Parish Council

28 Station Road Melbourn Cambs SG8 6DX Telephone 262494 e-mail: parishclerk@melbournpc.co.uk

Minutes of Parish Council Meetings and Planning Committee meetings are available on the village website

Chairman

Donald Mowatt 23, High Street SG8 6AL 268388

Vice-Chairman

Maureen Townsend 32 New Road SG8 6ER 260959

Clerk & Office

Avril Mellor, 28 Station Road, SG8 6DX 262494

E-mail parishclerk@melbournpc.co.uk

Website www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Councillors

Val Barrett 2 Station Road, SG8 6DX 261227 Frank Benfield 2-4 Little Lane, SG8 6DX, 262421 Irene Bloomfield 78 Russet Way, SG8 6HF 222558 Alan Brett 44 High Street, SG8 6DXBB 260306 Rosemary Gatward 94 High Street, SG8 6AL 261225 Jose Hales 23 Elm Way, SG8 6UH 221058 Dean Hardingham 1 Portway, SG8 6EU 232757 Michael Linnette 11 Chapel Lane, SG8 6BN 262534 Andrew Mulcock 1 Lawns Close, SG8 6DR 222940 Donald Mowatt White Walls, 23 High Street 268388 Mike Sherwen 3 Hale Close, SG8 6ET 260070 Peter Simmonett 42 Greengage Rise SG8 6DS 220363 Christopher Stead 70 Russet Way pm only 260743 Maureen Townsend 32 New Road, SG8 6BY 260959 Richard Wakerley 32 Chalkhill Barrow, SG8 6EQ 262247

Employees

Handyman and Caretaker Peter Andrews 243312

Emergency mobile. 07778-682245 Village Ranger Keith Rudge, 4 Dolphin La, SG8 6AF 221212 Internal Auditor Peter Chilvers, 68A High Street, SG8 6AJ 260742

County Councillor

Susan van de Ven 95 North End, Meldreth 261833 susanvandeven@yahoo.co.uk.

District Councillors

Val Barrett, 2 Station Road 261227 Jose Hale, 23 Elm Way, SG8 6UH 221058 South Cambs M.P. Andrew Lansley 01954 212707 South Cambs M.E.P. Robert Sturdy 01954 211790

The Parish Office at 28 Station Road, is entered by the door at the front of the building directly opposite Sheene Mill. The Parish Office is now open on Mondays from 9 am to 1 pm, on Tuesdays from 2 pm from 4 pm, and on Thursday from 9 am to 1 pm. The office is not normally open on Wednesdays or Fridays. As the Clerk is sometimes out on Parish business it is better to ring 262494 to ensure that she is in the office. Meetings of the Planning Committee are normally held on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month commencing at 7.15 pm. Council Meetings are normally held on the fourth Monday of each month at 7.15 pm at All Saints’ Community Hall.

The Press

Royston & Buntingford Mercury

Tom Ship, Media Centre 40 Ware Road,

Hertford, SG13 7HU 01992 526639 Royston Crow Heath House, Princes Mews,

Royston, SG8 6RT 245241 Fax 242231 Cambridge News David Williams, 3 Melbourn Street,

Royston, SG8 7BP 249144 Fax 244502 BBC Radio Cambridge

Reception 01223 259696

Newsroom 01223 358510 www.melbourncambridge.co.uk/council/ From the Parish Clerk – Avril Mellor

It would have been interesting to experience a Parish Council election this May, but once again there were insufficient people put in nomination papers to require this. Four members of the previous council stood down at the end of the year. There are only three vacancies, however, as we have one new person joining the council, Peter Simmonett who is very well known in the village for his work on Melbourn Magazine and the village web site. I look forward to working with him and hope his time on the council is a happy one.

The Parish Council is responsible for the cutting of grass on Council property and open spaces and also undertakes the cutting of the verges in the village on behalf of CCC. The contract came up for renewal this year and went out to tender to five companies. It was subsequently awarded to MD Landscapes Limited for a period of three years. Herts and Cambs Ground Maintenance have done a sterling job for the past three years but failed to win the contract this time.

Stockbridge Meadows is to be the centre of a Public Arts Project under lead artist Jo Chapman and project managed by Arts Development Officer, Kirstin Bicknell. It commenced in May and will continue for a year. Money to fund this project came from a S106 agreement (see below) with Camstead Homes who built Rupert Neve Close. Camstead Homes stipulated that the money was to be used on an Art Project in the village. It will be interesting to see how this project develops over time. Section 106 obligations are legally binding obligations that are attached to a piece of land and are registered as local land charges against that piece of land. Planning obligations enable a council to secure contributions to services, infrastructure and amenities in order to support and facilitate a proposed development.

Work is being carried out on the mound in New Road cemetery as preparation for the return of some of the Saxon remains which were uncovered during an archaeological survey carried out prior to the development of Chalkhill Barrow. The new gates for the main entrance to the cemetery are expected to be fitted sometime in August. More trees, new and replacement have been planted and 2 flower beds have now been planted up at the end of the rows. As this is a lawned cemetery, plots that are over six months old are turfed. It has become apparent though that the graves here are taking much longer to “settle” than those in Orchard Road and it may be necessary to delay the turfing until the grave has fully settled.

At the time of writing the Council is still waiting for the revised lease from SCDC Legal Department so that it can take over the village car park. The Problem Solving Group has been looking into the renovation of the car park and has been awarded a grant of £3000 by SCDC. This money is being used to employ a car park design company which amongst other things will look at the hard and soft landscaping issue in the car park.

The Council hopes that when finished the area will become an asset to the village.

The agenda and minutes of full Parish Council Meetings and the minutes of Planning Committee meetings are now posted on the village website