Please see acknowledgement at the end E&OE
Dates for your diary for you to engage with councillors and members of the rail partnership will be on: Friday 20th April 06:30-08:30 @ Railway Station
09:30 – 12:00 @ Market Square
Saturday 28th April 10:00 – 12:00 @ Town Council Offices
I have been attending the Hereward Community Rail Partnership meetings for many years. There was and is a Whittlesey Town Councillor attending on some occasions.
Cllr Simon King is the Chairman of the Group.
Presently another on-going consultation (yes another consultation which not a great deal of notice is taken into account).
A small number of Whittlesey public have also attended and ‘we’ are normally the best represented with 5/7 attending.
I do remember that prior to the latest franchise being negotiated – All sorts of ‘promises’ were made but without any committed time scale…since then most/nearly all these promises have been well forgotten about.
Now we shall look at ‘The Third Cambridgeshire Local Transport Plan 2011-2031
This was and to an extent is still the state of play today…but not a lot of forward progress after 4+ years…
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3
Click on Pictures to enlarge
In the above paperwork/document it clearly states that the ‘total cost’ of the Bridge would be £13:2 Million – The latest figure I was told on Wednesday of this week was – It was now £19:2 Million – including a somewhat vague figure of £5 Million ‘contingency fund’ – for what I don’t know at this time.
The more important news I received was that the sellers of the land ‘appear’ to be ready to sign, they now claiming that Cambs County Council are the ones holding the process up.
My source(s) informed me that ‘Perhaps’ CCC doesn’t have the money in place!
Again it was my understanding that funding for this project had been in council speak –
‘Ring Fenced’.
You will see that at the bottom of Page 2 – It clearly states then in 2014 that funding by CCC would have to come out of capital funding (Hard up as they are) or by ‘Prudent Borrowing’ another council speak acronym…
I and many others do firmly believe that one day the Bridge will be built at what-ever the cost – Whittlesey residents have waited long enough.
The road/round-about issues/concerns at A605 Ponderbridge/Cardia will be addressed – but not to everyone’s satisfaction (on the cheap one Peterborough councillor told me).
The Railway Station – well as you can see the plan goes all the way to 2031 – doubt if I/or maybe you will still be here in 2031 – If you are still here – let me know please….!
My e-mail address will ………. co.uk/in-heaven
This article has a long way to run as yet – and we wait and see what the ‘Latest’ public engagement brings –
My thanks and acknowledgement to Mr Peter Baxter who did a great deal of research.
Peter Baxter is passionate about Road infrastructure/Pollution issues/concerns. Transport & HGV’s using the A605
Peter is and has been lobbying Councillors and MP Barclay for some time now. If you would like to talk or meet with Peter, please let me know and I’ll put you in contact with him.
