Cllr Roy Gerstner – Community Activist

Just to be correct – I too asked Cllr Steve Count if he was prepared for a Whittlesey meeting last Thursday….

After the meeting finished I happened to be able to talk with Cambs CC leader Cllr Steve Count and asked him whether he would be prepared to come to Whittlesey and from the ‘top’ tell us the way forward, which he was in agreement – that also the people and electorate of Whittlesey and the Villages deserve to be informed.

News Published on 25 Jul 2019

Cambridgeshire County Council’s Leader Steve Count is to discuss the future of the King’s Dyke project at an event for local residents, ahead of a specially convened Committee meeting in August to agree the next steps in getting the bypass scheme built.

 He has responded to requests put to him by County Councillors Chris Boden and David Connor to engage directly with residents of Whittlesey regarding the future of Kings Dyke –   at an event in the heart of their town. 

Despite tight timelines he has asked the County to put together an exhibition outlining the issues and options for the project, where there will be ample opportunity to talk to officers and Cllr Count. This will take place in Whittlesey on August 12 – three days ahead of a special meeting of the Economy and Environment Committee called to consider recommendations on a way forward for the project which looks to cut congestion in the area.

 Comments from the event will be fed back verbally to the Economy and Environment Committee on the 15 August – a meeting which Cllr. Count has also requested the chairman investigate holding in Whittlesey. 

March resident, Cllr Count, himself a regular user of the affected route said “I think those most affected by any decisions that we take, are right to ask me and deserve to hear and understand for themselves the issues that we have faced so far and also fully understand the options that are going to be discussed by the committee.

“I am going to be there in person, so that I can talk directly to residents and they can measure for themselves how determined I am to get this built – to put it bluntly “by seeing the whites of my eyes”. 

The event will be held between 3-8pm at the Whittlesey Christian Church on Broad Street

Today saw 4 large fuel tanks removed.

Dave a good friend to many in Whittlesey – involved with many groups and organisations.
Below a tribute song by ‘The Whittlesey Singers’ who Dave was a member of.

A bright future for Cambridgeshire libraries

CCC’s Communities and Partnership Committee has unanimously agreed to progress our Future Libraries project – in partnership with Civic – to design future models of libraries for the county and, ultimately, the country.

The project follows on from the previous transformation work carried out by the Library Service that enabled the council to keep all libraries open, and to plan many new libraries and improve existing ones as part of future growth plans.

The project will see five archetypes of library models piloted in seven locations across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough – Anchor of the High Street, Centre for Rural Life, Hub for the Region, (Re)animating Communities and Pop-Up for Reviving Community Assets.

The ambition is to prove these models in the pilot areas before rolling them out to all Cambridgeshire and Peterborough libraries over three years so that all libraries benefit. Members will be involved at each stage of the project and in particular in the design phase where engagement with local communities will be paramount.

Many other articles to read – Click Here to Cambs CC Website

Some are asking on social media what costs have been incurred thus far, I believe the costing to be in the region £7+ Million.
This includes the cost of buying the land, the clearing phase (I) of the site and any associated fee’s incurred for 3rd parties such as consultants.

As previously published (last week) the proposed route butts up to the ‘pit’ and would/will require a substantial amount of underpinning and foundation work….
Some local Councillors are minded now to abandon the project altogether and promote a ‘Bypass’.
I am keeping my options open (in light of what has already been spent) and wait to hear what Cambs CC and Metro Mayor Palmer have to offer (when-ever)

Popular eatery/café Not Just Cafe’ next to the Library/Learning Centre – I understand will be re-opening hopefully by the end of the month.