Firstly thanks to all who gave their support on the petition. Without your efforts it would not have been possible. We have won concessions from the council as reported by Cambridge News : http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/News/Cattle-grazing-plans-on-hold-after-petition-18012013.htm
The final petition had 101 signatures on paper and 90 online, and the council have taken note of us. The Friends went to the "Community Scrutiny Committee" on Thursday 17/1/13 to formally present the petition, prior to a council debate on the matter.
The Labour Councillors Zoe Moghadas and Carina O'Reilly were both very critical of the council's approach with the fence. Zoe said it was another example of a failure by the council to consult adequately with residents. When visiting the site, she found fences that simply ended nowhere and wouldn't hold cows in. Carina offered sympathy to the residents, saying that what had turned out in reality had not matched plans or the expectations or needs of the community.
However Councillor Simon Kightley from Lib Dems. who remembered putting the ash trees, felt perhaps they hadn't developed as intended. He felt that whatever was put in place there should be a good tree belt and good pedestrian access.
Responding Rod Cantrill recognised Coldham's Common as an important open space with numerous users such as dogwalkers, runners and cows. There had been a genuine objective to improve the common, but the reality had turned out differently. He offered a proposal answer, which is in a letter to FoCC, but in summary says :
1. The fencing that is causing immediate problems will be taken down as a temporary measure;
2. He will ask officers to stop works until further notice;
3. He will ask officers to go back and look at the scheme, so that "lessons learnt" can be found and that whatever done has been done correctly;
4. Ultimately a new management plan will be drawn up for the whole common, that takes accounts of everyone's views.
He will include this as an item in his 2013/14 "post portfolio".
Saturday, 19 January 2013
Monday, 7 January 2013
Dog control areas affecting access onto Coldham's Common
The council is introducing new measures to deal with dogs in the city. One of these will be "dog exclusion" areas, and another "dogs on leads" areas. Some of it is fair enough - such as no dogs in toddler's play area. If introduced in its present form however "dog exclusion" areas will prevent you as a dog walker from accessing the common ( even with a dog on the lead ) by :
- walking across the skate park, basketball pitch and swings on Coldhams Lane
- walking along the southern stream side by Abbey Pool ( this isn't the play area, so no idea why )
Online consultation is at http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/ccm/content/environment-and-recycling/animal-welfare-and-pest-control/dog-control-order-consultation.en
You can respond by :
Online survey : http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/S6H79CR
email to Wendy Young, Enforcement Officer, at wendy.young@cambridge.gov.uk
visit the Customer Service Centre [ Good luck ! ]
write to Dog Warden Service, PO Box 336, Cambridge CB1 2WS
Check the maps below for the proposals.
http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/public/docs/dog_areas_abbey.pdf
http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/public/docs/dog_areas_romsey.pdf
Closing date for consultation is 8 February.
There will be a display at the Dog Control Orders - public consultation at Eastern Area Committee on 10 January, which will shows specific proposals for the East Area. Check http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/democracy/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=147&MId=1263&Ver=4 - Vicky has volunteered to pop along and check for us.
- walking across the skate park, basketball pitch and swings on Coldhams Lane
- walking along the southern stream side by Abbey Pool ( this isn't the play area, so no idea why )
Online consultation is at http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/ccm/content/environment-and-recycling/animal-welfare-and-pest-control/dog-control-order-consultation.en
You can respond by :
Online survey : http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/S6H79CR
email to Wendy Young, Enforcement Officer, at wendy.young@cambridge.gov.uk
visit the Customer Service Centre [ Good luck ! ]
write to Dog Warden Service, PO Box 336, Cambridge CB1 2WS
Check the maps below for the proposals.
http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/public/docs/dog_areas_abbey.pdf
http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/public/docs/dog_areas_romsey.pdf
Closing date for consultation is 8 February.
There will be a display at the Dog Control Orders - public consultation at Eastern Area Committee on 10 January, which will shows specific proposals for the East Area. Check http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/democracy/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=147&MId=1263&Ver=4 - Vicky has volunteered to pop along and check for us.
