July 2024

4 Buckden Roundabout July 2024 Buckden Parish Council Buckden Parish Council News... Council Website For more information, please visit the Buckden Parish Council (BPC) web site at www.buckdenpc.org.uk. To automatically find out what is going on subscribe to our Newsletter service using your email address. Facilities for Young People A successful evening was held on Friday 17 th May at the Vil- lage Hall for a group of 11 - 18 year olds. The evening was sup- ported by the Integrated Care Partnership and Huntingdon- shire District Council - Active Lifestyles. The aim of the event was to seek feedback about what activities and support was sought by young people in Buckden. The event consisted of 90 minutes of activities, provided by 2 Active Lifestyles Coaches, which included Archery and Corn- hole, followed by Pizza. Those that attended were entered into a draw to win a £50 Amazon Voucher, and were all pro- vided with a tote bag to take away that included motivational wrist bands, stress balls, sweets, and information from Centre 33, who provide free, confidential support for young people up to the age of 25 about family problems, mental health, housing, money, sexual health etc. The feedback from attendees was combined with that from those who had completed a survey issued previously. A full report on the event can be found on our website. However, in summary • 66% of responses said that availability of things to do in Buckden was only poor – fair. There was a lot of ref- erence within the feedback to the recreation ground. This seems to be a popular place amongst all age groups, though feedback suggests improvements could be made to the climbing wall and there is a need for more equipment relevant to this age group. • 96% of responses said that they ’ d like to see more in- door and outdoor spaces made available, with free activities for teenagers. Suggestions include multi - purpose pitches for a variety of sports, a skate park, table tennis, art groups, and in particular somewhere indoors for drinks, snacks – somewhere young people friendly. We are meeting on 17 th June to agree how to take this work forward. New paths at Paxton Pits Last month our District Councillor wrote about the proposal to create new cycle/bridle ways in the Paxton Pits Nature Re- serve. Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) are currently consulting on the changes. BPC has confirmed that it welcomes the plans and has no objections to the proposals. Some sections of the new routes will be upgraded to bridleway status (providing access to walkers/runners, cyclists and equestri- ans). The provision of bridleways for use by cyclists will be particularly welcomed by some residents. It is however un- clear how cyclists will access the new routes from Buckden and Stirtloe? This is currently being explored. We have expressed concern about how the speed of some cyclists can be managed to ensure the safety of all users. We understand that these routes will be surfaced with a mixture of grass and gravel. This type of unsealed surface limits the speed at which cyclists can ride, and therefore it is not antici- pated that there will be a general issue with cyclists riding too quickly. Responsibility for maintenance of the footpaths will be split between CCC and Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC), depending on whether the path falls within the Paxton Pits Nature Reserve or not. Most of the footpaths which are pro- posed fall within the area maintained by HDC as part of the on - going maintenance of the Nature Reserve. CCC will be re- sponsible for maintaining those parts of the paths which fall outside of the Nature Reserve area. Councillor Appointments We are pleased to announce that Simon Leggate has been appointed as a Councillor. We have one remaining vacancy for a Councillor. Council Meetings The next Council meeting will be at 7.00 pm on Tuesday 9 th July. The meeting will include a 15 - minute open forum. If you want to speak at the meeting, please let us know what you want to say, by contacting the Parish Clerk. You will get a three - minute slot. The Council Planning Committee will also meet if required. Agendas for both meetings are posted on the Parish notice boards no later than the Saturday preceding the meeting. Office opening hours The Clerk operates flexibly between the office and home. If you wish to meet with the Clerk, please call on. 07483 033357. All of the papers and reports for Council Meetings are available on the Thursday before meetings on Council website www.buckdenpc.org.uk .This provides the opportunity to see the agenda, reports of work carried out by the Council as well as reports from our County and District Councillors. Any questions or comments on this report should be addressed to the Parish Clerk at: Buckden Parish Council, Buckden Village Hall, Burberry Rd, Buckden, PE19 5UY. Telephone 01480 819407 Email: clerk@buckdenpc.org.uk.