Fen Ditton Village News

Gritting in and around Fen Ditton

2010-02-11T20:30:00.002Z

I've just had word from the County Council about plans for road gritting in the area in the event of more snow and ice.

The main B1047 (Ditton Lane/Horningsea Road) will be gritted from the A14 junction down to Newmarket Road. There will be no gritting between the A14 junction and Waterbeach, nor will High Ditch Road or High Street.

Basically, road salt is being rationed across the country by the Department for Transport's "Salt Cell", and local authorities are being told to halve the amount of salt they use or face a reduction in their allowance. In the meantime, the public is being asked to write off their cars and break their limbs with good humour and a stiff upper lip(*).

More detail, including maps, at

http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/transport/roads/winter/

(*) Possibly, I made this bit up.

Parish Council meeting

2010-02-01T15:23:00.002Z

I've just updated the www.fenditton.org website with the minutes of the last parish council meeting.

The next meeting is Tuesday 2nd February, in the pavilion on the recreation ground - all members of the public are welcome to attend.

Something useful, part one

2010-01-06T21:03:00.004Z

Well, while I'm still full of New Year resolution here's some possibly-useful(*) information: the dates for wheelie bin collections for 2010.

06 Jan (Wed): Black

12 Jan: Green

19 Jan: Black

26 Jan: Green

02 Feb: Black
09 Feb: Green
16 Feb: Black
23 Feb: Green
02 Mar: Black
09 Mar: Green
16 Mar: Black
23 Mar: Green
30 Mar: Black
07 Apr (Wed): Green
13 Apr: Black

* - and probably accurate: I'm just passing on what it says on the South Cambs council magazine page I have here.

See the Wicken Fen Vision

2008-03-06T09:55:00.002Z

Next Monday the National Trust are holding a public meeting in Fen Ditton presenting some good news for the village - the Wicken Fen Vision.

The vision is to create a nature reserve of more than 20 square miles, reaching from High Ditch Road all the way to the current Wicken Fen site, with access to allow walking and cycling from your doorstep! To anyone worried about the constant expansion of Cambridge city engulfing the village, this is indeed welcome.

Please come to the meeting to show your support. It's at 7pm in the Church Hall, on Monday 10th March 2008. If you miss it, other meetings are being held around the area - click here for a full list.

The Plough tasting evening

2007-11-05T21:39:00.000Z

In case you missed it, the Plough pub by the river has been relaunched - gone is the Brewer's Fayre stodge; it won't be missed. To celebrate they're holding a tasting evening for their newly-revealed winter menu, on Thursday 15th Nov. For details, phone them on 293264.

Fireworks on the Rec tomorrow

2007-11-01T22:39:00.000Z

It's the village bonfire night this Friday (2nd Nov) - food and festivities start at 6.30pm on the Recreation Ground, with a firework display at 7.30pm. This is supported by the Ditton Day team and the Parish Council.

Forthcoming events

2007-05-07T20:16:00.000+01:00

Time to get your diaries out:

Next Saturday - that's May 12th - is the Spring Fair at Fen Ditton Church (St Mary The Virgin), from 11am-3pm.

Then, make sure you're free on Saturday June 23rd for Ditton Day 2007 which will be as fun and colourful as ever. I'll post a list of what's on and when as soon as I get it.

Council 'needs more time' over sewage works

2007-04-24T20:16:00.000+01:00

Cambridgeshire county council has responded to the deluge of public comments on their proposals to build a new sewage treatment works at Honey Hill on the edge of Fen Ditton, by asking for more time to allow yet more 'public consultation'.

In what may well be the beginning of a climbdown over the issue, the planners now propose "considering the implications of the 'do nothing' option", as well as having second thoughts about whether the whole fiasco can be "financially deliverable".

Doubtless you'll be able to make your views known, again, to the Council in due course.

You can read the full press release from Cambs county council
here.

Save Milton Country Park!

2007-01-09T09:15:00.000Z

Most of us in the village have enjoyed roaming in Milton Country Park at some point. Sadly South Cambs District Council has decided closing this last outpost of green space will save them a few bob, and have set a date of the 31st August 2007 for its demise. You can read the full details at http://www.savemiltoncountrypark.com/.

I'd urge everybody to support this campaign. The park is a place to relax, a place to learn, a place to run around and let off steam; it has something for everyone. The Council will save just over one pound per year per South Cambs resident from closing it - I can't think of many other ways to improve 'quality of life' for so little.

