Melbourn issues
- Station Road traffic
- Concern has been expressed again over problems in the traffic flow in Station Road due to the large number of vehicles regularly parked outside Shene Mill and Esse boutique. Melbourn councillors have asked Susan is she would support a move to create parking restrictions along this stretch of road, and Susan will raise the matter at Meldreth Parish Council’s next meeting in September.
- Police issues update
- At the latest Neighbourhood Police Panel, on July 21st, we were given an update on police priorities and activities for the Melbourn division. Anti-social behaviour in Melbourn is still on the list of top priorities for the Neighbourhood Panel area. Patrols around the car park, targetting off-licenses, are continuing, and police say they are aware of the need to stay on top of things during the summer holiday period. Meanwhile, PCSO Emma Garwood will soon be leaving to pursue training as a Police Constable, and it may be some time before her position is filled with a new PCSO. We will hope for an update at the next Panel meeting on October 21st (venue to be announced).
- Vicarage Close sheltered housing residents, together with sheltered housing tenants in Meldreth, have contacted their district councillors regarding poor or non-existent communication with South Cambs District Council over the absence of a regular and permanent Sheltered Housing Officer to provide warden service in both villages. This comes in the wake of staff change-overs and restructuring of the warden scheme during the past year, during which time elderly and vulnerable residents say they have felt increasingly insecure.Susan recently attended a meeting at Vicarage Close together with residents, Melbourn councillors, and sheltered housing officers, where she heard many of the same concerns recently voiced at Meldreth: frequent changes in staff mean that good relationships between residents and wardens can’t develop, and South Cambs must communicate better with sheltered housing residents. The situation for the time being is that a temporary sheltered housing officer, Amanda Groves, has now started work and is dividing her time between Vicarage Close and Meldreth. It is not known when a permanent warden will begin work. Susan is keeping in touch with residents’ concerns via coffee mornings and regular contact with Melbourn councillors.
- Royston and District Community Transport scheme
- If you are elderly or mobility impaired, and need lifts to the doctor’s or to get shopping done, you could benefit from the Royston and District Community Transport scheme. A fleet of volunteer drivers donate their time free of charge. Passengers contribute 45 pence per mile; the minimum charge is £3.50 per journey. The scheme also operates a wheelchair-accessible 12/16 seat minibus and a four-six seat Multi-Purpose Vehicle.The service can be used for health care appointments, day centres, special needs clubs, social purposes and shopping.
If you require a lift - or would like to volunteer as a driver - please text or phone 01763-245228 between 9AM and 3PM Monday to Friday; an answer phone will take a message if the phone is unmanned. (Please don’t be put off by the answer phone - it does get checked!) You can also email the service at rct1@totalise.co.uk.
Melbourn BMX Track:
Residents will have heard through the grapevine of the destruction last spring of Melbourn’s famed BMX track, which was built, developed and maintained by a group of young people in the village who had a reputation for fairness and hard work that spread far and wide. The track was situated on a farmer’s field on the edge of the village, and while support for the site was deeply rooted, the land owner, once aware of his liability, had no choice but to destroy it.A meeting was called for the 13th of March by Amanda Barnard, County Council Youth Worker based at Melbourn Village College, for the young people and anyone able to offer support, to discuss ideas for reinstating the track in a way that would be acceptable to all concerned. The meeting was well attended and a lively dialogue took place. It was agreed that the next step should be the formation of a properly constituted committee of young people to represent the club, and then a second meeting to decide on the way forward in terms of land, insurance, possible affiliations, and so on.Susan, who attended the meeting, was impressed by the past work of the BMX club and is hopeful that the parish council, together with residents, will be able to offer the young people the support they need. “This project has all the ingredients that ought to be encouraged in every village. The young people are enterprising, hard working and have welcomed and looked after the much younger bikers who also loved riding the track. What better way to have fun and build a community.”The club has an established website at www.derelictbmx.com, and has sold its own DVD to raise funds for the maintenance of the track. A second DVD is in production.Susan has made initial contact with the County Council to explore the idea of small pockets of County land being provided for BMX track purposes. A meeting with County Council youth workers and land officers has now been offered to discuss the subject further.
