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BBC Radio Cambridgeshire sent their mobile radio vehicle today (11th October) to my house to interview myself and Kate Wood, senior planning officer for SCDC.
The theme of the program was following a national architectual report about new communities not having facilities. This has been thrashed to death here at times but there are so many issues in Cambourne that are not at all satisfactory. We all know the promises made about a pub and shops and the lateness of the community facilities. Obviously the commercial elements are difficult to enforce but the developers have not helped their case by continually saying that these facilities were imminent. A small community such as Papworth have succesfully introduced a new shopping facilty from nothing while developers here continue to prevaricate. We now learn that we are to have a chemist in a portacabin ! How about that for bad planning The school is having to install portacabins to cope with the number of children (although this is a County Council responsibilty).
Multi Use Games Area - not up to scratch, tennis courts 3 metres too short for run back. Cricket pitch not ready for another 2 years, despite claims last year that it was "ready" No proposal for the sports building due at 2000 homes (now 1500), SCDC have been asking for proposals for 12 months. Sports fields not ready for use for another 12 months (at least) Bus service is useless and they don't care. No sign of the Trailer/caravan storage area due at 300 homes No further application for the Cricket Pavilion, this was one of the few facilities in Lower Cambourne for community use. They now have 800 homes and the village is very nearly all occupied. No recycling area in Lower Cambourne No community centre and the developers have been very difficult with our request for the first floor steelwork and the necesssary sprung floor, both of which we were hoping to pay for ourselves. Skateborard park not finished and the equipment has not been centralised on the tarmac as was required The burial ground is still awaiting hedge planting and a water supply. Unnecessary delays in opening the Caxton bypass, Caxton were hoping to hold a summer street party! All this after 5 years of occupations in Cambourne !
Most of these facilities were due to be completed by 1000 homes, we now have 1500 I know the developers were hoping to get some good publicity this year ! SCDC have in the past imposed sanctions on issuing planning application decisions, this was judged by them to be effective and were lifted after a few months. |