Fireworks and meetings

2006-10-29T17:29:00.000Z

I've added the minutes from the last Parish Council meeting (on the 10th October) to the Parish Council pages on the Fen Ditton website. Click here to view.

There will be fireworks and light refreshments starting at 6pm on Friday 3rd November on the Recreation Ground. Last year's event was very professionally presented and well attended.

Nice to hear that Neal Street Productions (filming 'Stuart - A Life Backwards', see below) gave a donation of £1000 towards Parish Council funds.

Hollywood glamour comes to Fen Ditton

2006-09-25T09:32:00.000+01:00

Well, almost...

Filming started today of a BBC adaptation of Alexander Masters' book 'Stuart: A Life Backwards'. This is a story of a Cambridge man, partly set in Fen Ditton - see here for information.

The former Post Office has been transformed back into a 'shop' for the duration - unfortunately the new sign and rather fetching window display are just for show.

A fleet of lorries and vans has taken over the Blue Lion car park. There is no parking in much of the High Street, and marshals are directing traffic along it.

You can read the BBC press release of the story here. The film is being made by Neal Street Productions.

Village facing more development

2006-07-22T10:28:00.000+01:00

Fen Ditton Village Society has warned of two new threats to the Green Belt which affect the village.

One proposal is to allow for "employment, leisure and residential" development on Chesterton Fen, which is currently pleasant open space opposite Fen Ditton along the Cam enjoyed by a great number of walkers, cyclists and anglers.

The second proposal is to allow building on fields alongside Horningsea Road, expanding into the Green Belt and adding more traffic and side-roads to an already difficult school walking route.

As ever South Cambs council has left very little time to raise objections - objections need to be received by Thursday 27^th July at the latest.

More details on these proposals, and how to submit objections, can be found here.

Ditton Day '06 photos now up

2006-07-17T23:01:00.000+01:00

Just for fun, I've put a few photos from this year's Ditton Day up on www.fenditton.org - click here for the link.

The whole event was well-organised and a lot of fun. Even the weather held out in the end!

Ditton Day 2006

2006-06-14T21:57:00.000+01:00

Ditton Day 2006 is the village's annual summer fair, held on the Recreation Ground. This year it's on Saturday June 24th, from noon until 5pm. This year we have:
- entertainment provided by Cambridge's Q103 FM, and the Flex Jazz dancers
- for the energetic, a funfair, a climbing wall, and a goalie competition
- for the family, a best pet competition, art competition and a magician
- stalls, teas, and of course the beer tent!

It's always a great family event, there's no charge to get in, and a good way to meet people from the village. See you there!

Little Oaks pre-school to close

2006-06-02T21:25:00.000+01:00

We are sad to report that Little Oaks pre-school is to close its doors from the end of this term (21 July), due to an insufficient number of pupils signed up for the new school year in September.

Sandra and Lisa have given countless village children a happy start to their education over the 16 years the school has been running; we wish them well in the future.

Sewage Works Meeting

2006-06-02T21:11:00.000+01:00

There will be a public meeting on Friday 9th June, 7PM at Fen Ditton Primary School to hear views about Cambridgeshire County Council's proposals to site a sewage treatment works on the edge of the village (click here for link).

Present will be:
Andie Harper (BBC Cambridgeshire)
James Paice (South Cambridgeshire MP)
Mark Vigor (Cambs CC Head of Strategic Planning)
Caroline Hunt (South Cambs District Council)

There are many reasons to be concerned about the impact this plan would have on the village, on the environment, and on the Green Belt: please attend if you can.

(For further information, visit www.fenditton.village-society.co.uk or telephone 01223 295264).

Welcome

2006-06-01T21:14:00.000+01:00

Greetings, readers, and welcome to the Fen Ditton Village News blog. Times are changing fast, so much so that our village website (www.fenditton.org) is getting hard to keep up-to-date. So, here's a slightly more 21st-century solution - news and views posted round the clock, as they happen.

A few groundrules first: whilst I intend to keep postings strictly factual, remember that this is my personal slant on village affairs, and any opinions expressed are neither those of the Parish Council nor any other individual or organisation. I'm happy to correct errors of fact, but this isn't the forum for arguing about personal taste.

Comments are welcome, or you can email me at blogspot@fenditton.org.

Thanks for reading,

IH