COMBERTON PARISH COUNCIL ANNUAL REPORT (Part 1)

1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005

 

The Parish Council has been chaired this year by Miss Chris Westgarth. All of the Parish Council members have an area of responsibility and many also serve on one or more of the council’s committees or working parties, reports of which are below. This enables the council to thoroughly consider the many areas of its business and plan and implement its projects effectively during the year. The Chairman is ex-officio on all committees and working groups. The following reports have been written by the members whose names are in brackets.

 

Chairman’s Report to Annual Parish Meeting on 25 April 2005 (Chris Westgarth)

Numerous improvements to the amenities and appearance of the village have taken place this year and each of the respective groups will report on their activities. I would like to highlight the enormous progress that has been made over the last year with the youth facilities and provision. The Connections Youth Bus has continued to visit on a Tuesday evening. These visits have been incredibly beneficial and successful. The skateboard feature and youth shelter have also both been installed and are proving to be valuable assets to the recreation ground.

Challenges such as traffic calming and road improvements along with speed management continue to direct a large proportion of our time as we strive to ensure that the voice of the village is heard and that common sense prevails.

 

In June the Parish Council organised the Midsummer music event. This was another successful event. Although the weather was more autumnal than the balmy summer evening it should have been, the rain and thunder storms in the afternoon failed to dampen our spirits.

There were 3 local talented groups; all offered a different style of music, hopefully catering for a wide variety of musical taste.

 

The Parish Council continues to contract Neal Gristwood as the village groundsman/Handyman. His tasks around the village are many and varied. The benefits of having a regular presence on the recreation ground and around the village are very evident. New benches, litter and dog bins have been installed.

 

In December we hosted our annual Christmas lights event at the crossroads. A crisp and frosty evening had been specially ordered. Again we had the Salvation Army band from Waterbeach and afterwards the band visited Nursery Way and played for the residents.

 

I am pleased to report that the tradition of hot festive punch, roasted chestnuts, mince pies and gingerbread has continued. Our thanks to the Playgroup for the use of their premises and power supply and to Clare and Stuart Tunstall, from Comberton Antiques for the electricity supply for the pond lights. Thanks also to Jim and Anita Turnbull for the loan of their BBQ for roasting the chestnuts.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow councillors for the tremendous amount of work they have done for the parish, I am also indebted to parishioners who serve on Parish council working groups, such as the tree group and village hall group, without their dedication, hard work and commitment….our goals would not be realised.

 

Finally, it looks as if 2005 will be the year when dreams will come true, the purchase of Watts Wood, the safer routes to school path, a new village hall and the recreation ground extension to name a few. Many people have worked tirelessly behind the scenes on these projects and rightly deserve to be congratulated, I won’t name people in this report, but you know who you are, so Comberton says well done and thank you!

 

Focus Group (Andrew Hollick & Chris Westgarth)

The focus group has responsibility for organising the community events, placement of additional litterbins, new planting areas. The group are working closely with the County Council on the enhancement and restoration of the ancient footpath between Barton Road and Swaynes Lane. This will include of the replacement of the parish pump in Barton Road. Other tasks include further shrub planting on the Harbour Avenue estate.

 

Footpaths (Chris Westgarth – Parish Path Partnership (P3) Coordinator)

Comberton continues to be a member of The Parish Paths Partnership (P3). This involves the parish working with the County Council to ensure that the footpaths are well maintained and accessible to all. Last year drainage work at The Causeway [Footpath 8] has alleviated the swampy area at the northern end. Levelling and spreading of chippings on the drift [Byway 7] has improved the quality, but constant inappropriate usage by 4x4 vehicles means it is an ongoing struggle to maintain. The footpath diversion implemented on the footpath between Swaynes Lane and Barton Road [Footpath 5] last year has improved the quality of this historic path at the southern end and helped to create a more enclosed cottage garden for the land-owners. Work is still ongoing on the northern end and includes replacing the parish pump that was ‘removed’. We have surveyed all the rights of way within the parish and are working with local landowners to improve access to all. A difficult style on Long Road [Footpath 2] has been removed and replaced with. We still await the replacement of the style on the footpath from Comberton to Toft [Footpath 9]. This will eventually be replaced with a 'mobility' kissing gate. We are still looking at the possibility of creating some new footpaths in the village to form circular walks incorporating the existing ones. This is a fairly slow process and we continue to liaise with local land owners.

 

Report of Minor Authorities Governor till September 2004 (Dorothy Morison)

The School maintained it’s drive throughout a rocky few months with the predicted fall in numbers being lower than forecast. This with careful budgeting and some cuts enabled us to remain on target. In September after a very smooth change of Headship Chris took over from James and the Meridian carried giving it’s excellent performance in all aspects curricular and non-curricular. A new deputy Head was also appointed and he has added his skills to the team.

Although not a Minor Authorities Governor I have “signed up” for another 4 years.

