SWAVESEY COUNCIL NEWS

Which Way?

Which way do the lorries go when leaving the new Cambridge Services at the Swavesey junction on the A14? Do they want to get to Cambridge or Huntingdon? Going East or West? Some seem to have become confused and some have been seen to back over the flyover when the driver realises that the lorry is going the wrong way. What do you think of the signing in that area? If you think it is insufficient and have ideas, then do contact the following person.

Tony Finch
Swayfields
1 Castle Hill
Lincoln
LN1 3AA
He wants to hear you views!

Pollution

One definition of pollution is:- 'the wrong thing in the wrong place'. This could apply to so many items.
Chemicals causing pollution.
Making too much noise at the wrong time.
Rubbish thrown into ditches instead of taken to the tip just off the A14 near Milton.
Also how do the ditches take away water if they are blocked with rubbish?

Pollution could apply to a hedge that is beginning to encroach onto the pavement. This situation is made worse when sharp spikes from hedges and bushes are coming onto the pavement and are at the eye level of adults or children. Let us all look at our hedges, trees and plants which are positioned near to the pavement and make sure they are cut well back so as not to cause an obstruction which is an annoyance at best, or could be a danger to health at worst.

Christmas

May the Parish Council take this opportunity to send Christmas wishes to all of Swavesey and wish everyone a Happy New Year. Don't forget your Parish Council usually meets on the fourth Monday of each month and anyone can be present.

Forthcoming Meetings

Monday 17th December 2001, 7.30pm, Memorial Hall
Monday 28th January 2002, 7.30pm, Memorial Hall

Parish Councillors

The local newspapers this week have been full of reports about where a new settlement for Cambridgeshire should be. Some of the reactions to this have been fairly predictable - " it's crazy to talk about building yet more houses when the roads can't cope with existing traffic". That is quite true - one of the studies that has recently been completed has attempted to put a cost on improving our infrastructure to an adequate level - it will cost in the region of £1.5bn, of which nearly £1bn is for transport. One of our tasks in the county council will be to try to find ways of investing in our infrastructure, using a combination of public and private funding. At the same time, as I mentioned last month, Cambridgeshire is the fastest growing county in the country, with tremendous pressures on housing. We can see that most visibly in the rising cost of owning a home in the area. Many local people and those just starting on the house buying ladder cannot afford even to get onto the bottom rung. So we do need to build more houses. The government has decided that in Cambridgeshire as a whole - which includes Peterborough - we must build 4,000 new houses each year for the next 16 years, of which 2,800 must be in what is called the Cambridge Sub Region; this is the area around Cambridge which includes the market towns of Haverhill, Saffron Walden, Royston, St Neots, Huntingdon, Chatteris, Ely and Newmarket. The government has also said that in identifying where to build the new homes we should follow a sequence - first the centre of Cambridge, then the edge of the city (around the green belt), then a new settlement and finally the market towns and larger villages - for example Bar Hill and Cambourne. We can build some houses in Cambridge and around the edge, but the government has said that there must be a new settlement. We have identified four possible sites - Waterbeach, Gt Abington, Childerley Gate and Longstanon/Oakington and developers have come forward with proposals for sites at Wilburton and Six Mile Bottom (called Cambridge Heath). The City Council is also suggesting that development takes place on and around the airport, should Marshalls agree to relocate elsewhere, but this could not happen for about fifteen years. South Cambridgeshire District Council has stated its preference for Longstanton/Oakington. At present the County Council is hearing presentations from the developers. We will make a final recommendation at a special council meeting on 18 December. We will then go out to consultation early in the New Year. It is clearly one of the biggest decisions which we will have to take and clearly the impacts on local communities will be enormous. But we cannot avoid the problem - if we were to do that, the economy of Cambridge would, sooner or later, overheat and lead to some sort of meltdown, which ultimately would cause even bigger problems for the whole county. In the meantime, for those who suggest that we should build all our houses in Fenland or around Peterborough, where there is much more space - just think about the traffic chaos that we would get every morning as everyone tried to commute into Cambridge.

I am always available for consultation, either in person or by phone, letter or e-mail. I can be reached at the new address or telephone number below:

Shona Johnstone
Highfield
5 Lowburyholme Road
Over
CB4 5NP
Tel: 01954 230565
e-mail: shona.johnstone@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Wildlife In The Parish

During my presentations to the Parish Councils, it has become increasingly clear to me how interested the parishes are in preserving our wildlife. When I mentioned at my meeting with the Fenland Parishes that the Biodiversity Partnership has joined forces with its Local Authority planners, there was a considerable support.

A Biodiversity Checklist for Planners has recently been published by Cambridgeshire County Council on behalf of the Biodiversity Partnership along with a Developers Guide and a Householder leaflet for Biodiversity. These documents have been prepared through close callaboration with planning specialists from the Local Authorities and the conservation organisations. The documents have been endorsed by the Government Office for the East of England and have recently won the national Green Apple Awards 2001 for environmental best practice.

The Biodiversity Checklist gives planners the necessary insight and tools to achieve wildlife gain, such as maintenance and creation of habitats, through the planning process. The Developers Guide and the Householder leaflet have been enclosed with The Bulletin for your information. You can get hold of a copy of the Biodiversity Checklist for Planners from the CALC office or from our website under Biodiversity and planning, address: www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/sub/cntryside/biodiv/index.html

What Parishes can do to help - Gardening for wildlife - top tips:

Gardens are vital for the wildlife in our towns, cities and villages. The Biodiversity Partnership for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough has written a Habitat Action Plan for gardens; this illustrates how important gardens are for wildlife. Did you know over 70% of all song thrushes are now found in gardens and allotments? This is very important, as the song thrush population has halved in the last 25 years.

Homes For Wildlife

• Old trees and hedgerows are good homes for birds. You could also put up nest boxes - but out of reach or cats! Tits like boxes with small holes, while robins, thrushes and blackbirds like boxes that are open sided. Clean out boxes in autumn to get rid of infections that may be passed onto next year's brood.
• Bats will use boxes and other artificial structures such as bat bricks or 'shutters'. Simple overlapping boards placed against the gables will provide homes for the smallest bat - the pipistrelle.
  
• Bare soil and old stone walls may seem unlikely places for animals to live, but wild solitary bees are attracted to the small nooks and crannies. Walls are also good for lichens and mosses, and ivy-covered walls are a good source of nectar.
  
• Hedgehogs and foxes are very common in urban areas. Foxes will rest during the day in sunny, protected corners, for example under a bramble patch. In winter it is especially important to leave piles of leaves and twigs for hibernating hedgehogs. Wake sure you move any woodpiles before a bonfire so that the hedgehogs have a chance to escape!

For more information on top-tips please contact Claire Ferry, Biodiversity Officer at Cambridgeshire County Council 01223 717699.
I will continue to give presentations at District Association meetings and look forward to meeting you there.

Britt Cordi
Biodiversity Partnership Co-ordinator
For Cambridgeshire & Peterborough (phone 01223 718573)