Circle Housing have supplied the latest layout for the proposed development on St Neots Road. Below is an image of that layout. A high quality PDF version of the plan can be seen here.
Any questions or comments can be raised with Fiona Coulson at Fiona.Coulson@circle.org.uk. Alternatively you are encouraged to inform the Parish Council either through email or at a Parish Council Meeting.
There were 8 councillors and 5 members of the village present.
Grenville Chamberlain, our District Councillor, reported that the Cambourne to Cambridge bus route looks likely to take the A428/Scotland Farm direction at the moment.
He also noted that it was hoped the survey about to be circulated by the Village Plan committee could be shared with the Neighbourhood Plan committee in their combined efforts to establish future wishes for Hardwick residents. There has been substantial progress in launching a village consultation for the Village Plan and a survey will be available online from mid-November and should anyone require a paper copy or help filling one in this will all be possible by contacting Betty Grimes on 07732 923839.
Chris Fuller reported that the vegetation cut back had taken place and all agreed what a huge positive difference this had already made to the recreation ground. The hedgerows at the HSSC car park would be cut back soon to give easier access to the parking spaces. This would take place both sides of the hedgerow. The first year of the new maintenance contract for the sports pitches was now complete which had included the shockwave treatment, sanding and reseeding.
Pat Portlock reported that 17 people collected and 36 bags of rubbish at the first village volunteer litter pick. This would take place again in the Spring if the need arises. Ian Giddings is the new village litter picker, thanks to all the applications that the clerk received.
Since the Hardwick Happenings magazine has become independent of the PC there has been great difficulty in attracting and collecting advertising revenue and there is already a £2000 shortfall in income. The Happenings group is working hard to chase the late payers but in the meantime the PC will continue to help finance the magazine.
The PC have successfully adopted the red phone box on Main Street from BT, preventing it from being removed and not replaced. This means that we will be responsible for the painting but BT will leave the electricity supply and it will continue to be lit. There are a number of possibilities for it including a book swap/library or an art gallery. If anyone or village group would like to be involved in this venture please contact jane@humphriesfamily.org.uk.
At the next meeting on November 22nd there will be a short presentation on the new bus route proposals at 7.15pm before the PC meeting, all welcome.
Written by Jane Jumphries
Ian Giddings has been appointed by Hardwick Parish Council as the replacement litter picker for Jonny Gaze.
Hardwick Parish Council is grateful for the efforts of Jonny who has given up the job to concentrate on his A levels.
We hope the village will give Ian its support. Ian has already had lots of broken glass to deal with around the skateboard park. It would also be good if those responsible realised the danger to young children from broken glass and were more thoughtful. Most of the broken bottles were just yards away from litter bins.
Steve Rose
Chairman
Hardwick Parish Council
Circle Housing – which owns and manages around 1,000 homes in South Cambridgeshire – has secured the 18-acre site next to the village of Hardwick.
The development will have 94 homes available for private sale and 62 homes for shared ownership and social rent.
Philip Browne, Development Director for Circle Housing said: “With 1,600 people currently on the housing waiting list, South Cambridgeshire has an acute shortage of genuinely affordable housing. We have a strong track record in the district having operated in the area for over 20 years. We are pleased to secure this important site and look forward to working with the local community to deliver high quality family homes.”
Circle Housing has over the last four years worked with Cambridgeshire ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England), the local authority and Hardwick parish council to identify a suitable site to meet the area’s housing need. The housing association will submit a planning application later this month.
The meeting was attended by 7 councillors and 8 members of the public.
During the open part of the meeting the issue of litter was raised by a concerned villager who said that the problem had been especially noticed by the dog walkers of Hardwick. Later in the meeting it was an agenda item and the PC discussed how it too is concerned and would continue to be pro active in keeping the village clear of rubbish but that signage is not the way to tackle the problem. The PC is very grateful to the volunteering group which will have its first ‘pick’ on 7th October and as many PC members as possible will join them. The position of a paid litter picker is still open and interested applicants should contact the clerk.
A large part of the evening was spent discussing the possibility of Section 106 money resulting from any housing development that may arise in the village over the next few years. Increased numbers of children in the village would mean the school would need the room; but section 106 money could be spent on a new Community building if it is decided upon before the planning permission is ever granted. Given that the school will need to expand if the development goes ahead there has been a suggestion that the community rooms in the school be surrendered in exchange for a new community centre elsewhere in the village. This option is being considered by the Trustees of the community facilities at the school. It is a complicated set of events that need to be thought through but a decision to relinquish the Community Room to the school seemed to be the popular one, in the interest of the whole village. This is a hypothetical situation at the moment as planning permission has not yet gone to the County Council.
The Village Plan group met on the 1st Sept and at present are not keen to merge into a Neighbourhood Plan group yet. More support from the village is needed in terms of volunteers offering to be a part of the scheme.
A hard cut back of vegetation on the recreation ground will go ahead with work on the surrounding trees too. The bench outside the church is to be cleaned and treated as soon as possible.
