Campkin Tesco: Litter issues.

Like many local residents I have been concerned about litter near the Campkin Road shops. I have been in contact with the Enforcement Team and with our litter pickers.

The enforcement team have started to patrol and will be visiting at lunchtimes to monitor the situation and issue fixed penalties to anyone dropping litter. Our litter teams pick the area every day and are looking at the routines they follow.

There is also a continuing effort to work with CRC to try and educate students about the issues around littering and the risk of a fine. The college have tried to work with us before.

We are also considering whether any further actions are appropriate if the issue continues as it has in previous years. Various items of legislation are under consideration.

Street Repairs to Speed Humps on Campkin Road

As I'm sure you are aware if you have been travelling around the County lately another hard winter has passed and the effect on some parts of the road network have been to cause serious damage.

The pictures on the right and below show the effects the winter, not to mention tens of thousands of motor vehicles, have had on the old brick speed humps on Campkin Road (just outside Arbury Community Centre).

The County Councils highways team have already been active in the area and most of this damage has already been repaired but, as this report shows (courtesy of Fix My Street), the poor level or maintenance of the roads is causing more and more problems to appear.

If you are out and about and you see anything that is causing you concern then please report it. Money is very stretched at the moment and they certainly won't be fixing anything they don't know about ...

You can report items via FixMyStreet (click here),  or directly to the County Council (click here for the online form, or via the phone number 0345 045 5200). If you have already reported an issue to the County Council and it hasn't been resolved to your satisfaction please get in touch and I'll pursue it..

Planning applications: Campkin Road, Arden Road and King's Hedges Road

After weeks with no applications this week we have three!

1. 12 Campkin Road has applied for a "single storey front extension" (application 09/1084/FUL)
2. 18 Arden Road has applied for a "two storey front extension and dormer" (application 09/1137/FUL), and finally
3. 36 King's Hedges Road has applied for a "single storey front extension" (application 09/1151/FUL)

The application on Arden Road is already down to come to a planning committee.

As always you can find out more information from Development Control at the City Council including details of how to inspect plans in person and online, and how to comment.

As always in case of difficulty let us know.

Cllr McGovern in the news

The project to improve Campkin Road shop forecourt has made the Cambridge News includes a quote from Neil. It has a nice picture of him looking very serious!

Please come along tomorrow to Manor School at 7.30pm (6.30pm for planning) if you have strong views on this project. If you can't make it, please let the team know.

North Area Committee next week

The next North Area committee is on Thursday 12 November at Manor School on Arbury Road.

The meeting starts at 6.30pm for planning decisions (none in King's Hedges, but a few in neighbouring wards).

The main meeting starts at 7.30pm.

The big items for King's Hedges are the regular policing report, which is your chance to feed into the priorities for the police in the North of the City, and the decision on the Campkin Piazza.

The consultation on balance favoured option 2, replacing the trees. The decision will be made at committee, and you can still let us know your views in advance of the meeting (by phone or email) or at it if you can make it. I'll post a bit more over the weekend, but more information is in the report.

Alongside these two there is also the open forum, your chance to ask the local councillors anything you like, and formal agenda items on...

1. S106 projects (planning moneys for local infrastructure)
2. Other environmental improvement projects
3. Recycling champions: can you help boost recycling in your street?
4. Community development grants

The full agenda can be found at the city council website (PDF).

The next meeting after this will be on January 7 2010.

Appeal for witnesses

The Cambridge News report a robbery on the path between Campkin Road and Ramsden Square on Sunday evening around 9.40pm.

An appeal for witnesses has been made by Det Sgt Cooper.

The first man is described as white, age between 28 and 33, 5ft 7ins tall, with a muscular build. He was wearing casual clothing and a black hooded top.

The second is described as white, between 28 and 33, 5ft 6ins tall, with a slim build. He was wearing a white hooded jumper.

(Quoted from the article.)

If you saw anything please contact Parkside police station on 0345 4564564 or CrimeStoppers on 0800 555111 (anonymously).

The team are investigating what options might be for improved lighting on the path.

Campkin Road Shop Forecourts Consultation

As part of the Environmental Improvements programme, the city council is looking to improve the forecourt in front of the Campkin Road shops (Tesco etc).

