Update 16th June 2022
Dear all,
Update 16th June 2022
Rights of the River Cam
Please join Friends of the Cam on Tuesday 21st June from 4pm to 10pm to celebrate their re-declaration of the rights of the River Cam on Jesus Green between the lock and the tennis courts. There will be live music, choirs, poetry, and art activities. The declaration will take place at 6pm. Bring a picnic. It should be fun, a lovely midsummer celebration of the River Cam, its nature and wildlife.
All welcome. Please share the invitation below with friends and networks.
Crowd Justice Fundraiser
In January, Friends of the Cam objected to the proposal to build 4,000 houses at Northstowe Phase 3A despite there being no source of water to supply the development without causing unacceptable environmental harm to the River Cam
The Environmental Impact Assessment for the development completely failed to consider the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the development on groundwater, chalk streams, and the River Cam.
Legal action is now underway by Fews Lane Consortium, to challenge this decision, and details can be found at https://www.crowdjustice.com/northstowe/
Please consider making a contribution to help fund this important action to save the Cam chalk streams and restore the Longstanton ponds. The Chalk Aquifer Alliance say: ‘There’s just a week left to chip in and help. challenge the principle of groundwater disappearing under our feet in the name of progress. It could soon be happening to a chalk stream near you .’
https://twitter.com/AquiferChalk/status/1537192418373771266?s=20&t=NVwe5hSLbMx3xXdRoyrrdQ
In 2021 the BBC reported “Northstowe to blame for empty ponds in Longstanton, says report.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-58667802
Residents point out there were no green space, or community or river reps representing the river and loved city spaces like Paradise Nature Reserve and Cambridge Market Square at the leaders meetings discussing land use for the Cam. They say the focus on the interests of landowners, and developers, water companies and ngos, excluded Cambs community and green space reps. https://www.fecra.org.uk/update-30th-march-2022/
The President of Queens College co chairs the Dear World…Yours Cambridge campaign, the fund raising campaign for the University and Colleges of Cambridge. See links below. King’s College chairs the Colleges Campaign. King’s is a member of the Wider Cambridge Visitor Growth Project, along with Cambridge Bid, the Councils and the University ( via Fitzwilliam Enterprises , the Museums and the Botanic Garden).
https://www.fecra.org.uk/update-1st-june-2021/
Residents ask if donors to the fund raising campaign which claims to make the world a better place are aware of the impact the development they are funding is having on the Cam chalk streams and so many Cambridge communities.
Michael Gove speaks about the future of the OxCam Arc
Link below.
Finally, Michael Gove speaks about the future of the Ox-Cam Arc | Stop the Arc Group
Stop the Arc Group say that this
1) threatens both Oxford and Cambridge cities with unconstrained growth
2) reveals to more or less all the other Local and District Authorities across the Arc that they can expect little or nothing from central Government under the (now non-existent?) Arc plans.
Decision to approve Big Wheel on Parker’s Piece
The Cambridge Independent noted that ‘there is a contractual agreement between the council and the applicant for a five year operation’. Residents ask:
- was there a consultation on this from the council?
- Which director took the commercial decision to enter into a 5 year lease?
- Is this a Wider Cambridge Visitor Growth project?
- Were ward councillors for Parkers Piece consulted?
- What procurement rules were followed?
At the planning committee meeting the applicant stated there were 70,000 fares paid in the 2021 season. At 5 months, assuming a 10-hour day, that’s 47 people an hour, every hour. However, local residents say they observed nothing like that level of patronage. The council declined to answer an FOI about funding. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/money_received_by_the_council_by
At the meeting which was recorded https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et5fOaOuSEA 3 councillors voted in favour, 0 against, 1 abstention (only 4 councillors voted, including the Chair).
New road classification for Cambridge: Consultation 2022 deadline Monday 18th July 2022
https://consultcambs.uk.engagementhq.com/road-network-hierarchy-2022
Best wishes,
Wendy
Wendy Blythe
Chair, FeCRA
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