The meeting closed just before 11pm.
Written by Jane Humphries
Unfortunately late last Monday afternoon a fire spread through the Wiser Recycling Approved Authorised Treatment Facility in St Ives, Cambridgeshire. Staff were evacuated quickly and there were no injuries from the incident but what started as a small fire took hold very quickly and operations and building at this site have been destroyed.
As a result the upcoming electrical waste collection in the village has been cancelled.
Wiser is looking in to other facilities in the local area and are hoping to resume electrical waste collection as soon as possible.
The meeting took place in the Social Club as the school was closed for the summer break. All 9 councillors attended and about 12 members of the community.
In the open part of the meeting at 7.45pm Carter Jonas made a short response to the decision made at the July meeting to oppose the planning application for houses near Grace Crescent. They have offered a greater contribution of section 106 money which is to benefit the village and would be put towards village facilities like a community building to replace the community room which would be required for the extra children attending the school and pre-school.
Martin Cassey reported on behalf of the Village Plan Steering Committee and emphasized that they would not be rushing towards a neighbourhood plan at the moment as it may cause confusion and greater bonding is still required with the Parish Council. Grenville reported that the devolution Deal was still unclear and a final decision would be made in October.
Chris Fuller gave a detailed report on the works required on trees around the recreation ground which will be cut back to reveal the dog walk area west of the pitches and cleared well back from the car park near the Social Club. These bramble bushes will also be pruned hard from the eastern side too. The Council thanked him for his time given to the report.
Wild flower mixes will be sown in several locations around the village including outside the school, church, Cahills Corner and on the Laxton Ave green. The planting will be in small blocks so mowing can still keep these areas tidy.
A new litter picker is required for the village, it is a paid position needing about 4 hours per week with a remuneration of £140/month. Not all the village is cleaned just the recreation grounds and parks. Please contact the clerk if interested.
Written by Jane Humphries
Chivers Farm and Hill have joined together to promote and develop a long term masterplan for the land to the East of Cambridge Road. I am writing to make the Hardwick Happenings aware of this news and I attach details.
Chivers Farm and Hill aspire to rebalance the village, reinforcing a village centre based around the Community Primary School and shops and providing significant additional community facilities.
Other features include:
The masterplan is put forward as an initial concept that will be shaped by extensive consultation over the coming years.
You can see this plan in more detail here
The land is currently Green Belt and as such a development would not receive planning approval except in very special circumstances and this would require positive support from the village and is expected to take about 10 years.
I believe the consultation process involving the village starts now. Hardwick residents are encouraged to study the plans (available here) and comment on them.
Comments could perhaps be made to Hardwick Happenings or to the village website. Feedback can also be sent to the Clerk of the Parish Council or to myself. We would be pleased to hear of comments as would Chivers Farm and Hill.
Regards
Steve Rose
Chairman
Hardwick Parish Council
Some residents are understandably concerned at the possibility of losing use of the community facilities at the school. This is being proposed by developers so that pre-school provision can be increased to meet the additional need caused by new developments.
It is true that the County Council can, if they wished, take over the community rooms and use them for pre-school use. This has always been the case. However if they do so they must either provide equivalent accommodation elsewhere or offer financial compensation.
The text of the agreement with the County Council is shown here.
Hardwick Primary School Legal Agreement – Appendix
Steve Rose
Chairman
Hardwick Parish Council
There was a well-attended Parish Council meeting on 26th July and a lively open session before the formal meeting began. Alison Talkington from South Cambs District Council gave a brief presentation about Neighbourhood Plans. Hardwick already has an active Village Plan Group, supported by the Parish Council, but there are advantages to the more formal Neighbourhood Plan when it comes to local decisions on planning issues – but also a lot of extra work. The Parish Council decided that it wanted to adopt a Neighbourhood Plan for the whole of Hardwick and Tony Gill, Pauline Joslin and Jim Stewart were appointed to a newly formed group. The new Group was asked to meet with the Village Plan Group with a view to combining resources.
A planning application for 98 houses on land adjacent to Grace Crescent was on the agenda for discussion and a number of village residents attended the meeting to make their views known to the Parish Council. There were some thoughtful and constructive comments which the Parish Council were pleased to receive. There followed a detailed and wide ranging discussion of the application by the Parish Council. The proposal would provide much needed affordable housing in the village which the Council is keen to support but the Council had significant misgivings over the sustainability of a development on this site and, on a show of hands, unanimously decided to object to the application.
Clare McGowan of Hardwick Play Park Group gave an interim report to the Parish Council on the activities of the Group.
Other items on the agenda included
Recycling collection for electrical goods in Hardwick which was approved
Tree Survey of all Parish Council trees in the village – the Clerk will invite tenders for remedial work needed
Grounds maintenance – the Clerk will seek tenders for grounds maintenance in the village. The Council considered the suggestion that some verges be sown with a wild flower mix with interest but further consideration was needed regarding locations to be seeded.
Written by Steve Rose