Cllr Roy Gerstner – Community Activist

From Elaine Mountfield Community Protection Officer Cambs CC.

Bogus Police Alert Slip

In addition to the threat of financial harm, in many cases the targets are meeting criminals face to face pretending to be couriers or officials – therefore presenting a personal danger.

RG – Note } 1 Lady in Eastrea + 2 Ladies in Whittlesey have now succumbed to this scam.
Please do make your Neighbours aware….

I have been campaigning for many years, lobbying, promoting better Recycling of Plastics, Bottles, Cans and Polystyrene – So are we nearly there on ‘some’ of these products.
28 other countries are already ahead of us… and ‘we/the government’ need to have yet again ‘another’ consultation – but I well believe we are nearly there.
Recycling of these items is known to increase when there is a ‘deposit’ scheme -and  a great deal less into landfill and our rivers and oceans.
I have thanked my ‘old’ employer Sky TV who have lead a fantastic public awareness for some years now.
Much all over the press and news, so no need to elaborate further.
‘We’ now need to campaign for Polystyrene packaging and take-away boxes to be included and of course convince countries like China, India and Vietnam to take up better waste management.
A fantastic result – lets see it work….
ps Like in the USA – people a ‘bit’ short of money, make a sort of living collecting other peoples cans/bottles discarded – maybe our local ‘Dog-End- collector’ (TR) will do the same for us – I will certainly help him…!!!!

In order to cover a wider area than perhaps our excellent monthly magazines… here is some information – Notice of Public Consultation.
Or by following this link to FDC Whittlesey Conservation consultation Click Here
Closing Date Monday 23rd April 2018

A quieter week I hope after being out every day last week, still some minor successes, but still bigger concerns looming.

I was somewhat disappointed that NO mention of Whittlesey’s (Must Farm) plan to have some sort of Centre in our locality was indicated at last Wednesdays talk on the project.
I do understand that WTC councillors are also disappointed and will be making representations at their next meeting.

Good democracy starts at ground level – local level and after the Conservative Groups AGM last week, at least the ‘issue’ of selection was brought up and discussed, backwards and retrospective election of candidates is not allowed, so maybe a re-run?

I had 2 meetings with representatives from ‘other’ Political Groups, both very engaging and good to network with other idea’s.
This week I have a meeting with an ex candidate – who informs me he will not be making a stand again.

Enough politics – What about ‘Submarine Sandwiches – ‘Subway’™ – on Saturday morning queuing outside on the pavement no less – Has Whittlesey found the 21st century with it’s first USA styled food franchise – from its beginnings in 1965 to opening it’s first in the UK – Brighton in 1996 – only took 22 years to arrive in Whittlesey. Still we shall see if the local –
Epicurean (A word for SR) is still as enthusiastic in a few months time.

Nice to have received our (2) Monthly magazines, remember these are professionally edited and financed by advertising.

The Whittlesey Business Forum will be having their meeting on Wednesday evening 18:30 when a presentation on the Saxon Pit Recycling Centre will given by East Midlands Waste Ltd (see my previous posting) –

Also updates of the forth-coming Business Fayre on the 20th May at The Manor Leisure Centre – more to follow…..

This is the same date at the now annual BussFest – more to follow which also happens to be A Charity Walk on behalf of Sue Ryder Hospice starting at Thorpe Hall (I have sponsored a walker)

http://www.sueryder.org/

Please read ‘Disclaimer’ at the end of the article

Recycling Plant – Now under East Midlands Waste Management™.

After several public reports to me and posts on this site during January, about ‘funny smells’ coming from the Saxon Pit area, numerous residents complained to Fenland District Council, Cambs County Council and the Environment Agency (EA) were informed and are currently monitoring the site.

My post on January 27th stated ‘Smelly News’ – Two Whittlesey Councillors plus the Chairman of the Whittlesey Business Forum Mr Joe Jennings took up an invitation to visit the site. The owners/managers of the site East Midlands Waste Management™ also contacted me via Joe Jennings and invited me to visit the site.

On Wednesday, myself and Joe Jennings were met by the site manager Mr Frank Owen, who has been in position for about 6 weeks, he has been brought in to ‘tighten up’ procedures at the plant.
The site is massive to say the least – 100+ acres.

Our tour lasted about an hour and we were taken all over the site in a 4×4 and shown some of the ‘challenges’ in regards the site walls and water issues.
We were shown material which the EA had identified as being the waste causing the ‘smell’ and it consisted of about 300 tons (Not as reported on social media 1,200 tons).
The offending pile (looks like earth to me) is to taken away to a landfill site.
As of last Wednesday there was no other material identified as being ‘foreign’, that we were shown.
We saw no trucks actually coming into the site.

