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 Bruce Huett, 20 Rose Lane SG8 6AD 232855

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

The Council has a vacancy for a Parish Councillor and has been informed by SCDC that this vacancy can now be filled by cooption. You must be a British subject, over 18 and an elector; reside or have your principal place of work in the parish, or within three miles of it. If you meet these requirements and are interested in becoming a Councillor then please write to the Council providing a little information about yourself and explain why you wish to join. If you would like more information on what is involved in being a Councillor then please contact me and I will be happy to help.

The lease on the Parish Office will come to an end on the last day of February 2011. As a result of this the Council is now actively seeking new premises and would be most grateful to hear from anyone who could offer or knows of any suitable premises for rent.

Congratulations are due to the Fete Committee for another very successful Village Fete, which once again enjoyed good weather and was very well attended both during the afternoon and for Music on the Moor in the evening.

If you read the minutes of the Parish Council meeting on the notice board you may have noticed that the colour of paper used for these minutes has changed from red to blue. It was felt that blue was a much kinder colour to the eyes. You may notice a further change to a lighter shade of blue as it was thought that the present one is a little dark.

There have been complaints from residents about overhanging trees and hedges, which cause problems to the visually impaired, the elderly and mothers with prams and small children. Could I please request that you check your boundaries to ensure that none of the trees and hedges encroach on the public footpath or are in need of cutting back.

Village Car Park

The Parish Council are pleased to report that, after long negotiations and much hard work, they have taken a formal lease of the Village Car Park from South Cambridgeshire District Council.

They will now be able to safeguard the car park for continuing public use in the future. This will not only enable free car parking to continue, but will also protect the present access for children and teachers to the Primary School under the Safer Routes to School scheme.

In preparation for this handover to the Parish Council, the village’s Practical Solutions Group has been considering how the car park can be improved to enhance its appearance and layout. It has selected an experienced landscape architect, who will produce proposals and plans in liaison with the Parish Council’s Planning Committee, for approval by the Parish Council as a whole. The consultant is being funded by a grant generously made available by South Cambridgeshire District Council.

The Safer Routes to School requirements form a part of the design brief for the

There have been complaints from residents about overhanging trees and hedges, which cause problems to the visually impaired, the elderly and mothers with prams and small children. Could I please request that you check your boundaries to ensure that none of the trees and hedges encroach on the public footpath or are in need of cutting back.

improvements, and a representative from the Primary School governors has been invited to work with the Planning Committee to assist with this aspect.

New Road Cemetery

In the previous issue of the magazine we described the history of this cemetery, from the initial concept to how it is today. The vision of a new cemetery began with the Parish Councils of the late 1990’s and has continued to the present day. The return of the Anglo Saxon burial remains will be a very special and unique event, and is of both local and national importance. Similarly, it should and must be recognised for the long term.

The process is well under way. Meetings were held with SCDC head of planning who has been most positive and supportive of this rather unusual application. In the summer issue there was a detailed description of the proposed new entrance gates and the envisaged ‘furniture’ for the mound containing the first of the Anglo Saxon remains. Work on the gates is progressing and is presently in the form of masses of cut and bent steel bits.

Due to the foresight of the earlier Parish Councils the costs of both the gates (£30,000) and the Anglo Saxon mound are still within the amount set aside over the years for the establishment of this new cemetery. Although exact costs are not known for the mound at this stage, should any Melbourn resident or company have the equipment and be prepared to help with the path and plinth ground work, this would be much appreciated!

We are looking at early next year before completion. Weather will be a controlling factor to some extent so a final date has yet to be fixed. Keep in touch with the Parish Council website for updates between magazine issues.

The Old Police Site

Aware that the future of the Police site is in the public arena the Parish Council wishes to put their involvement to date on the record rather than allow rumour to prevail.

We first became aware of the sale of the site to the Hundred Houses Association by the Police authorities some 18 months ago but have not been able to find out how this happened. The site has been sold for development of affordable housing. Whilst the Parish Council is unhappy that we were neither informed nor consulted about this we have decided to involve ourselves so as to be aware of and perhaps input into the eventual outcome.

We have met with Hundred Houses and Iceni (their developers) to assess their intentions and proposals. It has also been an opportunity to inform them of the area’s (and hence this development’s) drainage problems and concerns of the immediate residents. We would want to see some form of community facility included as this is both a very central site and a conservation area.

At present we have made our concerns and needs known to Hundred Houses and are awaiting their response. We will keep residents informed of further developments through the village web site and the Melbourn Magazine.

Cllr Susan van de Ven

Looking at progress on various projects around the village, it is always good to have positive news to report. At the same time, we are under enormous pressure in terms of inevitable cuts to public services. Finding capacity for ‘savings’ in our dense bureaucracies, rather than in front-line services that make a difference to people’s every day lives, is the challenge.

Highways

County Highways confirms that it intends to implement improvements on dropped kerb provision around the village, as planned. Similarly, it intends to proceed with the A10 Frog-End junction speed limit review proposals – hopefully, it says, around October time. The Flint Cross/A505 remedial works should have been completed by the time you read this – though at the time of writing this article, the works haven’t yet started!

