No 37: April 2013
Published by Rothay House, Mayfield Road, Eastrea.
Eastrea Village News OUR VILLAGE SHOWS THE WAY AHEAD GOVERNMENT POLICIES are confirming that Eastrea is well in line with proposals for the future. Community action is strongly in favour, and it is work solely by the residents of this village, starting in 1945, that is culminating in the erection of our own Eastrea Centre. Ever since the Prime Minister announced that his ‘Big Society’ initiative would be a component of the government’s legislative programme, we knew that we were already showing the way ahead. Similar government directives are now calling for the involvement of children and young people in official decision making. The Eastrea Village Hall Trust has introduced the appointment of trainee
committee members and currently seven youngsters on the committee join in all our discussions. Most Trusts are run by retired people. Eastrea is pioneering this unusual approach. There have also been calls for the construction of more local housing. Britain is critically short of homes and the attitude of the banks has been to restrict advances to builders and would-be home owners. Eastrea is now witnessing the erection of state-of-the-art housing in the new Roman Gardens. Eastrea Village Hall Trust proposed that these new houses should be priced to attract local young families, and the lowest priced new house (right) will cost no more than £130,000.
Storers’ Farewell
There will be two of these high-efficiency modern Vitalis houses priced at £130,000 in the new development adjacent to the village hall. Five of the sites will have fourbedroomed homes and the remaining six will feature three-bedroomed homes. The Vitalis design has private parking, while all the remaining homes will have a garage.
ALICE CUTTS of Mayfield Road (on the left in our picture) is presented with her Storers’ student award by outgoing clerk to the trustees, Mrs Jan Ford. Alice is studying media at Peterborough Regional College, and she has already been commissioned to write her first magazine reviews. After her studies in Peterborough, she plans to become a professional writer. This was Mrs Ford’s final duty as clerk to The Storers. In February a new Chair was elected so Jan and her husband felt it was time to retire from committee. Says Jan: “Organising the various Storers events for the village has always been a highlight of the year. The student grants were launched in 2000 and we often hear from the previous awardwinners. We wish Alice the best of luck in her studies — and she knows how proud we all are of her success.”
No 37: April 2013
PLANNING FOR EASTREA CENTRE EVENTS MEETING OF MINDS is focussing attention on planning social events at the Eastrea Centre. Committee member Mrs Sue Taylor (left) and Mrs Susan Fenner (right) are reviewing seating plans for the main hall. Mrs Fenner runs the Jeeves Catering company. They organise wedding receptions, lunches and dinners for major events at venues including stately homes like Elton Hall, near Peterborough. Mrs Fenner’s daughter Bertie (in the centre of our photo) is their head chef and both have been consulted about the equipment we will need and the technical layout of the new kitchen for our village hall.
Floor for the Future AN ESSENTIAL FEATURE of the Eastrea Centre is the polished concrete floor. It lies on a bed of compacted stone covered with layers of sheeting and foam insulation installed by J. J. Consultants & Civil Engineers of Wilberton, Ely. The manager in charge of this complex operation is Mr Eddie Rose (he is not related to our contractors, Rose Homes). He brought in a team of ten specialists to install Novomesh 950 reinforced concrete flooring. In all, they laid a total of 69 cubic metres of the concrete. If you imagine it all stacked up in a column measuring one yard along the side … it would be over 270 feet tall! After leaving the floor for two days to harden, they returned to diamond cut the surface. The floor slab was then sliced into sections six metres wide, to allow for expansion, the grooves being sealed with mastic. A textured vinyl floor will soon be laid on this polished surface to provide a durable surface suitable for social events and indoor sport.
-vs vs-WHO IS GOING to win the battle of the giant supermarkets waging war over Whittlesey? Tesco obtained their planning permission for a site on Station Road, Whittlesey, three years ago. No development took place, and it soon emerged that the site was unsuitable. So in 2011 Sainsbury’s asked for permission for a 32,000 sq ft shop and a 54-acre country park
on the A605. Fenland District Council planning officers eventually turned them down in favour of Tesco developing in the same area. Councillors next voted to reverse the decision by approving Sainsbury's application and rejecting Tesco! And in September 2012 planning committee at Fenland changed that decision back in favour of Tesco once again. All the 14 Councillors
on planning committee were then told to stand down, leaving District Council in disarray. Three months ago the Council said they would be investigating how to reach a final decision, and last week Tesco submitted their formal appeal. When will this be heard? Still nobody knows. Local people seem to want Sainsbury’s — but will they be heeded?
The village hall’s new office is now under construction. There will be a serving hatch from the kitchen and a reception window that looks out on the foyer and could also serve as our box-office.
Contact by telephone: 350888
Email: mail@eastrea.net