 

Tree Group (Dorothy Morison)

The tree committee has been active this year hopefully you will have noticed this round the Village. There is a new hedge on the southern boundary of the recreation ground, although in its infancy it is looking ok. We have replaced, with donations at least one dead cherry tree and there are others being donated which will be planted when conditions are best. The corner of the pond next to the garage has been cleared, cut and now we propose planting some native species shrubs (to create an extension of the habitat) and also to continue the wall a short distance to give a better balanced appearance. Some larger trees were felled in the Valley and have been replaced with some attractive low growing roses. We are actively looking at ways of preserving a treescape but we are all aware that sometimes it is necessary to remove a tree and take stock before replacing it to keep the future secure.

 

Parish Plan Implementation Committee (Mark Bennett)

The full Parish Plan is available on the village website at www.comberton.org.uk/parishplan. The Plan details over 200 tasks that are to be completed and progress is now well underway, steered by the ‘Parish Plan Implementation Committee’.

 

Some of the work undertaken in the past year includes:

 

1.  Sport and Recreation

  • The pavilion has been upgraded and has been adapted to conform with the Disabilities Act.
  • The ‘Connections’ youth bus has continued to  visit the village regularly on a Tuesday throughout the year and a good rapport has been established with a regular base of young people.
  • Two youth workers (one male, one female) are in the process of being recruited so that there is continued ongoing work with the young people of the village. They will establish a youth club which will meet weekly, taking over from the work of the Connections bus. It is planned to further upgrade the pavilion to cater for this work, and the village hall will also be used. Funding for a table tennis table is in place and further facilities will be sought.
  • A skateboard ramp was installed on the recreation ground last summer and has been well appreciated by a wide range of users.
  • A youth shelter (with solar lighting) has recently been erected on the rec. and it is hoped that this will provide a focus for young people to meet as the weather becomes warmer and brighter.
  • The presence of the groundsman continues to have a beneficial effect on the appearance of the recreation ground (and village as  a whole) and has reduced the levels of nuisance previously experienced.
  • The surfaced tennis courts on the rec. were open for public use throughout the year, and well used, and the grass courts have now been turned into an area for football practice (with a goal) as requested by the young people.
  • The management of the recreation ground will in future be under a new trust that is being formed to optimise care, use and funding.
  • An additional 7 acres to the north of the current recreation ground has been purchased by the Parish Council, and this will double the size of the current rec.. Once all formalities are complete this land will be prepared for change of use form agricultural to recreational, and detailed plans are being made for its use, following the guidelines in the Parish Plan. Funding for the purchase has been obtained from both the Parish Council and South Cambs District Council.
  • The ‘Safer Routes to School’ path will shortly be laid across the recreation ground, allowing better access to the Meridian School.

 

2.  Transport

  • The transport working group was involved throughout the year in liaison on the new traffic calming measures that were put in place along the Barton Road at the junction with the new estate. Problems remain and work is ongoing. In particular there is disquiet about the exit from the Drift and general parking in the area.
  • The Long Road traffic calming scheme continues to raise issues and there have been more accidents there during the year. A revised scheme is being pursued as funding allows.
  • There have been improvements to the footpath from Church Lane.
  • Work has continued on general improvements to footpaths and cycle paths, as well as on pavement and verge parking.
  • A new bus shelter will shortly be installed opposite the end of Kentings.
  • Submissions have been made to the County Council on improvements to bus services, although these appear to be constrained by funding at present.
  • A response has been made to the CCC’s ‘Cambridge & South Cambridgeshire Area Transport Plans’. In particular there is concern that the village may experience more ‘rat running’ traffic as work begins on the A428 and A14 and that we don’t have traffic calming measures in place to deal with it. Additional means of switching to cycling or public transport also need to be emphasised.
  • A petition was presented to CCC requesting that the speed limit be reduced to 30mph on the stretch from Horizon Park into the village.

 

3.  General

  • Matched funding from the County for the recruitment of a Police Community Support Officers (to be shared with Caldecote) was not provided as expected, and other means of obtaining a better police presence are being reviewed. Better support for youth work is seen as another way of addressing some of the same issues.
  • The Planning committee of the Parish Council has almost completed its work on a formal ‘Village Design Statement’ for Comberton which will guide future planning and development.
  • A discussion was held with residents on the problem of parking in the north end of The Valley and various proposals made. The issue of parking outside the Post Office is also under review.

 

Recreation Ground Management (Richard Rowlands, Ann Webb, Dorothy Morison Chris Westgarth)

 

Following discussions with sporting groups concerning the management of the recreational provision (Sporting and non sporting) in Comberton a charitable trust will be formed to coordinate the development of recreational provision in Comberton. The finer details are yet to be worked out, but trustees will be representative of the village groups and organisations, this will undoubtedly benefit the whole village as well as releasing funding from grant giving organisations.

New Village Hall Steering Group (Janet McCabe, Andrew Hollick)

The Parish Council has 2 representatives on the New Village Hall Steering Group; currently myself and Andrew Hollick.

