The following planning applications in the Sutton division have been published by East Cambridgeshire District Council.

22/00348/CLP
Little Downham
Greetwell Cottage 1 Marshalls Lane Little Downham CB6 2SP
Construct a timber frame and clad workshop/store.

22/00357/FUL
Little Downham
Countrylass Cophall Drove Little Downham
Detached two storey new build dwelling and carport with access and associated site works.

22/00345/FUL
Sutton
Site south east of 91 The Row Sutton CB6 2PB
Construction of three-bedroom two-storey detached self-build dwelling, carport/workshop and siting/residential use of one mobile home for duration of works, and associated works.

Further information can be found on the district council’s planning pages. If you would like to respond formally to the council about any planning application, comments should be addressed to the district council and not to me.  Comments may be made

• online using the council’s public access web page (the link above);
• by email to plservices@eastcambs.gov.uk;
• or by post to the Planning Department, The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely, CB7 4EE

What plans does your community, or your local organisation, have to respond to the Ukrainian crisis?

Cambridgeshire County Council, Ely Primary Care Network, and East Cambridgeshire District Council have issued a short questionnaire which you can find here.

A follow up visit from ‘peers’ about the Council’s Corporate Peer Challenge report has identified positive progress by the Council.

Local Government Association ‘peers’ (experienced councillors and officers from other councils) submitted their final report in 2021. In a six month follow up visit to the Council they have provided their feedback on the progress made since their original report. This follow-up visit focused on a number of key areas, including Budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy, Shared Services and Place Shaping with the Council’s partners.  

Peers have reported how pleased they are to see some actions successfully completed, including the appointment of a new Chief Executive dedicated to Cambridgeshire and the completion of a review of ‘This Land’ resulting in a series of recommendations with actions already under way.  

The Joint Administration is recognised for having delivered urgent work on budget setting, and on developing a new Corporate Strategy to set the direction for future priorities and delivery and creating more opportunities for members and officers to work closely together.  

Some recommendations are ongoing, such as the Council’s shared services arrangements with neighbouring Peterborough City Council. Peers also heard about the increased focus on working in partnership with other agencies and, in particular, the positive developments with the Combined Authority and the new Integrated Care System for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

“I am pleased with the progress we have achieved, and we will continue our work on the actions and recommendations from Peers as we are determined to work collaboratively to deliver against our challenges.” said Cllr Lucy Nethsingha, Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council.

“In relation to our shared services arrangement with Peterborough there is still more work required, and now that we have Stephen Moir in place (as Chief Executive) he is playing a key role in leading this review. We have always been clear that where these services are helping to deliver strong outcomes for residents and communities, or resilience for the councils, they will continue to be an option,” added Cllr Elisa Meschini, Deputy Leader of the Council.

“We also need to continue our work on the financial challenges we are facing and will be working on a three-year medium-term financial strategy. This letter is a tribute to the hard work of committees across the council – their members and the officers who support them. The findings from the follow up peer challenge visit were welcome, and we will continue to act upon them.” said Cllr Tom Sanderson of the independent group on the council, the third group leader of the Joint Administration.

The LGA Peer Challenge final report letter to Cambridgeshire County Council has been published today and can be viewed here.

Cambridgeshire County Council leader Lucy Nethsingha and I today joined campaigners against the proposed incinerator in Wisbech, to tour the site and listen to residents’ concerns.

Virginia and Michael Bucknor and members of the campaign team greeted us, and we followed in convoy to the location at the bottom of New Drove. The proposed facility is very close to a host of neighbouring businesses, and no more than 750 metres from Thomas Clarkson Academy, the largest school in Wisbech.

Back in the offices of nearby WEP Fabrications, we discussed the issues raised by the campaign team. The traffic impact, with hundreds of HGVs bringing large loads of waste and removing the resulting material. The proximity to local industry, including many dealing in foodstuffs for whom an incinerator would be a significant challenge. The potential loss of local jobs and businesses and the damage to Wisbech’s economy. The dominance of the incinerator chimneys, potentially twenty-five metres higher than Ely Cathedral.

The application is not one which the council, either district or county, will decide. That will be down to the Planning Inspectorate, with local county and district councils only consultees rather than decision-makers. Some say the applicants have deliberately chosen this route to reduce the opportunity for local influence. It’s clearly a major concern for the campaigners.

Even in the years before COVID, the health of our local population changed, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Health in East Cambridgeshire is in the top 20 per cent for England. But it decreased in the year before the pandemic, with a Health Index score of 106.0. That’s down 1.9 points on the previous year.

Our area is ranked 61st most healthy out of 307 local authority areas in England, according to newly released data from 2019. But our health scores vary significantly for different aspects of health, with higher scores for physical and economic aspects, and much lower scores for access to services and green space, personal wellbeing and mental health.

Lots more detail at the Office for National Statistics interactive web page – choose East Cambridgeshire (or anywhere else you like!) from the drop-down menu.

The following planning applications in the Sutton division have been published by East Cambridgeshire District Council.

22/00266/FUL
Little Downham
Old Sunday School 75A Main Street Little Downham
Replacement of rear and side elevations white timber framed windows and door with dark grey PVCU grained windows and door of different design.

