Cllr Roy Gerstner – Community Activist

Only 4 Whittlesey Councillors supported the public engagement event for the future plans of The Relief Road, Cllrs Boden, Laws, Sennitt-Clough and myself braved the somewhat cool weather. We saw a good number of people and like the Peel House event asked some good questions.

One move event will be held online…contact details on poster below….

As well as the parade on Sunday 10th starting from St Andrews Hall leaving at 2pm.
There will also be a short service of remembrance on Monday at 11am at the memorial in Whittlesey.

For those who wish to take part in the Parade on Sunday, please arrive by 1.15pm
there is no parking at St Andrews Parish hall or the car park opposite.

March transformation marks new chapter for historic market town.

(RG Note – Not everyone was happy that this project went ahead – that said ‘we’ had exactly the same when WTC/FDC moved the Bus Stop at the Buttercross to Grosvenor Road)

MARCHREGENCOMPLETE - AA081124

Tomorrow – Saturday 09th November.

There will be an a exibit and boards explaining the choices and future, there will be
officials onhand to ask questions – Aldi Supermarket 10:00am until 15:00

Visit Fenland District Council Website for more information Click Here
(Click on bottom left corner to advance/retard pages)

I understand that the repair works to th B1040 at/near The Dog-In-A-Doublet has been delayed (no reason given) – extra shift working may take place and the latest is that the road could be fully re-opened PM on Monday.

After Cambs CC Highways spent upwards of £2 million doing up Ramsey Road
(From just before level crossing to just beyond Harris Transport) 3 years ago –
to find that many of the issues have returned yet again, and will continue so.
Note Ramsey Road is not part of this next project.

A trial project aimed at tackling long-standing problems of maintaining roads which run over fenland soils has been backed.

The Fen Roads Trial, proposed by Cambridgeshire County Council, has so far been supported by both the Combined Authority’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee, and the Investment Committee.

The £1.5 million trial proposes to test innovative solutions to help keep the roads in good condition for longer. The Combined Authority Board will be recommended to approve the trial at its meeting on November 13.

In the Transport and Infrastructure Committee meeting on Monday (Nov 4) they heard a separate report on work to investigate the cost of maintaining and upgrading roads which run on fen soils. This Economic Impact Assessment work would sit alongs
side the Fen Roads Trial as part of works to improve how those routes are managed.

According to a committee report on the trial, more than 40% of Cambridgeshire’s roads lie on peat-based soils, which expand and contract significantly as they become saturated and then dry out. Warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers are becoming more frequent with climate change, resulting in higher levels of road damage.

Cracking on routes is posing a particular danger to road users and some well-used routes now require traffic management, speed limits and safety signing to help make them safe.

The proposal is to trial solutions on the same stretch of road and compare their performance. Potential trial sites are:

• B1104 Prickwillow Road Isleham, East Cambridgeshire.

• B660 Holme Road, Ramsey St Mary’s, Huntingdonshire.

• B1040 Herne Road, Ramsey St Mary’s, Huntingdonshire.

Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council are the region’s highways authorities, responsible for maintaining roads, but traditional methods are not always tackling the root issues at the foundation layers below the surface.

Many trial methods are proposed, including:

• Excavate and fill using a lightweight recycled fill product.
• Deep soil stabilisation for underlying soil (peat in this case) up to five metres below the existing road level.
• Ex-situ recycling, creating a flexible road. This approach treats the road itself like a quarry, breaking down the existing surface and using every bit of it to build a brand new one.

Mayor Dr Nik Johnson said: “The unique challenges of maintaining our important fen roads are increasing with climate change. By exploring innovative, long-term solutions now, this trial aims to improve the standard of those roads, cut repair costs, and increase safety for our communities.”

Peterborough City Council would join the project board and be part of collaborative working. If successful, any methods could be applied in other areas with similar challenges, like in Norfolk and Lincolnshire.
The trial can also be used to support bids to Government for funding for fen roads.

Work to begin the Economic Impact Assessment will start within this financial year.

My thanks to AB for sending me the article at CPCA     Click Here

Article from Daily Mail Click Here

More than 7,000 homes have been given planning permission to be built in the most flood-prone areas of the country, insurer Allianz warns.

Allianz said 7,116 new homes have full or conditional planning permission on previously undeveloped floodplains in the 12 local authorities with the highest proportion of homes at flood risk.

An Allianz report written by think tank Localis said that 7 per cent of England’s flood defences are in a poor state, with 1 per cent classed as very poor. 

A quarter of flood defences are privately owned and almost twice as likely to be in poor condition than those maintained by the Environment Agency.

n England, there are 12 local authorities where more than one in 10 properties face a more than 1 per cent risk of flooding – the benchmark for being deemed high risk.

The authorities surveyed are: South Holland, Boston, Fenland, Runnymede, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, City of Kingston upon Hull, East Lindsey, North Lincolnshire, Spelthorne, Doncaster, Exeter, Windsor and Maidenhead.

Article from Daily Mail Click Here

(RG Note) Many years ago I did a snap survey of households in Whittlesey, over 200 participated and out of those, 20% had No Flood Insurance, 10% had No Insurance at all.
Around 20% had to shop around for Insurance.
Maybe I’ll do another up date.

It takes a little time and as usual more than one request, (May this year) however I am informed that the damaged/old litter bin along the Bower Towpath has been removed.

Almost immediately ‘complaints’ started to arrive – Doggies had to carry their ‘Poo Bags’ an extra 25 metres to the next bin…..

As you would expect (from me) I made enquireries straight away and within a couple of hours was informed.

A New Bin will be installed in the same position within the next 10 days when new stock is delivered.