The Steering Group has had a busy and turbulent year – through out last Summer considerable work was done developing the Design and Business Plan for a new Hall with a view to making a Lottery application. Unfortunately we heard in the Autumn that the application had been unsuccessful for several reasons, including their limited funds.

This news led to a complete review of the Project. The Group’s Chairman Colin Walker, using his professional experience, suggested that a simpler and hence cheaper construction could be feasible and be within our probable budget. Further consultation was carried out on his draft designs and the Group is delighted that we are now at the point of the plans having been submitted for planning permission. Detailed building regulation drawings are being produced with the aim of going out to tender to builders in the next few weeks.

The Group has been successful in other grant applications - SCDC were impressed by the proposals for a lower cost hall and have agreed to still provide a full grant of £75,000. WREN has also given a grant of £20.000. These grants together with the money already committed (including £60,000 from the Parish Council) leave a relatively small short fall which we hope to address by a concerted fund raising drive in the next few months.

The Steering Group is very optimistic that building of the Village Hall will start later in the year.

 

Village Hall report (Andrew Hollick)

It is 12 months since my last Annual Report and much seems to have been done in that time.  The main focus is to report on the great progress that has been made towards the building of the new village hall.  A new build had been suggested because the fabric of the present village hall is crumbling, the wooden polished floor is wearing thin, and the toilet facilities are now inadequate to satisfy Brussels regulations for Disabled persons.

 

The Village Hall is a very important institution in our community and one that we want to see functioning well into the future.  It serves as a meeting place for

a number of village groups, and is available for hire for village functions and parties.  In this past year the halls have been well used and finances are healthy, but because of the inadequacies of the present village hall, some lettings have been lost and a slightly larger and more modern hall is crucial to the ongoing functioning of the village community.

 

Unfortunately the Trustees failed to get a grant from the Lottery Commission

but has secured a grant of £75,000 from South Cambs District Council, which was very impressed by the revised plan that was submitted earlier this year.

Together with £60,000 from the Parish Council, £60,000 from Village Hall funds, £20,000 from the WREN waste recycle as well as further moneys from village fund raising and donations, I am delighted to report that the Village Halls Trustees are fast approaching their initial target of £260,000.  It is roughly £35,000 short of that target.  It is possible that £25,000 could be loaned by the Charity Bank which would bring the target much nearer.  Tremendous work has been done by the Steering Group and full planning permission is expected by the middle of May.  Building work is likely to start in August and possibly finished by Christmas of this year.

 

A New Village Hall that would cater for as many of the village groups as possible, both young and old, is vital.  Although the village Community Collage and Leisure Centre has become a force to be reckoned with, the role of the Village Hall is still vital to the community and still has a number of advantages in its favour.  These include:

Cheaper hiring rates

More flexible letting hours and days.

Being more central in the village

 

Once the construction of the New Village Hall has started, it is hoped that more fund raising activity within the village will take place.  A growing excitement can

encourage much more village support and enthusiasm.  The Trustees of the Village Halls are alive and kicking and determined that the presence of a Village Hall remains an active village institution run for the benefit of our community.

 

Finance Report (Gail Stoehr)

The Parish Council had an intermediate audit in the FY ending 2004 which meant that more in depth questions were asked on its figures and in particular its approach to risk assessment and these had to be answered to the Auditor’s complete satisfaction. The whole process took over five months and i am pleased to report that the parish council passed with no adverse comments. Copies of the accounts are available on request. The Council has already been notified that the audit for 2005 will be a basic audit

The Parish Council has continued with its commitment to the projects identified in the Comberton Parish Plan and also with its support of other village groups and organisations in their work to enhance the life of the residents.

During the year grants of almost £4.5k have been made to other village groups and bodies and the pc reiterated its commitment to support the proposed new village hall by its offer to contribute £60k towards the cost (this will be funded when needed by way of a government loan at preferential interest rates).

The Parish Council has again in this FY (ending March 2005) been very successful at securing external funding.

  • the skateboard park
  • the youth shelter
  • the Connections Youth Bus visits
  • tree planting in green end
  • the parish verges grass cutting

are just a selection of those which have been undertaken helped by grants and donations.

Other projects identified in the Comberton Parish Plan have also secured grant funding and work on these will start or continue during the forthcoming 12 months:

  • the proposed bus helter in west street opposite Kentings – a £1000 grant has been secured towards its cost
  • lighting in the other two bus shelters - £470 grant has been promised
  • youth equipment - £300 has already been received
  • parish paths maintenance and work - £500 has been secured
  • parish verges grass cutting - £1400
  • £20,300 grant has been kindly agreed by the district council towards the proposed the recreation ground extension which will hopefully be completed in the autumn.

 

This is an excellent start to the new financial year.

Finally the many residents who support the Parish Council’s work behind the scenes and who save the village money by donating freely their time should be thanked for their time and efforts.

In particular this year the Tree Group should be mentioned whose thorough work has saved the Parish Council the need for a full external tree survey last time cost over £3,500.