September 2020

5 Buckden Roundabout September 2020 District & County Councillors From your County Councillor I am pleased to see that the Roundabout is returning to its printed version and my thanks to the editors for keeping up the contacts digitally during recent weeks. In my reports for July and August I wrote about the impact on the work of the County Council of the pandemic and how County Council staff have responded. If you were unable to read those reports digitally and would like to see what was said, I will be pleased to give you a printed copy on request (see my contact details at the end). At the time of writing, the country is in a dilemma. On the one hand, life seems to be getting back to normal; on the other hand, there are dire warnings of another ‘ spike ’. We are all curiously in limbo. What have learned so far from the stressful experience of the last six months? a. Services provided by local statutory organisations - hos- pitals, doctors, schools, County, District and parish councils - have responded flexibly and generously to a situation for which there had been no detailed planning possible since what is happening has not been seen in this country for over a century. b. Voluntary organisations have rallied to support those in need and lots of spontaneous help has emerged in an encouraging sign of community involvement c. There are signs of some changes in behaviour – less smoking, serious attempts to address obesity, more walking and cycling d. More shopping on - line e. Jobs are seriously at risk, more people may be working from home. Reactions to the government ’ s performance may be coloured by our political perspectives but the following issues seem to be widely recognised: a. Was the government too slow to lock down in March? b. Was it a serious mistake to send so many people from hospital to care homes? c. Was the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) badly organised d. Was Test and Trace introduced too slowly e. Has the pandemic revealed starkly the inequalities in our society? f. Has the government been more concerned with pro- tecting its image than with ensuring that people have been properly protected? The routine work of the County Council and of the parish coun- cil has continued thanks to Zoom meetings and e - mailing. I think we all look forward to meeting in person again. By the time the Roundabout drops through your letter - box, the situation may have evolved further but whatever happens, I send you and your families every good wish for your health and safety. Peter Downes 01480 509471 or 07765 833 486 From your District Councillor Hopefully, by the time the Roundabout drops on your door- mats, we will have more clarity around Coronovirus - related restrictions. It has been a strange six months, but let ’ s hope children are able to go back to school safely and enjoy their social lives. In August, the Government announced proposed changes to the national planning and development framework, “ Modernising Britain: Planning for the Future ” with the objec- tive of streamlining the planning system. Many of us will be confused and perhaps concerned, as Cambridgeshire continues to be a high growth economic area, and with that comes the very real need for increased new housing development. That needs to be balanced with the legitimate concerns of Buckden residents that our village infrastructure is not changed beyond recognition in the pursuit of more housing. I have researched the new policy to understand what it might mean for Buckden, and overall, I believe the changes will be positive. Current planning does not encourage infill develop- ment on brown field sites but instead favours large site devel- opments which can pose integration challenges for local com- munities. The new system will provide easier public access and allow the types of homes we in Buckden need, as outlined in our draft Neighbourhood Plan. The objective will be to get good quality, affordable homes for young families. The new system will encourage local areas to develop land under three categories: 1. Growth areas which will allow new self - sufficient areas to be built quickly and create holistic communities with housing, shops, business space and schools. This is a new town/village model that is popular in the Nether- lands. 2. Protected areas which are very similar to our current protected areas with restrictions on development. 3. Renewal areas incorporating two new subcategories: a. Design and Previously Approved where planning requirements have been agreed and will now be facilitated towards swift completion. b. Unapproved areas where development and planning will follow the current course of agree- ment. Underpinning this new framework will be the Community Con- sultation process. Every area will be required to have a Neigh- bourhood Plan which will set out design and architectural guid- ance notes. All new builds must also be ready for the 2050 zero carbon standards. Thanks to the hard work of our Parish Council, Buckden ’ s NP is well advanced. Neighbourhood plans will be integrated with a clearer rule - based system which will hopefully simplify the appeals process. The current CIL payments systems, under which developers pay a levy will be scrapped and replaced by a national levy tied to the number of affordable houses built. This will provide a clear framework of payments on which to base Parish Council (Continued on page 6)