Archive for month: December, 2017

All villages and parish councils have been granted an extension to this application until 26th January, and Whittlesford Parish Council will be holding a public meeting regarding this application on Thursday 4th January at 7.30pm at the Memorial Hall.
Please do come along !

Massive Agri-tech Planning Application. As is highlighted under latest planning news on the Scambs.gov.ukweb site, “ Local people are being encouraged to have their say on plans for a new ‘AgriTech’ park near Hinxton” which will also have enormous impact on Duxford, Whittlesford and surrounding villages and especially all users of or accessing the A505. According to the recently-submitted planning application, the primary aim of the new facility would be to develop technologies which help farmers and the food chain improve their performance. Their proposal seekspermission for a new bespoke technology park containing up to 112,000 square metres of employment space, and the planning application states it will create up to 4,000 new jobs. The planned development is just over three times the size of nearby Babraham Research Park, which will be 33,000 square metres of employment space once a recently approved extension has been built.The Hinxton Agritech development is proposed on land to the east of the A1301, south of the A505 near Hinxton and west of the A1301, north of the A505 near Whittlesford and Duxford. To give some idea of its location and extent, this includes a large field at the Whittlesford/Pampisford corner of the A505 ‘Sawston roundabout’ and from the view of the motorist travelling from the roundabout’s diagonally opposite corner, (the Pampisford / Hinxton boundary) towards Saffron Walden and A14, A11 and M11 links, the site extends across all the land on the left hand side of that road, all the way to the vicinity of Hinxton village and to the extensive Genome Campus on the right hand side. South Cambridgeshire District Council has now launched a six week public consultation into SmithsonHill Limited’s plans –- deadline 4 January 2018 – this has now been extended to the 26th January.

End of IWM Neighbours of Duxford Scheme If you live in Duxford, Heathfield, Fowlmere, Ickleton, Pampisford, Whittlesford, Hinxton and Thriplow up until yesterday you could visit the IWM Duxford for free on any day other than an airshow day or special event through the Neighbours of Duxford scheme. From now on when your Neighbours card expires you’ll have to pay £10 per person per year to enjoy the same privilege. Originally the Neighbours of Duxford scheme was instigated as an acknowledgment of the inconveniences we have to suffer as a result of the proximity of the airfield. For example difficulty getting in and out of the villages on air show days, having your peace and privacy disturbed by over flying aircraft, etc, etc. John Brown (Executive Director Commercial Services and Operations at IWM Duxford) claims this decision has been taken due to lack of funding and has told the chairman of Duxford Parish Council that ‘he hasn’t had many complaints’. Many will say this is because residents are not yet aware of the IWM’s decision to charge.  How have they notified local residents ? If you feel as many do about this, and that this £10 charge is an insult to the neighbours who have quietly accepted that we live next to a working museum and have supported them whenever a threat to their very existence has arisen, you might like to tell Mr Brown what you think of his idea by writing to him at contact@ iwm.org.