Tag: South Cambridgeshire District Council

Robin Page on Development in South Cambridgeshire

17:08 Tuesday 25th February 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[D]OTTY MCLEOD: Heads should roll at South Cambridgeshire District Council. That’s according to the Chairman of the Countryside Restoration Trust. Robin Page says the planned development of Bourn Airfield could endanger important wildlife, and that the Council hasn’t done enough to protect it. It’s possible new development is part of a bigger local plan to build nearly 20,000 new homes in the countryside around Cambridge over the next two years. Robin Page joins me now. So Robin, what is so outrageous about what is going on?
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Tim Bick on the 2014 Draft Local Plan for Cambridge

10:09 Friday 14th February 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[S]UE DOUGAN: Last night Cambridge City councillors met to discuss the Local Plan, a fairly hefty document outlining the plans for the future development of the city. Despite hearing from objectors and receiving petitions, the Plan was passed, and will now be submitted to Government. So, what was decided, and what does it mean for the city? The Leader of the Cambridge City Council Tim Bick is with me now. Good morning Tim.
TIM BICK: Good morning.
SUE DOUGAN: The Local Plan was approved last night. So what’s the next stage?
TIM BICK: The next stage is that the approved Draft Plan goes to a planning inspector, a Government planing inspector, who will carry out hearings on the Plan, allowing again lots of people, developers, residents, traders, businesses, to put their point of view on the Plan over the summer. And we would hope to hear a response, a final response to our Plan by the end of the year.
SUE DOUGAN: Right. And now what key decisions were made in that Plan or about that Plan last night?
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South Cambs Relying On Growth To Survive

09:10 Thursday 6th February 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[A]NDIE HARPER: Twenty pounds on average per home. That’s the equivalent of what South Cambridgeshire District Council need to save in the next financial year. The Council announced their budget plans yesterday, as they face a further 24% cut in funding from Government, with £300,000 to be saved this year, on top of the £5 million already saved through efficiency measures, which they’ve achieved over the last years. Plans include increasing council tax, and reducing the green bin collections. I’m joined now by the Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Cllr Simon Edwards. Simon, good morning to you ..
SIMON EDWARDS: Good morning Andie.
ANDIE HARPER: As I mentioned then, you have made millions of pounds of savings over the last years. How have we ended at the situation where you’ve got to make still more?
SIMON EDWARDS: Well, the Government are reducing the funding for local authorities year on year. We knew this. If they’re going to hit their deficit reduction targets, we knew that we were going to be in the firing line. And true to form, we’re seeing as you say a 24% reduction in our funding. That means we’ve got to find another £300,000 savings next year, rising to £1 million the year after, in the context of already having saved £5 million in the last four years. So it is a really really difficult task for us.
ANDIE HARPER: Now presumably you think all of your services are vital, otherwise you wouldn’t have them there in the first place. So when you are sitting down thinking how do we save £300,000 yet more, where do you actually start?
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Contract Signed For Northstowe Start

10:00 Wednesday 29th January 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[S]UZIE ROBERTS: It’s been revealed this morning that £30 million has been secured for the first 1,500 homes in Northstowe. The money will fund infrastructure projects around the new town, including a new primary school, secondary school and community centre. Cllr Ian Bates was asked when he thought work on the new development would start.
IAN BATES: We hope that perhaps later this year we will start to see some activity on the site. A primary school will be built early on, which means that when the people do move in, there will be those sort of accommdations ready for their children to go to school. It is a major step forward for Northstowe, but I’ve been around a long time as well, but it has been around a long time and people perhaps have thought it would never happen.
SUZIE ROBERTS: You can hear more of that interview with Ian Bates with Andy Harper straight after this bulletin.

