May 2021

4 Buckden Roundabout May 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. Neighbourhood Plan The referendum to seek your formal approval to the plan will be held on 6 th May. A ‘ Yes Vote ’ gives residents greater con- trol over development in the village. It will also mean that, should the Silver Street development go ahead, we will re- ceive the maximum Community Infrastructure Levy. This is worth in the region of half a million pounds to the village. See more information on page 18. Annual Parish Assembly This will be held on 25 th May at 7pm in the Village Hall. The meeting will provide updates on for example, Parish Council achievements in the past 12 months, Housing Devel- opment in the village, Flooding and the Village Hall. We ex- pect the meeting to be on site (rather than virtual). Due to COVID restrictions numbers will be limited. Please book your place by contacting the Clerk. Flooding in Manor Gardens At long last the surface water drainage/carriageway ponding in Manor Gardens has been fixed. However, the root cause remains unclear. We have asked that further investigation is undertaken to ensure no recurrence. Buckden to Huntingdon Cycle/Footpath The Council have been successful in gaining £100k in funding from Huntingdon District Council, for improvements to the cycle path from Buckden, through Brampton to Huntingdon. This path can be used by children travelling to Hinchingbrooke School. We are keen to improve the safety of this path. We still need to raise further funds, but this is a big step forward. Silver Street Development/Buckden Roundabout As previously advised, the County Council and Highways Eng- land have removed their objections to the Roundabout pro- posals. However, we have raised concerns about the possibil- ity of ground water flooding on the site and the potential for impact on properties in the proximity of the site. We have also raised concerns with Anglian Water about the potential impact on the sewage system. The development is therefore still ‘ on hold ’. School Streets Cambridgeshire County Council, the School and the Parish Council will shortly be trialling a "School Street". This is a temporary closure of the street immediately outside the school during drop off and pick up hours so that the whole road, and not just the congested pavements, can be used giving more space for children and carers to socially dis- tance This is particularly important with the queuing systems in place and trying not to mix school year bubbles to help in the Covid effort. The trial is already underway in many schools in Cambridge and other cities and villages where they have seen air quality improvements, and more children walking and cycling to school as it is safer in the busiest section immediately around the school entrance. Access for residents will still be possible. Letters from the school children to explain why this will make their school journeys safer will be distributed to parents to encourage more to walk and cycle to school where they can, to reduce pressure on parking. Slow Ways The Parish Council is to support the Slow Ways Project which aims to create a comprehensive network of paths to help peo- ple walk off road between locations they might otherwise drive to or use public transport. This is not just about walking for pleasure but to visit people, going to shops, travelling to school or work. The aim is to make walking part of our transport infrastructure. Resignation Peter Downes who has been our County Councillor for several years has decided to retire. Peter has been hugely supportive of Buckden and his influence will be missed. We wish Peter the very best for the future. Council Meetings All Parish Council, Planning and Advisory Group meetings con- tinue to be online only. 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 4th May. (We are awaiting confirmation as to the rules regarding on line meetings after this date.) 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.