sometimes, several grants have been awarded, and in exceptional circumstances the trustees can award more than one Bursary. Since the money is given as an award it is a gift and it is not subject to income tax.

Previous award winners have ranged from school leavers to the retired; they have been going to study at institutions including colleges of further education to universities. The grants have proved to be very important in the provision of course materials, books, and set-up costs.

The trustees require the following from every applicant: 1) Full details of name address, age and residence.

2) Scanned copies of all examination results and predictions.

3) A full financial statement of the applicant’s current position.

4) Letter of support from tutor, head teacher, or similar person.

5) A c.v. from the student, with a list of attainments and activities.

6) Details of an external referee whom the Trustees can telephone.

The final announcements are made after the A-level results are announced in August. Questions of eligibility, and any other enquiries can be made by phone to Peterborough 350888 sent by email to mail@storers.org.uk (not storers.org, which is a baggage company!).

Village Hall Training Courses

Eastrea Village Hall Trust regularly sends selected committee members on training courses so that they are kept completely up-to-date with the latest developments.

Subjects have ranged from the best way to manage and develop people and effective leadership management to the implications for our village hall of the government’s ‘Big Society’ proposals. The Trust is grateful to Cambridge Council for Voluntary Service and the Cambridgeshire office of Action for Rural Communities in England (Cambs ACRE) for arranging these courses.

Contact by telephone: 350888

Email: mail@eastrea.net