There has been a good deal of pothole repair over the spring and summer respite period. Under the surface, literally, the quality of our roads is not what it should be, and unfortunately we can expect more trouble next winter.

Library review

As you may have heard, the County Council is conducting a review of all its library services, in order to figure out a way of coping with massive cuts in the least harmful way. I think it is recognised that mobile libraries and Library Access Points provide a valuable service – and in the case of the LAPs, real potential to develop further – and must be protected. They cost very little in the scheme of things and are geographically important. The Library Review is naturally looking at the county as a whole. Small libraries in the city are concerned about their future, while in other parts of the county – especially Fenland – service is poor. Equitable provision and wide access to library service are the principles that seem important.

Practical Solutions Group

As reported last time, the ‘Problem Solving Group’ was looking for a new name and has now found one. The ‘Practical Solutions Group’ can’t change the world

but we can identify what works and what doesn’t in terms of improving areas in the village where there are significant social difficulties. We try to keep a close and constructive eye on how the various agencies who work together on our behalf can best place their resources. We’ve learned a lot about the critical importance of the work of our County-funded youth services team, both in running the Youth Club and lots of behind-the-scenes work at Melbourn Village College. It is worrying that the County Council is now ‘consulting’ on a 30% cut to its Youth Services budget. Ever-scant police resources are set to slim down even further and so challenges for us intensify. The PSG agreed last September that it would review progress after one year, so at our September 2010 meeting we shall be doing just that. Thanks again to the dedicated local team of parish and district councillors, Neighbourhood Police Watch representative, County Youth Workers and District Council Licensing and Arts Development Officers, and the Melbourn Village Website manager who have given freely of their time. Thanks also to Melbourn Village College for providing a regular meeting room for us.

New Road and Primary School construction activity

Thanks very much to Kier for their true

can we tempt you to A STROLL IN THE PARK

Sunday October 10th

In support Hearing Dogs for Deaf People at Milton Country Park, Cambridge Road, Milton, Cambridge CB24 6AZ See page 53 for more details ‘considerate construction’ response to our request to move their barrier fence back, allowing the rest-stop bench to be available to weary walkers.

Rail Campaign update

The next meeting of the Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Rail User Group will be 21st September, 8pm, Shepreth Village Hall Meeting Room. We’ve had a fantastic influx of support not only from local residents but also from the regional user group Railfuture East Anglia, and the national watchdog group Passenger Focus, both of whom have taken a direct interest in our various efforts.

The First Capital Connect student discount fare for students attending their ‘designated post-16 education centre’ has been improved to 50% off the adult fare – this is good news. We are lobbying at the moment for readable ticket machine screens. If you’ve tried to use the ticket machine at Meldreth Station you’ll know what the problem is. Please fill out the Customer Comment leaflet at Meldreth Station if you are not happy with the present situation. A similar campaign at Waterbeach Station has met with success. If enough people fill out the forms we will be able to trial a new machine.

Our annual meeting in February will be held in Melbourn and an invitation will be sent out to British Transport Police, County Council, and others.

As always, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any queries or concerns and I will do my best to help.

Train late? Get your money back!

Did you know that if the train you are travelling on is delayed by half an hour or more – whatever the reason - you can get a partial or full refund from First Capital Connect?

It does not matter what the cause is, or who is to blame. Whether it is due to bad weather, failures by rail operators, industrial disputes or the actions of members of the public, you are entitled to half the cost of your journey back if your arrival time is delayed by at least 30 minutes- and the whole of it if the delay is an hour or more.

You can get a refund under FCC’s Delay Repay scheme whether you hold a season ticket or made a one-off journey - with refunds for season ticket holders being calculated on a pro rata basis. All refunds take the form of rail vouchers you can use for your next journey or set against your next season ticket purchase.

All you need to do is fill in the Delay Repay form available at your local station, or go to FCC’s website at http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/delayrepaywww.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/delayrepay.

If you are a season ticket holder you can create an account so you just need to change your journey details each time you claim and can do it all online - rather than start from scratch and have to apply by post.

Obviously, you need to retain your ticket to prove you made the journey and keep an accurate record of your delayed arrival time. FCC check these details before paying up, in order to prevent fraudulent claims. There is a 28-day deadline for claims to be submitted and FCC are reasonably prompt in responding. Many other rail companies - like National Express East Anglia - have similar schemes.

Delay Repay replaced the previous scheme under which season ticket holders got discounts at renewal time based on train performance. Although this is a better scheme in many ways, it is not widely publicised on delayed trains.

But it is easy to claim and the vouchers do mount up, especially during winter months - and especially for passengers who have to buy more expensive tickets and travel longer distances, for instance, commuters to London.

This information was provided by a member of the Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Rail User Group. If you like more information about the User Group, please contact: Cllr Susan van de Ven on Telephone 261833 susanvandeven@yahoo.co.uk www.susanvandeven.com