August 2022

5 Buckden Roundabout August 2022 From your District Councillor From your District Councillor General I am pleased to see the number of gardens that are leaving a patch of lawn to grow long and wild, which provides vital food and homes to our insect populations. I understand that the UK's flying insect population has declined by as much as 60% in the last 20 years. A big thank you to villagers who are being a little less tidy around the garden, a little more tolerant of weeds and providing places for insects to drink – in the words of Joni Mitchell, “ You don ’ t know what you ’ ve got ‘ til it ’ s gone ”. New play areas open at Hinchingbrooke country park Four new nature - themed play areas are now open to the pub- lic at Hinchingbrooke Country Park. Installation of the new play areas is the first step in enhancing the facilities at the much - loved country park and the District Council is pleased to announce that the play areas are now open to users. Each play area has a distinct theme to offer something differ- ent and represent the park ’ s variety of habitats: • Wetland – featuring a huge duck play sculpture • Woodland – low - level, wooden equipment for younger children • Sensory – a multi - sensory zone • Grassland – a large Hinchingbrooke hideaway wooden structure to encourage physical activity across all ages. Specialist accessibility equipment will be installed later in the summer due to delays related to supply chains and the availa- bility of materials, followed by new seating and new pathways. The next phases of the wider project will see £3 million invest- ed in enhancing facilities within the park, with details of the proposed enhancements to parking, the visitor centre, café facilities, pathways and cycle routes to be shared via public exhibition later in the Summer. The play areas have been fund- ed by Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). Keep up to date with the future improvements of Hinchingbrooke Country Park by following the District Council ’ s social media channels, or by visiting: www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/HCPimprovements Community infrastructure levy: next round of applica- tions to open The District Council is set to open the next round of Communi- ty Infrastructure Levy (CIL) applications on Monday 4th July 2022. Applications are open to Huntingdonshire ’ s Town and Parish Councils and infrastructure providers, with invites to apply to be sent out shortly. CIL is a planning charge placed on develop- ers that allows local authorities to assist in the funding and delivery of infrastructure within the local area to support the needs arising from growth. More information of CIL funding can be found by visiting: www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/CILfunding A1 Safety Group I attended the A1 Working Group alongside our Parish Council representatives and National Highways. At the meeting, repre- senting Buckden, Diddington and Southoe I asked for the pro- posed A428 dual carriageway and the proposed Buckden Roundabout layout to be modelled because this wasn ’ t consid- ered at the planning stage despite Parish Council objections. National Highways have now agreed that such modelling will be considered should the A428 proposal be funded at a meeting in July. My view is that any solution to the Buckden Roundabout to facilitate new housing must, first and foremost, be safe and sustainable – this means that substantive modelling must be performed prior to works taking place, rather than safety checks after modifications to the roundabout have taken place. There is no connection at all between the current works on the Roundabout and the proposed, Church Commission, traffic light alterations to facilitate the Silver St development. Wishing you all well, Martin Martin Hassall District Councillor for Buckden, Diddington and Southoe Executive Councillor for Corporate & Shared Services Phone: 07480 798 342 Vacancies We would like to welcome Vikki Browning. Madeline Fraser and Dawn Packham to the Council. We now have two vacan- cies for Parish Councillors. We need more capacity on the BPC News continued from page 4 council to take forward a variety of initiatives to improve the village. Please join us. If you are interested, please contact the Clerk for further details. Council Meetings Please note that there is no meeting in August. The next Council meeting will be at 7.00 pm on Tuesday 13 th September. The meeting will include a 15 - minute open forum. If you want to speak at the meeting, please let us know what you want to say, by contacting the Parish Clerk. You will get a three - minute slot. The Council Planning Committee will also meet if required. Agendas for these meetings are posted on the Parish notice boards no later than the Saturday preceding the meeting. Office opening hours The Clerk is operating flexibly between the office and home. If you wish to meet with the Clerk, please call on 01480 819407. (BPC News Continued from page 4)