The shop forecourt was resurfaced in 2001 and since that time the surface has lifted and moved due to tree root movement. This has caused trip hazards and interferes with the drainage of the area. We can deal with this problem with one of two ways.

Option 1: Retain the two existing trees, remove a significant amount of surfacing from beneath their canopies and create a path between the two trees. The surfacing outside the canopies will be raised slightly and resurfaced over the top of the existing tree roots. This would be a shorter term solution as the tree roots would eventually cause the new surfacing to move.

Option 2: Fell the existing trees and replace with two new semi-mature trees in specially constructed tree pits so that long term movement by the root system is minimised.

All options also include:

• relocating the existing two circular seats to Nun’s Way Recreation Ground and replacing them with alternatives,

• moving the recycling facility to the southern end of the Tesco building,

• creating a lay-bye on St. Kilda Avenue,

• installing modern lighting and moving the column positions,

• relocating the cycle parking,

• resurfacing the area with resin bonded gravel,

• ensuring the drainage is in working order.

Residents in the area should be receiving letters soon about these possible options, including maps etc. If you want more information, please get in touch!

Two planning applications (Arbury Court and Campkin Rd)

Two to talk about this time:

There has been an application for the "installation of 2 fascia signs and 6 printed vinyl signs (non-illuminated)" at 46 Arbury Court. The reference number is 09/0640/ADV.

The other one is for a "Single storey front extension" to 12 Campkin Road. The application is 09/0628/FUL.

As usual to get more information you can see the plans by visiting City Homes at 171 Arbury Road, or Milton Road Library or the Guildhall. More details, including how to comment on the applications and opening times, is available from the Development Control web pages.

As usual get in touch if you have any problems.

Campkin Road pavement

I've just heard back from the County Council highways that they will inspect and then hopefully fix a major piece of damage to the footpath on Campkin Road. Picture to follow later!

Please report any damage to pavements to the County Council and if they don't get back to you let us know of the issue and we'll chase.

In the County Council elections on Thursday (June 4) remember that the Conservative run County Council has squeezed funding from repairing the roads and vote for an active local councillor who will work for King's Hedges: Andy Pellew!

Planning application at Colleges Nursery

Colleges Nursery on Campkin Road has put in a planning application to replace its existing fence.

The reference number for the application is 08/1231/FUL, and more information can be found (as ever) on the development control pages of the City Council website.

Relaunch of the garden at 37 Lawrence Way

We were all pleased to get an invite to the relaunch of the the Community Garden at 37 Lawrence Way: the King's Hedges Neighbourhood Project's community house (just next door to the Campkin Road shops).

We would like to send our congratulations to the King's Hedges Neighbourhood Project on the relaunch. The community house is a very useful resource for the people of the ward, and the work of the partnership shows how a local community can work together in a very
positive way.

Unfortunately I had to stay at work and was unable to make it to what I am sure was a great event.

Fence fixed on Hopkins Close

Thanks to work by the LibDem team the fence between Campkin Road and Hopkins Close that blew down in the wind has finally been fixed.

(Thanks to Clare Blair, a LibDem councillor for East Chesterton, for help chasing this up!)

Campkin Road shops - Repaired!

Good news for those following the story of the cobbles outside Tesco on Campkin Road; we've had some emergency repairs carried out as you can see in the picture. These are temporary repairs as we're waiting for a full refit of the area.

In the mean time, I'll be following up with the delivery companies who use the area to try and ensure that they don't drive over the cobbles, which seems to be one of the causes of the problem.

Campkin Road shops concourse

The cobbles on the concourse outside the Campkin Road shops seem to have come loose again, and some have disappeared. I've written to the city council, and they've ordered some repairs. I'll keep an eye out and make sure this is followed up.

This is the second time your LibDem team have asked for emergency repairs. Mike Pitt got some repairs made last August.

The longer term improvement project is continuing to advance.

Campkin Road improvements

The resurfacing of Campkin Road car park is now complete and is a major improvement on the dreadful and unsafe surface we had before. The works were paid for by grants awarded at the North Area Committee.

The planted areas still need to be tidied up, but this work will take place soon.

The next project in the area is to lower the high planted area that obstructs views of people pulling out of the garage area opposite. The plan is to lower it and replant it, which should make the junction safer and make it more attractive.