On the night the Prime Minister shuts down Parliament, just because he can, how many thousands of parish councils have continued with their village hall meetings – as unpaid volunteers? Thanks to parish councils, dog poo bins are organised, pot hole repairs are tracked, planning applications are responded to, street lights are managed, recreation grounds […]

Community Newsletter September 2019 BEECHWOOD AVENUE TRAFFIC MEETING 29 OCTOBER Our growing villages are seeing an inevitable increase in traffic, with intensified flash points giving cause for concern.  Beechwood Ave Melbourn rat running and turning out of the A505/New Road junction have prompted local residents to seek improvement measures. Even big development planning conditions have […]

Comments on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Draft Local Transport Plan Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the draft Local Transport Plan. I welcome the draft LTP’s ambitions to expand the scope of transport and travel to affordable and sustainable modes, including: The Bus Review and its recognition of the challenges faced in rural […]

A site for a new Park and Ride has been approved by the Greater Cambridge Partnership, though it still requires planning permission.  It’s on the south side of the M11 junction in Hauxton and is officially called Cambridge South West Park and Ride. This is a deeply fraught issue, largely arising in reactive mode to […]

There were 19 people on the 127 bus this morning by the time it pulled away from Meldreth One Stop, with only a few spare seats before the Melbourn pick-up. This is a County Council subsidized service that never has guaranteed funding beyond the end of any financial year – the new normal. Those who’d […]

Yesterday together with old and new friends from the villages, Cambridge, Ely and Royston, I travelled by train to Parliament Square – angered by the contempt for democracy shown by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Leader of the House Jacob Rees Mogg, et al. Our group travelled under the banner of the group Cambridge Stays. If […]

Several years ago, a planning application was lodged for a commercial greenhouse in a field between Meldreth and Shepreth. This aroused much interest and controversy, in part because of concerns about commercial traffic along the small, winding road that connects the two villages.- well used by walkers and cyclists in spite of the absence of […]

Consultation for the Melbourn Greenway closes at noon on August 5th. The link is here. Every person in a household is entitled to their own response. Most particularly it is hoped that children and young people will be encouraged to respond and be counted – because improvements to walking and cycling and getting around independently […]

Following the theft of St Mary’s lead roof last month, a crowdfunding site has been set up to help raise funds needed for a new permanent roof. The story is here.

Earlier this week I met up with Royston County, District and Town Council colleagues at Royston Heath. Together we represent neighbouring communities in very localized natural environment. We discussed rights of way and safe passage over our county border and the A505. The road forms a physical barrier that has cut off ancient rights of […]