22/00305/AGN
Little Downham
Green Acres Straight Furlong Pymoor
Construction of agricultural storage building.

22/00302/FUL
Witchford
37 Common Road Witchford CB6 2HY
Single storey rear extension and internal alterations.

Further information can be found on the district council’s planning pages. If you would like to respond formally to the council about any planning application, comments should be addressed to the district council and not to me.  Comments may be made

• online using the council’s public access web page (the link above);
• by email to plservices@eastcambs.gov.uk;
• or by post to the Planning Department, The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely, CB7 4EE

Cambridgeshire County Council held its Full Council meeting this morning.

A selection of the highlights.

1. The Chair of the Council, Cllr Stephen Ferguson, made a statement at the start of the meeting about the invasion of Ukraine, concluding “We in Cambridgeshire support the actions of the UK, EU and wider international community in backing Ukraine’s democratically elected government against this unprovoked invasion.”
2. We amended the council’s Constitution to rule out motions to Full Council meetings about current planning applications. This doesn’t stop local councillors speaking up on behalf of their communities – of course it doesn’t. But it will put an end to attempts to make council policy on planning applications at Full Council meetings, without all the facts. The proper place to make planning decisions is the Planning Committee.
3. Cllr Ros Hathorn (Histon & Impington) successfully proposed a motion calling for a report on how the County Council can support the rollout of new repair cafés and the operation of existing ones. Repair cafés offer huge benefits, environmental as well as social. Great news.
4. Cllr Alex Bulat (Abbey, Cambridge) was also successful with her motion on voter eligibility and registration among EU citizens in the UK. As this motion said, we need a UK-wide approach to extend voting rights in local elections to all qualifying foreign nationals, as in Scotland and Wales.
5. Cllr Hilary Cox Condron (Arbury, Cambridge) persuaded the council to adopt the Public Sector Duty on socio-economic inequalities to help it address socio-economic disadvantage. Cambridge has huge inequalities among its population, and Fenland has several areas which are among the most deprived in the country.
6. Cllr Edna Murphy (Bar Hill) drew attention to the large number of dying trees along the rebuilt A14 where the National Highways tree planting initiative has failed. Her successful motion asked for facts and figures on this from National Highways, regular progress reports, and council officers to engage in ensuring the promised tree planting is successful.
7. Cllr Alan Sharp (Woodditton) proposed the only unsuccessful motion of the day. It called on the council to ‘oppose road pricing in all its forms in the Greater Cambridge area’. But it offered absolutely nothing positive instead. It had literally nothing to say about rising levels of traffic congestion in Cambridge, the lack of attractive public transport options, or dependence on ownership of private vehicles from which many people are increasingly priced out.

The live stream of the meeting was somewhat interrupted by poor wifi at the Burgess Hall in St Ives, but various parts of the meeting can be found here. The papers for the meeting are here.

The following planning applications in the Sutton division have been published by East Cambridgeshire District Council.

22/00262/FUL
Sutton
130 St Andrews Close Sutton CB6 2QX
Construction of two storey rear extension.

22/00268/CLP
Sutton
10 Brookside Sutton CB6 2PT
Loft conversion with hip to gable and flat roof dormer to the rear elevation and 3 x rooflights to front elevation.

Further information can be found on the district council’s planning pages. If you would like to respond formally to the council about any planning application, comments should be addressed to the district council and not to me.  Comments may be made

• online using the council’s public access web page (the link above);
• by email to plservices@eastcambs.gov.uk;
• or by post to the Planning Department, The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely, CB7 4EE

The following planning applications in the Sutton division have been published by East Cambridgeshire District Council.

22/00189/FUL
Mepal
Land north west of 7 Bridge Road Mepal
One detached dwelling, detached carport and new access.

22/00138/LBC
Sutton
22A High Street Sutton CB6 2RB
Removal of asbestos in dormers, reinforce supporting roof structure, add wool insulation, restore dormers relining with similar linings clad in lead, repair roof, repair chimney flaunching and leadwork, repoint brickwork on gable end and front.

22/00216/FUL
Sutton
85 The Row Sutton CB6 2PB
Demolition of existing single-storey extension. Single-storey side extension, single-storey front extension and new access.

22/00200/FUL
Witcham
Paddocks east of Witcham House Headleys Lane Witcham
Change of use to paddocks, stables and associated works.

Further information can be found on the district council’s planning pages. If you would like to respond formally to the council about any planning application, comments should be addressed to the district council and not to me.  Comments may be made

• online using the council’s public access web page (the link above);
• by email to plservices@eastcambs.gov.uk;
• or by post to the Planning Department, The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely, CB7 4EE

The proposed weekend closures on Mepal Bridge have now been put off for several months.

It is likely that the new dates will be

• Friday 13 – Monday 16 May
• Friday 20 – Monday 23 May
• Friday 27 – Monday 30 May

The delay is due to the water levels on routes in the surrounding network which remain high. Putting off the work to the spring should mean better weather too.

The reason for the works is to repair faults in the bridge joints which were installed in 2016. As a short-term measure the council plans to carry out minor repairs to the central joint of the bridge this weekend. These will be done under two-way traffic lights, not a road closure.

When the weekend closures take place these will be from 8:00PM on Fridays to 5:00AM on Mondays.