Friday, 4 January 2013
Meeting Monday 7/1/13 7.30pm at Ross Street Community Centre
Come
and get an update on the fencing works and put your views forward.
This meeting is to assemble our views prior to the Council Community Scrutiny committee meeting on 17 January, where the petition will be discussed. We are also looking for volunteers to come to the council meeting with us, which unfortunately is on a weekday. New faces more than welcome.
[Details of the meeting ==> details of Community Scrutiny committee meeting.]
We are meeting as previous meetings except this time in the Community Room. Details of the centre are here ==> Ross Street community centre.
There will be biscuits and tea provided, but if you want to bring along uneaten mince pies to share, that would be loverly as well.
Please can you let those people not on the email know.
This meeting is to assemble our views prior to the Council Community Scrutiny committee meeting on 17 January, where the petition will be discussed. We are also looking for volunteers to come to the council meeting with us, which unfortunately is on a weekday. New faces more than welcome.
[Details of the meeting ==> details of Community Scrutiny committee meeting.]
We are meeting as previous meetings except this time in the Community Room. Details of the centre are here ==> Ross Street community centre.
There will be biscuits and tea provided, but if you want to bring along uneaten mince pies to share, that would be loverly as well.
Please can you let those people not on the email know.
Sunday, 30 December 2012
Council threaten Coldham's Common ! - Play Area consultation closes 11/1/13
Here goes another piece of the common to City Council developments !
City Council are busy consulting on rebuilding the Abbey Play area, which is well needed. You may not realise it, but this whole area is actually common land.
However inevitably simply upgrading the existing area of common isn't enough and they want to fell and develop another area as well. This would involve the felling of trees and presumably tarmacing of an area of woodland to the south of the pool / east of the all-weather pitches. Look at ==>
Consultation for play areas ; or at the top of the page on Council online survey
and then compare it with Google maps to see how we will lose another piece of common :
http://goo.gl/maps/T0Hhk Google map of common
It would be unfair to say that this has already been decided, but you should note that the council started clearing this area in autumn 2012.
Please can you object to this on the council's online poll ==>:
Council online survey
There is no limit to the number of people in your household who can do the survey, but it closes on Friday January 11th. You may also wish to say whether you feel running the gauntlet of cows and cow pats from the new proposed grazing scheme would actually make this area inaccessible to users.
City Council are busy consulting on rebuilding the Abbey Play area, which is well needed. You may not realise it, but this whole area is actually common land.
 |
| Woodland on common near Abbey Pool |
However inevitably simply upgrading the existing area of common isn't enough and they want to fell and develop another area as well. This would involve the felling of trees and presumably tarmacing of an area of woodland to the south of the pool / east of the all-weather pitches. Look at ==>
Consultation for play areas ; or at the top of the page on Council online survey
and then compare it with Google maps to see how we will lose another piece of common :
http://goo.gl/maps/T0Hhk Google map of common
It would be unfair to say that this has already been decided, but you should note that the council started clearing this area in autumn 2012.
 |
| Woodland clearance by council on proposed teenager play area |
Please can you object to this on the council's online poll ==>:
Council online survey
There is no limit to the number of people in your household who can do the survey, but it closes on Friday January 11th. You may also wish to say whether you feel running the gauntlet of cows and cow pats from the new proposed grazing scheme would actually make this area inaccessible to users.
Friends of Coldhams Common petition set for debate 17 January at 1.30
Pat handed in the last set of written signatures to the council on
Friday 28 December. We will let you know how many people signed in due
course - I suspect around 100 - and 49 also signed the online petition.
As a result of your resolute support, the petition condemning the management on Coldham's Common, in particular grazing, gating and fencing, is to be debated at Community Scrutiny Commitee on Thursday, 17th January, 2013 at 1.30 pm. Full details of the meeting are here ==>: details of Community Scrutiny committee meeting
We have 5 minutes to present our case, and then there is a 15 minute debate. We are hopeful that the council might see sense and not continue to waste more money on this hopeless project or possible legal costs.
