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

19/00267/FUL
Little Downham
Formidarbla 3 Main Street Pymoor
Front extension to residential dwelling with addition of rear conservatory .

19/00380/FUL
Little Downham
Agricultural building Pymore Lane Farm Pymoor Lane Pymoor
Proposed two bed dwelling following demolition of existing agricultural building (recently granted to convert agricultural building into a one bed dwelling).

19/00411/OUT
Little Downham
7 Cannon Street Little Downham CB6 2SR
Residential development for one dwelling.

19/00384/VARM
Witchford
Land north of Field End Witchford CB6 2XE
To vary Condition 5 (Tree Protection Measures) of previously approved 18/00782/RMM for reserved matters for 128 dwellings.

16/00849/NMAA
Witchford
Land to rear of 1 to 7 Sutton Road Witchford CB6 2HX
Non-material amendment to previously approved 16/00849/FUM to move the ‘footprint’ of plots 7 and 8.

19/00401/FUL
Witcham
4 Martins Lane Witcham Ely Cambridgeshire CB6 2LB
Proposed dropped curb.

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.

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Into my inbox today has dropped an email from Babylon ARTS with notice of their campaign to save the cinema at The Maltings in Ely.

The charity says it can no longer afford to subsidise the cinema and needs to raise an additional £17,000 in the coming year to ensure its survival. It notes the general tough trading in the UK, but also the competition from the new out of town cinema, and warns that in a few months the charity’s Board will be facing the difficult decision to close the cinema permanently.

My personal view is that this would be a huge loss, as the Maltings offers a range of films and screenings which the large commercial chains don’t. The cinema is part of Ely’s arts scene, which for many residents is one of the city’s main attractions and part of what makes Ely special. The reported decline in audience numbers following the opening of the leisure village is a further worrying indication of the hollowing-out of the centre of Ely by out-of-town developments.

To help sustain the Maltings cinema, Babylon ARTS are asking three things.

(1) Use the cinema at The Maltings more often – their April programme is online.

(2) If you can, consider pledging £100 to a cinema fund by 1 June; this will help pay towards the projector warranty and maintenance. You can download a pledge form here.

(3) Or you can make a donation here.

Alternatively, to pledge or donate you can contact office@babylonarts.org.uk, or call 01353 616991 10AM to 4PM Monday to Friday.

[Personal statement: I’m a subscribing member of Babylon ARTS, and an occasional user of the cinema, but have no financial interest in either.]

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

19/00430/AGN
Sutton
East of Elean Business Park Sutton
Proposed agricultural building for general purpose agricultural use and livestock housing.

19/00364/FUL
Sutton
Scout Hut The Gault Sutton
Construction of a replacement Scout Hut on the same site as the existing derelict Scout Hut. Change of use of an area of adjacent land from agricultural use to community use (associated with the Scout Hut).

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 Liberal Democrats are changing.

Politics is utterly broken right now. Labour and the Conservatives are being dragged to the ideological extremes, leaving millions feeling powerless and frustrated with the direction our country is taking.

That needs to change. Liberal Democrats will be that force of change.

For all those who feel frustrated with our political system, who feel that we’re not making the progress we desperately need on climate change, housing, NHS funding, and improving our schools, the Liberal Democrats are their home.

At Spring Conference this weekend party members approved steps to create a new Supporter Scheme.

We are opening our doors to new people to get behind our liberal campaigns, work with us to deliver real results for people across the country, and shake up the system.

What does that mean? As a Supporter you can:

• Help shape party policy
• Take part in our bold campaigns for a liberal Britain
• Get involved with Conference
• Work with the party to help shape the direction of the Liberal Democrats

If you are sick and tired of this outdated, dysfunctional politics, and believe Britain deserves better, now is the time to act. 

Sign up as a Supporter and help us change the course of Britain’s Future.

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

19/00339/ADN
Little Downham
Sign north east of 1 Third Drove Little Downham
Directional sign to Head Fen fishing lakes (retrospective).

19/00354/FUL
Little Downham
43 Matthew Wren Close Little Downham CB6 2UL
Two storey side extension.