10:10

[A]NDIE HARPER: Plans for a new town in the county north of Cambridge beside the villages of Oakington and Longstanton were first revealed over ten years ago. But while Northstowe as it became known exists on paper, it doesn’t exist in reality, even though people were supposed to be living there by now. But as you heard in the news, building work can finally get under way, and soon. Well earlier I spoke to Cllr Ian Bates, Cabinet Member for Growth and Planning for Cambridgeshire County Council, to try and find out what today is all about. I suggested to him I’d been around a long time, and never expected this to happen. But today’s the day. He told me why.
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South Cambs – Radical Solutions To Protect Services

09:09 Thursday 19th December 2013
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[A]NDIE HARPER: Local councils in England are facing a 2.9% cut in overall Government funding for 2014/15 it was announced yesterday afternoon. On the Bigger Breakfast we heard that across the board, councils in Cambridgeshire will receive around £25 million less in Government grants next year. Joining me is Cllr Simon Edwards, the Deputy Leader of South Cambs District Council, who last week was critical of the decision to give MPs a pay rise. Simon, Good morning to you.
SIMON EDWARDS: Good morning. Andy.
ANDIE HARPER: So are all the councils in it together? Brandon Lewis yesterday was trying to stress that this was fairer, because there have always been concerns about favouring certain councils. Do you think you’re all in it together at the same price?
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Waterbeach – A Sense Of Optimism

08:40 Friday 13th December 2013
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: Back in March Waterbeach Barracks officially closed, marking the end of an era. The base in the South Cambridgeshire village was running for over seventy years, but that ended with Government cuts. Since then, local businesses have been suffering. Well our reporter Johnny Dee is in the village this morning, finding out how life has changed in Waterbeach.
JOHN DEVINE: Yes, I’ve been in the village of Waterbeach since about seven o’clock this morning. I’ve moved along now to the cosy surroundings of the Brewery Tap public house, which is right opposite where the Barracks used to sit. Now I actually managed to speak to three ladies at the bus stop, waiting to go on their daily commute into Cambridge earlier today.
(TAPE)
PUBLIC ONE: It’s got a lot quieter. There are far fewer people around during the week. The school’s got fewer children. Some of the youth organisations are suffering, because the kids aren’t there. They’ve all moved off the Barracks.
PUBLIC TWO: I’ve been living here for a very very long time. The village has gone quieter, and as the lady said, businesses are suffering immensely. And we are hoping that we will get more people here so the businesses can start doing better.
JOHN DEVINE: Of course you are hoping to have houses on the site of Waterbeach Barracks.
PUBLIC TWO: Yes there are (plans).
JOHN DEVINE: But it’s going to take time though.
PUBLIC ONE: It will take time. Like everything else in life, it does take time. But we are hoping, aren’t we?
PUBLIC ONE: A lot of people think it’s going to ruin .. there are too many coming, and it’s going to completely swamp the village. So it’s a very controversial subject.
JOHN DEVINE: It’s a bit of a double-edged sword then really, isn’t it?
PUBLIC ONE: It is. Yes.
JOHN DEVINE: One one hand you want the people, but on the other hand you don’t want too many. Is that what you’re saying?
PUBLIC ONE: Yes I think so. I think the size of the planned development is too large. But I think we do need some development up there. We need people. We need more numbers.
PUBLIC THREE: That’s great if they get people in quite soon. And also if the facilities in the village can adapt or cope with that, as even the doctors, we can’t get in an appointment for a month at the moment. What’s going to happen when these people all come in?
JOHN DEVINE: I’ve got with me now councillor James Hockney. Now how do you plan to revive Waterbeach James?
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Ashley Walsh On Free School Dinners

17:42 Friday 13th December 2013
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[C]HRIS MANN: The Government’s pledge for free school lunches has been questioned by another Cambridgeshire councillor. From September next year, all 5 to 7 year olds in primary schools could be entitled to a free hot dinner. Ashley Walsh .. the Labour councillor for Petersfield is questioning whether our county’s schools are able to serve up that promise. Ashley, tell us what your concern is.
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Tim Bick On The City Deal For Cambridge

09:37 Thursday 12th December 2013
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[A]NDIE HARPER: Nick Clegg the Deputy Prime Minister is visiting Cambridge today, and he’s expected to announce that the Government is to make more money available to be spent on roads in the county. This is in addition to spending on the A14. So what can we expect? Well joining me is Tim Bick. Tim is the Liberal Democrat Leader of Cambridge City Council. Tim, good morning to you. Thanks for coming in.
TIM BICK: Good morning Andie.
ANDIE HARPER: So what is this money all about? We’ve been talking about the A14 money for some time, and obviously other main roads need work on, but this specific announcement by the Deputy Prime Minister, how much and where is it to be used?
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