If you were someone who we didn't get asked ( we are soooooo sorry ) , but wants to sign there is still time to sign online here ===> e-petition . Or have friends or family who would like to as well ! [ It runs until 14/1/13 ]
Your support at the meeting would also be appreciated if you have time. Let's see some local democracy in action !
As a result of your resolute support, the petition condemning the management on Coldham's Common, in particular grazing, gating and fencing, is to be debated at Community Scrutiny Commitee on Thursday, 17th January, 2013 at 1.30 pm. Full details of the meeting are here ==>: details of Community Scrutiny committee meeting
We have 5 minutes to present our case, and then there is a 15 minute debate. We are hopeful that the council might see sense and not continue to waste more money on this hopeless project or possible legal costs.
If you were someone who we didn't get asked ( we are soooooo sorry ) , but wants to sign there is still time to sign online here ===> e-petition . Or have friends or family who would like to as well ! [ It runs until 14/1/13 ]
Your support at the meeting would also be appreciated if you have time. Let's see some local democracy in action !
Friday, 28 December 2012
Friends of Coldhams Common inaugral meeting 19/11/12
Friends of Coldhams Common held a very animated meeting was held on Monday 19 November at Ross Street Community Centre to discuss the formation of the group to directly protest against the City Council's behaviour in fencing and gating the Barnwell Road side for grazing.
The 26 local residents and users of the common, who attended, expressed deep concern about the effects upon their and others access and enjoyment of this very well-used open space. In particular newly erected gates had made access across the site for disabled or less abled people extremely difficult, and the presence of cows would exclude many present users with children and prams from using the site at all. This site was indeed the only natural land left in Cambridge free from cows
Cllrs Richard Johnson, Labour (Abbey) and Paul Saunders Lib Dem (Romsey ) also attended the meeting to listen to views. Even Cllr Johnson agreed that the gates made crossing the area difficult with his bicycle, whilst going to and fro in the city.
Cllr Johnson was concerned that the removal of fencing would also mean the removal of the local nature reserve[LNR] [1] designation, but it was made clear that the two were not mutually dependant, and that indeed the purpose of the LNR is to bring people and wildlife together not exclude them as the present management will.
The meeting tried to understand why the fencing had been erected discontinuously without being able to contain cows on the railway line and Barnwell Road, had been erected back to front, and how funds would be available to maintain it [3]. However it was agreed that it was impossible to rationalise the illogical, but that nevertheless the council should be asked to explain their actions more fully in the hope that some insight might be possible. Cllr Johnson noted the differences of opinions between those from the community present in the room and those given to him by officers.
However the complete lack of consultation by the council prior to the works taking place was universally condemned, and furthermore if proper consultation has taken place many of the schoolboy errors in the £64 000 [2] project would have been prevented.
It was clear that the council had to adhere to the permission granted to it by the Secretary of State, and that much of the work did not at present appear to comply with this or Disability Discrimination legislation. Similarly how the council had obtained permission for camping, shops and catering vans for the Folk Festival on the local nature reserve was also unclear.
It was emphasised that the group wished to support the council in best managing the area, but the necessity of fencing was queried and its removal was called for. It was asked whether using other options such as mowing might be simpler and better suited to the site. The mismanagement of other areas of the common, e.g. serious thistle infestations, was viewed as evidence of need for further input from the considerable community knowledge present to better manage the site for future.
The group agreed to form the Friends of Coldhams Common to protect the common and engage with the council, and elected Pat White to chair. Pat thanked roundly those who had given up time to attend and hoped that with their great effort something more positive could be achieved. She especially asked for signatures on the petition, which now number over 100.
-----------------------------------------------------
Notes for uninitiated
[1] Local Nature Reserve. This is a designation made by a local authority in agreement with Natural England under the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act. The intended purpose of the powers in this act was to allow people to "...derive great pleasure from the peaceful contemplation of nature."
