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Farcet Parish Council
Annual Meeting of the Parish 29th April 2010
Notes
Present: Cllrs Blackford, Butler, Davies, Day, Hill, Hyland, Gillam, Moore, Watkins and the
Clerk, Mrs Rickman
County Councillor McGuire
Sarah Johnston – Cambridgeshire ACRE
27 members of the public.
The Chair welcomed everybody and delivered the Annual Report:-
Welcome everyone, another year has come and gone, are we any
further forward or are we just another year older?
Cemetery and Allotments
All allotments are tenanted and we are still holding a waiting list.
The cemetery is very well maintained and we have received many
compliments, which have been passed to our groundsman.
Sport and Recreation
The working party completed phase 1 of the family recreational area and a
climbing frame and meeting area have been installed.
Another working party has been set up to continue the search for more
recreational land/facilities.
Highways, street lighting and Village Environment
Traffic speeds through the village is still a contentious issue. We have
had discussions with many interested parties and applied for further traffic
calming measures, but were unsuccessful in our bid. I have had discussions
with our area police team about making use of their speedwatch cameras.
They will train us and make the camera available to us, if we are able to provide
volunteers to do the checking. So I am looking for five or six people to step
forward to help.
The bulk collections are still eagerly anticipated events, although costs
continue to climb.
Planning
Many planning applications were considered by your council
throughout the year with comments sent to Huntingdon.
Village Hall
The village hall has been run by a steering group made up of interested
people, users and councillors, in preparation for the trust documents to
be signed to transfer the running of the hall to an elected management
committee. The head teacher and church wardens have agreed to be
custodial trustees.
Finance
The precept for 2010 – 2011 was set at £30,000 at the budget
meeting in November 2009.
Community Plan
Our parish plan was last completed in 2005, this set out a vision for the
village until 2010. We plan to produce a community plan for the next
period and we have representatives from A.C.R.E. to talk about the launch
of a new group to drive this forward. The findings from this work will help
your council understand the changing needs of the village with particular
regard to buying more recreational land and providing more leisure facilities.
We currently have vacancies on the council. If you have an interest, please
contact me or the clerk for more information.
The Chairman introduced Cambridgeshire County Councillor McGuire who
took questions from the floor regarding:
Q. Cllr Gillam: Within the development plan, are there any plans for gypsy
sites in Farcet?
A. Cllr Butler replied that that part of the plan will be published after the
election on 6th May.
Q. Why are the trucks not made to adhere to the 7.5 ton weight limit
through the village?
A. Cllr McGuire replied that the weight limit is only for through trucks and
not trucks visiting the village on business. This is not a highways issue although CCC can work with
the Police to attempt to monitor it. There are several solutions. Contact Cllr McGuire.
Q. Cllr Butler asked about a continued agreement to provide buses for
the children of Yaxley and Farcet to go to Stanground College.
A. Cllr McGuire said that the Peterborough agreement to take children from
Yaxley and Farcet in to Stanground college will continue. The schools being
built in Great Haddon have been asked to provide for Yaxley and Farcet children.
No simple to build a school.
Cllr McGuire left to attend another meeting.
Sarah Johnston – Community Advisor from ACRE addressed the meeting
outlining the new Community Plan. She said that the village can take charge
of the plans for its future and asked for interested people to come forward and
form a steering group to develop a plan that can be adopted by the Parish and
District Council so that the aims in the plan can be carried out. She left
application forms and two Parish tool Kit files that can be borrowed to read more
about hour ACRE recommend that the working party should be formed and
proceed. The toolkit can be emailed to anyone interested.
The Chair opened a question and answer session.
Q. Where is the land that the council have an option to buy?
A Over the bridge on the left just past New Meadow Drove. Currently farmed.
The size is 16 acres and the council have an option to purchase half.
Q. Why have there been complaints about noise from the hall?
A. There has only been on complaint from a neighbour and one from a
resident nearby.
Q. The village is split by the B1091. Can there be any way that the village
can be reunited?
A. Speedwatch could help.
Q. Parking in layby opposite Winston Way. Also selling cars from the layby.
A. The selling cars needs to be reported to planning enforcement at
Huntingdonshire District Council.
Cllr Gillam said that during a conversation with a PCSO, he was told that a
car parked on the pavement is preferable to a car blocking the road.
Q. Why is there no slip road allowing access to the new Stanground bypass
from Farcet?
A. So that vehicles will not come into Farcet to use it.
There will be a bus lane accessing the B1091 near the school, but no vehicular
access to the new development at Stanground.
Q. Eagle Park will increase traffic. Why didn’t the council object?
A. Eagle Park is in Yaxley and was only consulted on the planting on the
boundary.
Q. Parents Parking outside St Mary’s school. Is there anything that can be done?
A. The council have consulted the “Safer Routes to School” group and the headteacher
Q. There is no bus stop opposite Stanground college. Can a lay by be put in?
A. Probably not. Recent views is that a parked bus slows traffic down which is good.
Chairman: The footpaths which include a cycle way need to be extended.
Q. John Bird Walk is congested with large vehicles. Can it be opened?
A. Cllr Butler: HDC have looked at it. It is a very narrow road. If it was fully
open could become a rat run.
Owners of the houses own the fronts. A need to buy back the land to road
could be widened.
Chair: Contact enforcement or police of there is poor parking. The more that
complain the better.
Q. Who owns the walkways?
A. Luminus probably. Contact Luminus to check.
Q. The lay by opposite Winston Way is always full of parked cars for sale.
Running a business?
A. If the cars are all taxed and insured, nothing can be done. If suspicion of a
business being run, get contact details from clerk and contact HDC planning enforcement.
Q. Who is responsible for housing as there are two ladies in Church Walk who
need a ground floor flat?
A. Luminus. There is now a point system to gain access to housing. There is
no longer a list. Speak to Luminus or the HDC shop in Yaxley for more information.
Q. What can be done about noisy neighbours?
A. Contact Environmental Health at Huntingdonshire DC
Q. Women’s Institute: Cleaning of hall not very good.
A. Chairman: There is a new cleaner starting work on Tuesday 4th May.
Should see some improvement over the next few weeks however keep the council informed.
Q. Cllr Butler: The Community Plan is now 5 years old and a new one is
needed to plan for the future of the
village. The purchase of the land over the bridge is urgent as the offer will
not be on the table forever.
Need to know what the land could be used for but only if the village want it.
Are there any volunteers who would like to come on to the working party?
Cllr Blackford: Could have a sports hall which could be used for
meetings, parties etc.
WI: Access would be a problem as on edge of village and at the bottom
of a long hill. Existing hall is in the
right place.
Sarah Johnston – ACRE: Funding would be available for the working party.
Chairman: The current hall does not have enough users to sustain it.
Join working party and all pull together to access the opinions of the village.
Two residents came forward to join the working party.
The meeting closed at 8.35pm
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