[Members] GCP Barton Greenway (future of the trees) ; Congestion Charge; Cambridge Living Streets AGM; Update on Paradise

Thu Dec 1 19:15:10 GMT 2022

Dear All,

*Update 1 Dec, 2022*

*Last chance to comment on the Barton Greenway and the Barton Road trees
and verges*

The consultation on the Barton Greenway ends at  *midday 2nd December -
please respond if you can. *

The aim is to provide a safer and better route for people walking, cycling
and, where appropriate, horse- riding, between Barton and Cambridge, with a
spur to Grantchester, but people who attended the drop-in event to look at
the plans in more detail have raised concerns about the environmental
impact of the plans.

At present Barton Road is a green entrance to the city with verges and
mature trees, but it seems they could disappear to make way for a 2.5m
cycleway, which could be red tarmac like the harsh red for Mitchams Corner
, and a 1.5m wide footpath - 4m in total. CamCycle are recommending

The trees are important not just in aesthetic terms but for absorbing
carbon emissions - it would take 20 years before the canopy of
any replacements could fulfil the same function.

There Is considerable overlap between the Barton Greenway and that already
consulted on from Haslingfield, and several people have commented that it
is a waste of money and environmentally harmful to tarmac over the
Baulk which is at present pleasantly rural, and much enjoyed by people
walking when the proposal to make Grantchester Road a 'quiet road’ would
work for both these Greenways.

Cambridge‘s famously attractive rural character and natural aspect is
admired all over the world. It is viewed as something special and unique to
Cambridge, part of the character that makes the city a great visitor
destination . See the New York Times report. https://
www.nytimes.com/2018/07/15/world/europe/cambridge-england-cows.htm

Residents say that the Barton Road Cycleway appears to have been designed
with no reference to that famously rural setting and character or the
natural aspect of the Greenways that was promised by the then chair of the
GCP, Francis Burkitt.

Barton Road with its verges and mature trees is a stunning green visitor
entrance to Cambridge. Residents are concerned about the caveat that the
trees will be retained only “where possible”. They say that retention of
the attractive existing layout can be achieved by a bit of judicious and
fair containment of the Greenway. A compromise would be to reduce the
proposed width of the combined Greenway from 4m (2.5m for the cycleway and
1.5 m for the footpath) to 3m (2m and 1m respectively). This small
compromise would enable the current width of the main grass verge between
the cycleway and the carriageway to be as far as possible preserved.

Residents ask why the grassy wild strips which run along the
outside/house/fence side of the footpaths ( in the built area) could not be
retained and be respected as something really special and viewed as an
opportunity for community planting - for example early flowering aconites,
in the style of the Backs? They point out that Wolfson College regularly
plants bulbs along their frontage. Other Cambridge colleges have cow
parsley growing in their frontages. The grass strips could be reduced
perhaps but not lost altogether. Small details like this can make all the
difference to the overall green appearance of the cycleway.

Residents say shouldn't the design for all the Greenways and city
approaches reflect what makes Cambridge special and not just adopt a one
size fits all approach.

The survey takes a few minutes and you have to answer only the Qs you want
to.

To find out more and respond to the consultation please visit
https://consultcambs.uk.engagementhq.com/gcp-barton-greenway
<https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjExMDcuNjYyNzQxNjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2NvbnN1bHRjYW1icy51ay5lbmdhZ2VtZW50aHEuY29tL2djcC1iYXJ0b24tZ3JlZW53YXk_dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWdvdmRlbGl2ZXJ5In0.UdOregByWLhMMmulzyC1gDXoLwh1P3ccUr76vZIPelM/s/2918234712/br/147537363577-l>

For more information about the Greenways project and to view the designs
visit https://www.greatercambridge.org.uk/greenways
<https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.tivUSJgRNBZaa6Eaxgy5RMyn3gPNx4WaAjmHm4U2S1k/s/2918234712/br/147537363577-l>

*GCP Making Connections Consultation – consultation closes midday 23 Dec*

https://consultcambs.uk.engagementhq.com/making-connections-2022

The transport measures and charge continue to generate controversy

https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/news/cambridge-loses-its-cool-at-congestion-charge-protest-on-par-9286435/

No-one who lives here can doubt that drastic action is needed to address
the congestion and air pollution we are currently experiencing, and some
degree of road charging is a key part of successful schemes in other parts
of the country as well as London, but it’s essential to first ensure that
there *is *frequent, reliable  and affordable public transport so that
people do have a choice.

That doesn’t seem certain at present from this scheme, and residents also
question the priorities of the GCP - the £200 million set to be wasted on
the Cambourne busway could fund quite a lot of buses!

The consultation ends at midday on Friday 23rd DEc.

*Cambridge Living Streets AGM Tues Dec 18:30 – 19:30*

*https://www.cambstimes.co.uk/news/23078285.new-travel-alliance-launched-cambridgeshire/
<https://www.cambstimes.co.uk/news/23078285.new-travel-alliance-launched-cambridgeshire/>*

Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/nfi-qwdu-geq
Agenda:

   1. Chair's report on Living Streets activities
   2. Election of officers for 2022-2023: Nominations have been received
   for the following posts.- Chair: David Stoughton; Vice chair: Linda Jones;
   Secretary: Charles Jones
   3. Elections to Committee
   4. Expressions of interest in the post of Treasurer
   5. Draft programme and priorities for upcoming year
   6. Date of next meeting and Christmas gathering
   7. AOB

*Cambridge Living Streets say they are investigating forming a Community
Interest Company with a view to raising funds to employ and pay a
communications officer *

*Latest on Paradise Nature Reserve and Queens College and Owlstone Croft*

Queens' application to build in the garden of Owlstone Croft was due to go
to the Planning Committee on 7th December, and we know some of you were
planning to come to support Paradise, but it has now been postponed yet
again.

This is because of the documents put on the Council’s planning site only
last week, which did not give enough time for consultation. In addition to
disputing the findings of our consultants on Bats/lighting and Flood
Risk/drainage they also challenge the Wildlife Trust’s assessment of
the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) on the site as more like 10% than the 51%
they had claimed.

There is also new bat data, and the Friends of Paradise Nature Reserve are
very grateful for your donations which have enabled their consultant, Geoff
Moxon from Bioscan, to respond to this. He considers the data inadequate
for a site of high suitability for bats, the trees that are their flight
path should not be removed, and that the lighting levels proposed for
buildings on the boundary are far too high -  see his report attached

Unfortunately the City Ecologist does not believe Ecology to be strong
enough grounds for objection to the plans so has said they are acceptable,
and proposed conditions to mitigate the harm they would cause.

The flood risk and drainage proposals would also impact on the Nature
Reserve as well as the neighbouring Area, and Friends of Paradise Nature
Reserve consultants, GWP, have agreed to respond to Queens’ on this.

The Planning Application will now be on the agenda for the next meeting on
the 11th January  and we will let you know as  soon as we have more details.

Best wishes,

Wendy

 Wendy Blythe
Chair, FeCRA

www.fecra.org.uk
www.facebook.com/CambridgeRAs
www.twitter.com/fecra2
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