October 2022

5 Buckden Roundabout October 2022 From your District Councillor From your District Councillor General I ’ m sure that all villagers will join me in being deeply saddened following the passing of Her Majesty The Queen. For many villagers - myself included - The Queen was always a focal point in our lives. As the world around us changed and politi- cians came and went, The Queen was our constant. Her pres- ence will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Royal Family - but also to people in this village and in every other corner of the world whose lives she touched. Looking forward, we now enter the reign of King Charles III – God save the King! Cost of Living Crisis With the news that the increase in the energy price cap, will potentially take a typical household energy bill to £3,549 per year from October we are approaching another winter of chal- lenging times. Details of help with the cost of living can be found at: https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/council/ communities - localism/support - with - the - cost - of - living. In addition, I ’ ve provided written details of the Support for Pensioners programme below: Eligibility You are eligible to access this support through the Household Support Fund if: • You were born on or before 30 September 1956 • You live in Cambridgeshire • You are experiencing financial hardship • No one under the age of 19 (born after the 30 Septem- ber 2003) lives with you How to apply • Support for pensioners is being delivered on our behalf of Cambridgeshire County Council by Age UK Cam- bridgeshire and Peterborough. • Apply by phone on 01223 221929 or by email at hsf@ageukcap.org.uk Pavements and Potholes After much lobbying, it looks like we are making some progress in getting the pavements repaired in the Springfield Close area of Buckden. The Local Highways Officer has marked up problem pavements in Springfield Close and I ’ ve noticed that a pothole on Hunts End has also been marked up - hope- fully soon to be fixed! Let ’ s hope that this leads to a continued improvement in the quality of the pavements in the village. I have highlighted the ageing population in Buckden and the case of the resident in the photo. She has been using her walk- er on a broken and potholed pavement that was reported back in September 2021. These immediate safety concerns need to be addressed asap. If you notice a broken pavement or pothole in the road please report it to: https:// www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/travel - roads - and - parking/roads - and - pathways/roadworks - and - faults New A428 dual carriageway in East of England granted devel- opment consent The new A428 dual carriageway, from the Caxton Gibbet to the Black Cat Roundabout has been approved. Unfortunately, this is likely to bring much unwanted traffic in our direction. The following has been published: Local highway authorities expressed concerns about traffic re - routing from the strategic road network onto the local road network during construction. National Highways' original position was not to monitor traffic flows on the local road network before or during con- struction as the local road network is a matter for the local highway authorities to monitor and manage effectively. It did accept in part a requirement to se- cure monitoring. The secretary of state agrees with the examining au- thority that, “ given the scale and duration of the pro- posed development ’ s construction, monitoring of traffic prior to commencement of construction should be integral to the Outline Construction Traffic Man- agement Plan (OCTMP) as without an agreed baseline position any comparison risks being the subject of dispute. The secretary of state also agrees with the ExA that, without monitoring of traffic flows across the local road network during construction, it would not be possible to robustly determine what interven- tions may be necessary ”. The secretary of state and the examining authority agree that the development ’ s highway layouts would deliver the predicted traffic benefits and would oper- ate safely, within capacity and effectively. They also concur that overall, opportunities to promote biodiver- sity have been identified by National Highways and that with “ appropriate mitigation there would be posi- tive effects on certain habitats and species, although there would also be adverse effects on other types of habitat and species ”. In conclusion, the decision letter states: “ The secretary of state agrees with the examining authority that the likely benefits of the proposed development outweigh the matters weighing against it (either in isolation or in combination). My view is that the new road is likely to impact the traffic on the Buckden Roundabout section of the A1. The further moni- toring of traffic is a good outcome and the impact of the new road on the roundabout should be modelled prior to any work commencing on the Buckden Roundabout itself. I will continue to raise this issue with National Highways. A1 Abandoned Vehicle I am pleased to announce that an abandoned vehicle has been removed by the Police from the A1 Great North Road. The ve- (Continued on page 4)