Notes on the meeting of Reach Parish Council meeting held on Wednesday  4th December 2002

Present

Chairman Cllr Lambert, Vice/Chairman Cllr Robinson, Cllrs Summers, Harrison, Moseley, Pearson and Aves; also C/Cllr Fitch.

 Visit

James Fisher, the newly appointed Project Officer for the restoration of the Devil’s Dyke, came to give the PC an update. He said a draft management consultation plan had been drawn up for the next 5 years, during which time it was hoped to restore the dyke to its original condition. James said he was drawing up detailed maps of the site as it is now. He said that archaeologists were keen to open up the site, whereas English Nature saw trees and grassland as being important. Although a lot of scrub would be cleared, it was hoped that grass would be established under the remaining scrub, which would be grazed by sheep to keep it down. Banks would be seeded by locally sourced grass, and bird habitats maintained. Access to the dyke would be improved with wider paths and steps at access points.

Councillors agreed that local working parties would be happy to join in butterfly surveys etc. Cllr Robinson asked what would happen when the lottery money ran out as there was concern that the dyke would revert to its present state. James agreed that before any work commenced in Reach he would walk the dyke with councillors; he added that he was keen to take on local people’s views.

 Reports

County Council

Area cost adjustment

Cllr Fitch spoke about the imminent government statement relating to funding for county councils. He said that more money was likely to be spent on the northern part of the country; this would of course mean less for areas like Cambridgeshire. He was not optimistic about the news benefiting the county.

Education

Bottisham Village College is ‘going from strength to strength’ said Cllr Fitch. There were 1050 pupils on the roll in September this year. The wardens of both BVC and Soham Village College were concerned about funding in the future.

Library service

Bottisham library was one of ten libraries under threat (the public section of the library, which accounts of a quarter of the library, not the college section). Cllr Fitch said he was fighting to keep the library open, as the proposal to use a mobile in the area was not cost effective. The Lion Yard library in Cambridge was being refurbished.

 Social services

The social services department was £2.7 million overdrawn, although it hopes to get back on track by April 2003. Many old people’s homes were shutting, as they could not meet the new national standards imposed.

Highways

Cllr Fitch discussed the Reach bid to have a path around the Old Railway Bridge. He said the volume of traffic using the bridge was a great consideration. A lively discussion took place about the type of vehicles coming into Reach, including cars using the village as a through route from Burwell to join the main road into Cambridge, and the large amount of farm vehicles.

Cllr Fitch spoke about the poor use of the bus service. They were now becoming a luxury because they were too expensive, he said.

Fire service

During the present dispute for a pay increase by full-time firemen Swaffham Bulbeck and Burwell fire stations were working normally, said Cllr Fitch. The service was £97,000 overdrawn, which was the equivalent to 1% of the firemen’s’ pay claim.

 Swaffham Prior Primary School

Cllr Pearson said the school was operating under a standstill budget. No date had been set for the OFSTED inspection. The mobile was to be replaced but there had been no progress re building plans.

 Village hall committee

The contractor who had given a lower price had not known that the hall would have to remain open during building work, said Cllr Lambert. This would have public safety implications.

 Police liaison committee

Councillors discussed the damage caused to Fair Green by a vehicle. It was agreed that it would recover naturally.

Planning application by 24seven ulility services for dual circuit line out of Burwell main sub station

Cllr Robinson summarised the report submitted by 24seven and ECDC’s environment report. It was agreed to write objecting to the application, mainly on the grounds of the effect to the local environment. Invited to speak, Gareth Davies, said one of the extra pylons might be installed in a field in a conservation area where children come on educational visits. The visits would have to stop on safety grounds and the hedges would be destroyed by large earth-moving vehicles gaining access to the fields.

 Correspondence

Friends of War Memorials had sent a cheque for £250 as a grant towards the refurbishment of the war memorial. A separate letter thanked the PC for subscribing for Life Membership of the FOWM.

 The Road Safety Office from County had written about the Christmas drink/drive campaign, which this year would be called ‘What will it take to stop you drinking and driving’.

Planning permission had been granted for a new house to be built at High Cloud Stud, Burwell Road. The existing house was to be demolished and the new one would be ‘of same footprint shape and area’.

The Wildlife Trust had written asking for a donation. PC declined.