March 2017

Buckden Roundabout

March 2017

Buckfest Music Festival will take place on Saturday 15 July 2017 at Buckden Village Club and

nominations are now being sought from local charities/good causes who would like to be

considered as this year's charity partner. Charities should be local (within Cambridgeshire,

or close to the Cambs. border) and the organisers are particularly keen to hear from organi-

sations where the donation would have a strong impact on their day-to-day work.

As well as receiving a financial donation, the charity will attend the festival to raise aware-

ness of its work – with around 2000 people attending Buckfest each year it's a great oppor-

tunity to get your organisation noticed.

Over the past 7 years Buckfest has donated over £13000 to local good causes. In 2016 the festival had two charity

partners (Elouise Keeling Asthma Trust and Little Miracles) who each received a donation of £1000 each. The festi-

val will have one charity partner in 2017.

If you would like to nominate a local charity/good cause please get in touch by emailing info@buckfest.org

Village News

PROTECT BUCKDEN’S FUTURE GROUP TO OPPOSE LUCKS LANE DEVELOPMENT AT PUBLIC INQUIRY –

BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP!

On 23

January 2017, the Protect Buckden’s Future Group held a Public Meeting and we thank the 132 residents

who attended and contributed both advice and funds. We outlined what we have done so far and what we intend

to do to stop the developer Gladman’s proposal to build 180 houses off Lucks Lane.

The PBF are a constituted group with elected officers who, for ten months, have coordinated with local and national

authorities, conducted thorough research, informed the public via the Roundabout and other media, and encour-

aged 221 residents to contact the Hunts District Council to oppose this scheme.

HDC with support from PBF, the Buckden Parish Council and the public, refused planning permission based on the

following grounds: 1). Erosion of rural character gap between Buckden and Stirtloe. 2). The proposal illustrated

cramped, poor quality housing. 3). Possible destruction of archaeology. 4). The anticipated increase in traffic from

the site would make it ‘extremely likely’ that collisions of ‘serious harm’ would result at the Stirtloe Lane/A1 junc-

tion. 5). The developers were unable to show that the effect on local traffic would not be severe. 6). Possible flood-

ing risk from Grafham Water. 7). HDC can rely upon their 5-year housing plan to adequately cover local develop-

ment without the need for this proposal.

The PBF further stated that: a). No development should be considered until the effects of the re-routings of the

A14, A428 and possibly A1, and the Alconbury and Brampton developments were known. b). The safety of pedestri-

ans, dog walkers etc. would be jeopardised by the extra traffic on Lucks Lane/Stirtloe Lane. c). Under new govern-

ment guidelines, Gladman would only be required to build ‘affordable’ houses at 80% of local house values and

rents, not truly social housing.

Our best means of opposing this development was to use local knowledge and focus on traffic congestion and safe-

ty, and in November over 90 locals helped us conduct a traffic survey, which has proved most useful.

We have retained planning and traffic consultants who will be our main witnesses at the upcoming

Public Inquiry

starting on 16

May 2017 in Buckden Village Hall

. PLEASE ATTEND IF YOU CAN, TO SHOW THE INSPECTOR THE

EXTENT OF LOCAL OPPOSITION.

To date, we nine people have covered the cost of all these expenses, but NOWWE NEED YOUR HELP AND FUNDING!

The more money we can raise to pay for consultants’ time, research and related expenses, the better chance we

have of stopping this development at the Public Inquiry; e.g. an official traffic count and speed survey on one lane

costs £360; surveying the A1 roundabout would cost £960, the official record of Buckden road traffic incidents costs

£100.

Please donate what you can: by cheque (payable to Protect Buckden’s Future Group) or cash to James Quick, PBF

Treasurer, 16 Lucks Lane (tel: 810843) or by bank transfer to the

PBF account no. 30681960, sort code: 30 97 81

Please contact us by email at

protect.buckden@btinternet.com

We thank you for your past and future support.

Protect Buckden’s Future Group