East Cambridgeshire District Council has published the following planning applications in the Sutton division.

24/00748/FUL
Coveney
Commrooks Farm Straight Drove Coveney
Change of use of land from ancillary recreational use to use for the stationing of a former railway carriage to be used for tourist accommodation—retrospective.

24/00721/FUL
Little Downham
2 Pymoor Lane Pymoor CB6 2EE
Single storey porch to comprise an entrance hall and WC.

24/00738/FUL
Little Downham
Land North East of 1 Seventh Drove Little Downham
Proposed replacement dwelling.

24/00568/LBC
Mepal
Wisteria House 3 Brangehill Lane Mepal
Front wall railings, replacement rendering on front elevation, cast iron guttering to front, trellis to front and associated works.

24/00588/FUL
Sutton
5 Redwood Gardens Sutton CB6 2QN
Two storey and single storey extensions to side and single storey extension to front.

24/00577/FUL
Witchford
1A Sutton Road Witchford CB6 2HX
Proposed outbuilding.

24/00604/FUL
Witchford
4 Field End Witchford CB6 2XE
Single storey extension to rear and associated works.

You can find further information on the district council’s planning pages. If you would like to respond formally to the council about any planning application, please write to the district council and not to me.  You can comment

• 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

East Cambridgeshire District Council has published the following planning applications in the Sutton division.

24/00796/FUL
Little Downham
Commonside Station Road Little Downham
Proposed extension to rear of existing dwelling with new access driveway.

24/00837/FUL
Little Downham
Fen Dale Adventurers Drove Oxlode
Demolition of existing house and garage and erection of a two-storey house.

24/00870/FUL
Little Downham
Quince Cottage 5 Park Lane Little Downham
Demolish existing single storey side extension and rear conservatory, and construct a two-storey side and single-storey side extension.

24/00826/FUL
Witcham
14 Martins Lane Witcham CB6 2LB
Internal and external alterations including proposed bay window. Garage conversion (retrospective).

You can find further information on the district council’s planning pages. If you would like to respond formally to the council about any planning application, please write to the district council and not to me.  You can comment

• 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

Great to visit Haddenham Youth Fusion yesterday at the Haddenham Recreation Ground.

Haddenham Youth Council really seems to be taking off, and is well supported by the Parish Council. I had a useful discussion with the members on their tombola stall about bus services—and won several prizes!

The police stand was a useful chance to catch up about some local Sutton issues, and to hear about the police cadet scheme. Some of the cadets were there to promote the scheme. The district council’s Community Safety Team was also in evidence, and I was pleased to get four out of the five questions right in their ‘True or False’ quiz.

There was a jobs theme evident too, with the Combined Authority’s Careers Hub and the Cambridge LaunchPad project connecting employers with young people interested in careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Health was also a prominent theme, both physical and mental, with representation from the Healthy You programme and Beezee Families, the local cricket club, the Our Voices youth advisory group, and the Cameron Grant Memorial Trust which encourages everyone, but especially young people, to speak up and ask for help with poor mental health. It’s named for Cameron, a young man who took his own life after a seven year battle with depression.

The Community Advice Bus—sadly now limited to Soham and Littleport—was on the scene, as was the Connexions bus, the Fire Service and a great climbing wall!

East Cambs Street Scene is currently delivering the usual black sacks for non-recyclable waste to all residents in East Cambridgeshire.

All sacks should be delivered by 31 August (we received ours this week). Residents will then have one month to report sacks not being received.

After 30 September, East Cambs Street Scene will not process reports of sacks not being delivered, and residents will be advised to make their own arrangements.

The calendar of collection dates will be delivered separately by the recycling crews during the first two weeks of September. It will be attached to the handle of the blue lidded bin. (Residents on the alternative ‘sacks only’ service will receive a copy in the post).  

More information at https://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/east-cambs-street-scene/black-sack-annual-delivery-2024

The Department for Education is reminding eligible working parents in England who are making child care arrangements for September, that they need to apply by Saturday 31 August for:

• 15 hours’ child care for children aged nine months to three years.
• 30 hours’ child care for children aged three or four.

Parents can check their eligibility on the Childcare Choices website.

Cambridgeshire County Council is consulting on its plans to develop ‘active travel hierarchies’. The consultation will be open until Monday 16 September 2024. Here is how you can have your say.

About the hierarchies

The council is developing hierarchies to guide it in prioritising maintenance of routes used for walking, cycling and wheeling depending on how much a route is used, how important it is to users, and any risks associated with it. This is an approach that is already used with routes used by motor vehicles.

