March 2021

4 Buckden Roundabout March 2021 Buckden Parish Council Buckden Parish Council News... Council Website For more information, please visit the Parish Council web site at www.buckdenpc.org.uk. You can automatically find out what is going on by subscribing to our Newsletter service us- ing your email address. Flooding Following the flooding in December BPC met with representa- tives from the County Council (CC) to explore what happened and why, and most importantly what can be done to minimise any future occurrences. A report setting out the many prob- lems experienced was produced. This is available on the BPC web site. Thank you to those residents who contributed to this. As a result of the meeting the BPC Chair and Vice Chair met with Brian Heffernan a senior member of the CC flood team to walk the village and better understand the problem. He fol- lowed the course of the Taylors Lane culvert and confirmed this as the major source of the flooding. He will identify maintenance responsibilities for the watercourse and other potential solutions and report back to us. During the visit we met with a resident in St Hughs Road. He and several of his neighbours are having severe problems with the draining away of foul water. There are serious concerns about the capacity of the sewerage system, and this has been raised again with Anglian Water. Brian also saw the surface water drainage/carriageway pond- ing at Manor Gardens. He believes it could be related to a CCC Highways surface water sewer and has reported the issue on our behalf. He was particularly impressed with the plastic yel- low ducks that have taken up residence! Silver Street Development/Buckden Roundabout As a result of the recent issues in the village we have raised concerns with Anglia Water about the capacity of the sewer- age system to cope with the additional houses proposed. The independent traffic consultant appointed by the Council has completed a safety audit of the proposals for the rounda- bout. He made 8 recommendations to improve safety. High- ways England (HE) has adjusted the proposals to take account of a number of these. However, there are several concerns outstanding. In addition, BPC do not believe that the proposals mitigate the impact of traffic in the High St, Perry Road, Church Street etc., or at the Offord Crossing. We are continuing to lobby HDC/ HE/CCC to resolve these issues. Road Safety There are ongoing concerns with the safety of the Stirtloe Lane/A1 Junction. We are commis- sioning an audit to evaluate safety at the junction. WE NEED YOUR HELP. If you see or experience any issues or near misses at this junction please report it to the Clerk. We are also interested in any incidents at the Offord Crossing and the roundabout. Photos are particularly powerful. Consultation on Luton Airport flight paths The Council has registered our objections about the NATS Airspace Change Proposal to LLA. Similar objections have also been made by our MP, Jonathon Djanogly. Neighbourhood Plan The referendum to seek formal approval for the plan will be held on 6 th May. A positive vote gives the village greater con- trol over development and a significantly increased share of the Community Infrastructure Levy when development goes ahead. Due to lockdown uncertainties, we strongly recom- mend that you request a postal vote. Information about this can be found at https://huntingdonshire.gov.uk/elections/ upcoming - elections/ Historic Buildings of Buckden Leaflet The Parish council has revised and republished the leaflet which provides a guide to the historic buildings and sites around the village. We have had hard copies printed and when life returns to normal, they will be available from the Village Hall and in the pubs and hotels in the village. In the meantime, the leaflet is available for download on the Buck- den Parish Council website. Council Meetings All Parish Council, Planning and Advisory Group meetings will be online only for the moment. If you wish to attend an online meeting you will find instructions on the web site. The next Council meeting will be at 7.30pm on Tuesday 9 th March. 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. This meeting will be an on - line only meeting. If you want to join the meeting instructions are on the web site. 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 office is currently closed, and the Parish Clerk is working from home. All of the papers and reports for Council Meetings are available on the Thursday before meetings on Council website www.buckdenpc.org.uk .This provides the opportunity to see the agenda, reports of work carried out by the Council as well as reports from out County and District Councillors. Any questions or comments on this report should be addressed to the Parish Clerk at: Buckden Parish Council, Buckden Village Hall, Burberry Rd, Buckden, PE19 5UY. Telephone 01480 819407 Email: clerk@buckdenpc.org.uk.