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Swavesey
Parish Council News
Buckingway Road accident.
The Parish Council
wishes to extend its deepest sympathies to the people
and families affected by the fatal road accident in
Buckingway Road on 7 October.
Memorial Hall car park
Please could everyone
note that the two disabled persons' parking bays now
marked up at the front of the hall car park are only
for use by disabled people attending events at the Hall.
Local residents are welcome to use the rest of the hall
car park.
Swavesey Scout Group
Thank you to the Swavesey
Scout Group who carried out survey work this spring
and summer on the parish's rights of way for the parish
council. To link in with their Community Programme,
the Scouts walked all of the footpaths, droves and bridleways
and provided a report detailing work required, which
has been sent to the Parish Paths Officer at the County
Council to aid with maintenance.
New play area on recreation green
It is
fantastic to see so many children of all ages enjoying
the village's new facility. It shows just how needed
such a facility was. Once again, thank you to everyone
who made it possible through funding or other help.
CCTV for the area is being discussed but there are issues
(financial - £7500, protocol - use of recording equipment
in a public place).
Skateboard/youth facilities
Two young residents
have written to us asking for a skateboard park in the
village. A skateboard project, like the new play area
equipment project, needs to be a community-project rather
than a parish council project in order to qualify for
the most funding. So we need residents of all ages to
come together and form a Skateboard Park Working Group
to take this forward, find a suitable site and funding.
The parish council can advise/help you. This is not
the first time we've been asked for a skateboard park
so how about it?
Drainage
Some drains/dykes and riverbanks
are the responsibility of the Environment Agency, others
are "Awarded Drains" which gives responsibility
to South Cambs DC. There is also the Swavesey Internal
Drainage Board. The EA have asked SCDC to lower the
recently-raised height of part of Covills Drain (the
eastern, Swavesey-side) to lessen the risk of flooding
to Fen Drayton residents. The IDB are against lowering
it as they believe that will increase the risk of flooding
to low-lying Swavesey properties (Moat Way, Turnbridge
Court, Thistle Green). SCDC do not have to lower the
bank but generally do as advised by the EA. The parish
council is requesting SCDC to not lower the bank.
Guinness Trust development
Work will start
soon on demolishing some houses in Whitton Close and
replacing them with 12 "affordable dwellings".
Cambridge Windfarm
The applicants have
lodged an appeal against the decision not to allow the
Conington-Boxworth windfarm.
Parish council elections spring 2006
Would
you like to become a parish councillor? The next four-yearly
election is spring 2006. Being a parish councillor is
a voluntary unpaid position. Meetings are held monthly
in the Memorial hall. Parish council representation
(by parish councillors) is also required on several
other non-parish council committees: Events, Memorial
Hall, Constables Rood, Byways, Frere Cottages Trust
and Galons Charity. You do not need any specific training
or qualifications, just a healthy interest in your village,
what goes on in it and its future. The parish council
is a "voice" representing the village and
its inhabitants to the outside world. We have no jurisdiction
on final decisions in planning, education, road safety,
health, etc but we do have strong powers of comment.
If you would like to know more about being a parish
councillor, please contact us.
RSPB may buy Fen Drayton Nature Reserve/Swavesey
Lakes
Graham Ellington from the RSPB gave a presentation
at October's parish council meeting. The RSPB's preliminary
bid for £1.2m from Cambridge Horizons has been successful.
They are now submitting a full bid and hope to be in
possession by April 2006. Enhancement rather than development
of the site as an RSPB reserve will occur, with some
new public paths for walking, cycling and riding, and
more wet grassland habitat. Longer-term there may be
a visitor centre. Access will be encouraged via the
ARC concrete road rather than Fen Drayton High Street.
The RSPB maintain a neutral view on field sports so
fishing arrangements, etc, will be safeguarded. Car
parking will remain free-of-charge.
Traffic calming
Mark Kemp, County Council's
Highways Manager, listened to concerns expressed by
residents and councillors over the traffic calming (gateway
in Station Road, narrowing outside Trinity Farm, lack
of calming in Ramper Road by bungalows, lack of hedge
cutting on cyclepath, interactive signs not working,
broken countdown signs outside Boxworth End, lack of
calming in Boxworth End and Rose & Crown Road).
Mr Kemp is now investigating for workarounds and ways
of securing additional funding, lack of funding being
the main cited reason for lack of works.
Constables Rood
Has been reported elsewhere
in the Meridian. The project has parish councillors'
unanimous support.
Christmas Tree
We are buying a rooted Christmas
Tree for Market Street green for the residents to enjoy.
It will be decorated each Christmas.
Finally, we'd like to thank all our parishioners
for their support this year. It has been nice to see
so many of you at parish council meetings. Please DO
keep coming and do keep talking with us. These are your
meetings for your village.
We wish you all a happy, healthy Christmas and best
wishes for 2006.
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