Ensuring that more important routes are maintained as a priority, the council will enable users to experience better journeys, and more people will be encouraged to walk and cycle.

The hierarchy will consist of three related hierarchies, for

1. Walking and wheeling
2. Cycling
3. Public Rights of Way

Your input to the consultation will be valuable in helping the council to get this right.

The Active Travel Hierarchy will not promote physical or legal changes to the highway network, such as changes to the surface or status of a public right of way. These changes are subject to other legal and administrative processes.

About the consultation

• This consultation is a chance for individuals, communities user groups and stakeholders to help the council develop and refine the hierarchies and understand which active travel routes and Public Rights of Way matter most.  You can give your views at https://consultcambs.uk.engagementhq.com/active-travel-hierarchy

• You can also give location-specific feedback about each of the hierarchies and the county’s public rights of way, and add written comments when you give feedback on a particular location.  The maps to do this are at www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/active-travel-hierarchy-map

• There is also a further questionnaire for general feedback on the principles related to an active travel hierarchy, seeking your preferences on priority maintenance activities. This survey is at Active Travel Hierarchy: your feedback | Consult Cambridgeshire (engagementhq.com)

Notes

Did you know? Cambridgeshire County Council maintains 4,550km of roads; 2,936km of footways, over 550km of designated cycleways, and over 3,000km of public rights of way.

The government has accepted advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) for an autumn COVID-19 vaccination programme this year.

On the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation all those aged 65 or over, all those in care homes for older people and those aged six months or over who are in a clinical risk group will be eligible for vaccination this autumn.

The Cambridgeshire Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme is starting up again for the summer holidays.

The scheme offers funded places for eligible primary and secondary school children, and young people can attend subject to availability.

This summer’s programme is open between 23 July and 30 August. Registered holiday schemes will offer up to 64 hours of free attendance with a range of fun experiences. A healthy meal and snacks will be offered.

Find out more here about eligibility and booking, and see the directory of providers here. Locally in the Sutton division, schemes will be operating at Butterflies Forest School in Witchford, and at Sutton Primary School in Sutton. Other schemes are also available in Ely, Soham, Littleport, and elsewhere across Cambridgeshire.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority have been designing improvements to the public transport network, with thirty new and improved bus routes funded by the Mayoral Precept. (I’m particularly excited about the prospect of a bus service from Sutton to the guided busway at Longstanton, something I’ve been lobbying for since 2016!)

These services are intended for implementation this autumn. The detail of these services is available here: Better Buses

There are online sessions tonight and tomorrow where you can have your say on the new and revised bus routes, provide feedback, and help shape the future of public transport in our community.

Event Details

• Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 June 2024
• Time: 6:30PM – 7:30PM

These events will be online, and a link will be provided when you register.

Why attend?

• Look at the proposed route maps and detailed plans for each new and improved bus route.
• Share your views and feedback directly with the planners and decision-makers.
• Help refine and perfect these routes before they are finalised.
• Learn about the next steps in the process, including procurement and the release of individual route posters this summer.

How to take part

• Secure your spot—register at https://forms.office.com/e/PuvGN4VvxS
• Use the registration form to submit your questions for the session      
• Participate in the online event on your chosen date.
• Engage in discussions and provide your valuable input.

Don’t miss this opportunity to influence the future of our area’s public transport system.

I’ve just had my first shingles vaccination today, with excellent service from the practice nurse at Priors Field GP practice in Sutton.

It’s the first in a course of two, with the second due in eight weeks. Older patients who had their shingles vaccination more than a couple of years ago will have had just one injection, with a live vaccine called Zostavax. But because that was not usable for immuno-compromised people, it’s been replaced for everyone with a two-part course of a non-live vaccine called Shingrix.

On 1 September 2023, the Shingles National Immunisation Programme changed, and more people are now eligible for free shingles vaccination on the NHS. You are now eligible if you’re:

• 50 years and over with a severely weakened immune system (severely immunocompromised)—those aged 18-49 receiving a stem cell transplant may also be eligible (speak to your specialist).
• Turning 65 years old—you’ll be eligible from your 65th birthday.
• 70-79 years of age.

Check your eligibility at https://www.getshinglesready.co.uk/ and contact your GP practice if you meet the criteria.

While I was there, the practice nurse also told me I was eligible for a pneumonia vaccination, and recommended I had it, which I did, in the other arm.

This is a single injection which helps protect against serious illnesses like pneumonia and meningitis. It’s recommended for people at higher risk of these illnesses, such as babies and adults aged 65 and over.

Check your eligibility at https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/pneumococcal-vaccine/ and again contact your GP practice if you meet the criteria.