19/00329/OUT
Wentworth
3 Main Street Wentworth CB6 3QG
Two new self-build plots and associated works.

19/00333/FUL
Witcham
Witcham Lodge Headley’s Lane Witcham
Part two storey and part single storey extension with access to roof terrace.

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.

On the radio earlier this morning, to talk about the county council’s belated admission that charging people to use computers in libraries was never a good idea and hasn’t worked.

Councillors this morning will be asked to scrap the charges. They are likely to raise only £9,000 this year, instead of the £108,000 predicted.  Not only that, they’ve seen computer usage in our libraries plummet (a report last September said there had been a 54 per cent drop in use).  And there’s been a drop of more than ten per cent in visits to the library in October-December 2018 compared to the same period the previous year – hardly in keeping with the council’s pronouncements about seeking to put libraries at the heart of the community.

All of this was entirely predictable – in fact Liberal Democrat councillors predicted it when we opposed the charges being introduced in the first place a year ago.  The same thing happened when charges were introduced for parking at the Park & Rides, and usage fell by 14 per cent.  (Liberal Democrat councillors opposed those charges too).  When the computer charge figures looked bad in September, six months on, I proposed that the charges be scrapped there and then, but was outvoted by the Conservative majority.

It’s not just about money and footfall, though, it’s about a fundamental principle of libraries (and computers in libraries) being key to reducing, not increasing, inequality and isolation.  Charging people to use computers flew in the face of that, and I for one won’t mourn their end.

If you’re a commuter to Cambridge, you might want to try to make a few minutes to drop in to the transport consultation event at Ely railway station next Monday morning (Monday 18 March).

Officers from the Greater Cambridge Partnership will be available from 7:30AM to 9:00AM to talk about proposals for future public transport networks and ways to reduce congestion.

If you can’t spare the time on your journey to work, you can give your views online by filling in the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s survey by 31 March, or contact them via email at consultations@greatercambridge.org.uk or via Facebook and Twitter, making sure to use the hashtag #BetterGreaterCambridgeJourneys

More information can be found at www.greatercambridge.org.uk/choicesbetterjourneys

18/01789/FUL
Witchford
Site west of 39 Sutton Road Witchford
Detached three bedroom bungalow and ancillary works.

19/00033/FUL
Witchford
22 Field End Witchford CB6 2XE
Two storey rear extension and single storey front extension.

Cambridgeshire County Council has just announced new funding rounds for its Innovate & Cultivate Fund.

The fund is open to voluntary, community and social enterprise sector organisations based in or outside Cambridgeshire, and public sector organisations in Cambridgeshire. Its aim is to support initiatives that strengthen communities and reduce pressure on County Council services, thereby giving a return on investment. Council services inviting applications include adult social care and children and families services.

The Innovate & Cultivate Fund has two streams: a ‘Cultivate’ fund for smaller projects that build community support networks and an ‘Innovate’ fund for bigger, bolder and more innovative initiatives.

The maximum Cultivate grant has been increased from £10,000 to £19,000, and there’s new guidance on starting Cultivate ‘Seed’ Fund Projects that can help people to remain independent and active within their community, encourage volunteering and complement more costly Council services.  Projects include Timebanks, Good Neighbour Schemes, Dementia-Friendly Communities and Men’s Sheds.  See the fund’s webpages for details.

Application deadlines are:

• Wednesday 1 May for Cultivate grants (£2,000 – £19,000)
• Thursday 1 August for Innovate grants (£19,001 – £50,000)

Application forms and further information about fund priorities and criteria are on the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation website.

Pre-application advice: bookings are now open for an Innovate and Cultivate Fund Advice Session on Monday 25 March, 1pm-4pm at March Community Centre for applicants planning to apply for a Cultivate grant on 1 May. Please book here.

An advice session will be held in June for applicants planning to apply for an Innovate grant on 1 August (bookings not yet available – please email lianne.parrett@cambridgeshire.gov.uk to be added to the circulation list).

If you have any queries about the application advice sessions please email lianne.parrett@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.  Cambridgeshire Community Foundation can answer questions about applying for the Fund info@cambscf.org.uk.