 However Mr Owen answered all my questions, some of which are below.
1/ All material coming to the site comes from a traceable known source.
2/ All material comes with the necessary certification and paperwork, which is checked.
3/ Prior to discharging the material – the Digger Driver visually examines the material.
4/ There is a full audit trail in place.
5/ Part of the land will become a ‘nature reserve’ and there is a management plan for this to take place.

I can only say what Joe and I saw on the day, Mr Owen is a very experienced person in this field and as said previously has been brought in to ensure that correct compliance of the planning application is adhered too which is attached at the end of this article.

The Environment Agency (EA) are monitoring the site and have made frequent visits.

East Midlands Waste Management™ are giving a presentation to The Whittlesey Business Forum at their meeting this Wednesday 28th March.
The Business Forum have invited Whittlesey Town Councillors to that meeting and I understand that 11 of them have taken up the offer.
I will also be attending and can report anything new that might be said at this meeting.
(I am a member of the Business Forum – I do not own any business!)

My thanks to East Midlands Waste Management and Mr Joe Jennings for allowing me to visit, ask questions and take photographs of this site.©

If you have any questions about this or any other article on this site, you are very welcome to contact me – my details are on the top toolbar.
E&O
(errors and omissions can be made and I am more than happy to be corrected if informed)

Disclaimer: On the site visit, Mr Joe Jennings and I only had a visual tour.  At no time was any finances discussed, no offers or inducements were asked for or made.
Should social media ‘trolls’ imply otherwise – I will take immediate legal action against such individuals who imply any impropriety –

Please don’t go there. I have never been offered any inducements – ever.

Below is The Cambs County Council Planning Application.©

To turn pages – go to the bottom left hand corner – there are small arrows there to go forward or reverse.

From my previous post… I and (1) Whittlesey Town Councillor are trying to encourage Fenland District Council (FDC) to ‘catch up’ with other authorities and start to install Electric Vehicle Charging Points, as I’ve said before the Government has an enormous amount of cash to get this of the ground.

Only asking (for now) 1 EV point in each town. I thought !!! – that WTC were adopting a ‘Clean Air Policy’ under the remit of the Neighbourhood Plan – well here’s a start for you.

Here is what London is doing at present….

Working with partners, we have now installed 100 new electric vehicle rapid charge points, some exclusively for taxis and others for rapid charging cars and vans. Rapid charge points can charge an electric vehicle battery in 20-30 minutes. This is quicker than regular charge points that can take 7-8 hours for a full charge.

We plan to install 150 rapid charging points by the end of 2018.
This is part of our commitment to help Londoners breathe cleaner air.

Sorry I am far too old and won’t be here in 35 years time…

Well maybe not as long as waiting for the Kings Dyke Bridge – but finally ‘Double Yellow Lines’ on Church Street outside of Park House.
It was 35+ years ago – I was one of the ‘3’ campaigners who got some of the other Yellow Lining on Church Street/Ramsey Road – Now we have to wait and see if the ‘parking issue’ has moved further along the road.
No more having to drive on the ‘wrong side’ of the road – not being able to see HGV’s or Busses  coming through the Letter ‘B’ cut – 35 years – of lobbying -got there in the end.

On arriving at the visitors centre – some NOT Bronze Aged person(s) have deposited a good amount of Fly-Tipped Rubbish – come on Peterborough clear it up please.
A good attendance by around 80 or so people – Not many from Whittlesey and No Whittlesey councillor (They would be at another meeting in March I presume!)
An excellent insight of the beginnings of finding Must Farm through to today.
You will notice from The Flag Fen – Mimic Map – there is already a house to display The Must Farm Boats.
No mention about the future storing of artefacts other than Peterborough Museum.
No mention of any lottery bid or a heritage centre in Whittlesey – that’s not to say it won’t happen – just no mention of it this evening.

Peterborough started a week or so ago, and good to see Fenlands contractors starting tidying up the grassed areas – they made a decent job or our estate for the first cut and spent just that bit of extra time to make the job well done.
Plenty of complaints in previous years – but to give them credit they were pretty good last year and if they carry on with a bit of extra attention I’m sure they won’t get the complaints they’ve had previously.

I thought yesterdays announcement of the NECCA AGM might provoke an e-mail or two – and it did!!!!!… The question being would ‘I’ be attending. –  err NO to attend you have to pay ‘money’ to be a member and I don’t believe in that at all – so since I stress once more – Independent – I can not possibly belong to ‘any’ political organisation.
Thanks…

The conservatives have their AGM tomorrow night in March. Hopefully for the benefit of ‘local’ democracy the ‘silly’ system brought in to select ‘local’ candidates will be discussed.

I an very grateful to the owners, operators and Mr Joe Jennings Chairman of The Whittlesey Business Forum for inviting me to visit and be taken around the facility operated by East Midlands Waste Management – My article coming will be as it happened, what I saw, and some of the questions I asked no more or less than what I saw on the day.