Natural England ( http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/designations/lnr/default.aspx ) state that such sites are "for both people and wildlife. They offer people special opportunities to study or learn about nature or simply to enjoy it."
[2] Under FOI request the council [e-mail Guy Belcher 5/10/12 ] revealed that the original budget appraisal in 2010 was £35 000 had been spent on the fence and a further £27 000 on the designation and other works. The works consist of 963m of fence, 3 field gates and an ever increasing number of kissing gates, last standing at 13.
[3] Under FOI the council revealed that it has no set budget for works on Coldhams Common.
[4] The next meeting of the Friends of Coldhams Common is scheduled for 17 December at 7.30.
The 26 local residents and users of the common, who attended, expressed deep concern about the effects upon their and others access and enjoyment of this very well-used open space. In particular newly erected gates had made access across the site for disabled or less abled people extremely difficult, and the presence of cows would exclude many present users with children and prams from using the site at all. This site was indeed the only natural land left in Cambridge free from cows
Cllrs Richard Johnson, Labour (Abbey) and Paul Saunders Lib Dem (Romsey ) also attended the meeting to listen to views. Even Cllr Johnson agreed that the gates made crossing the area difficult with his bicycle, whilst going to and fro in the city.
Cllr Johnson was concerned that the removal of fencing would also mean the removal of the local nature reserve[LNR] [1] designation, but it was made clear that the two were not mutually dependant, and that indeed the purpose of the LNR is to bring people and wildlife together not exclude them as the present management will.
The meeting tried to understand why the fencing had been erected discontinuously without being able to contain cows on the railway line and Barnwell Road, had been erected back to front, and how funds would be available to maintain it [3]. However it was agreed that it was impossible to rationalise the illogical, but that nevertheless the council should be asked to explain their actions more fully in the hope that some insight might be possible. Cllr Johnson noted the differences of opinions between those from the community present in the room and those given to him by officers.
However the complete lack of consultation by the council prior to the works taking place was universally condemned, and furthermore if proper consultation has taken place many of the schoolboy errors in the £64 000 [2] project would have been prevented.
It was clear that the council had to adhere to the permission granted to it by the Secretary of State, and that much of the work did not at present appear to comply with this or Disability Discrimination legislation. Similarly how the council had obtained permission for camping, shops and catering vans for the Folk Festival on the local nature reserve was also unclear.
It was emphasised that the group wished to support the council in best managing the area, but the necessity of fencing was queried and its removal was called for. It was asked whether using other options such as mowing might be simpler and better suited to the site. The mismanagement of other areas of the common, e.g. serious thistle infestations, was viewed as evidence of need for further input from the considerable community knowledge present to better manage the site for future.
The group agreed to form the Friends of Coldhams Common to protect the common and engage with the council, and elected Pat White to chair. Pat thanked roundly those who had given up time to attend and hoped that with their great effort something more positive could be achieved. She especially asked for signatures on the petition, which now number over 100.
-----------------------------------------------------
Notes for uninitiated
[1] Local Nature Reserve. This is a designation made by a local authority in agreement with Natural England under the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act. The intended purpose of the powers in this act was to allow people to "...derive great pleasure from the peaceful contemplation of nature."
Natural England ( http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/designations/lnr/default.aspx ) state that such sites are "for both people and wildlife. They offer people special opportunities to study or learn about nature or simply to enjoy it."
[2] Under FOI request the council [e-mail Guy Belcher 5/10/12 ] revealed that the original budget appraisal in 2010 was £35 000 had been spent on the fence and a further £27 000 on the designation and other works. The works consist of 963m of fence, 3 field gates and an ever increasing number of kissing gates, last standing at 13.
[3] Under FOI the council revealed that it has no set budget for works on Coldhams Common.
[4] The next meeting of the Friends of Coldhams Common is scheduled for 17 December at 7.30.
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