SCDC correspondence with Hilary Stroude

5 Oct

5th October 2022

On 27th August we published the text of a number of questions sent to SCDC leader Bridget Smith by Hilary Stroude. These question were themselves a follow-up to earlier questions Hilary put to the council at a council meeting in late July.

After a lengthy delay, responses to the follow-up questions have been received from Stephen Kelly, SCDC’s Joint Director of Planning. Below, we share those answers, together with Hilary Stroude’s response. It seems that questions continue to beget more questions.

Get comfortable – it’s a long read! As usual, your comments are invited.

Continue reading →

Not all bad news – a reason to be cheerful

13 Sep

13th September 2022: Debbie writes..

As LEGG was set up specifically to explore the issues around Longstanton’s groundwater loss, and to fight for acknowledgement and remediation, we inevitably bring you quite a lot of ‘downside’ news. But good stuff does happen along the way. For example, we recently told you about the concern being shown about the groundwater issues by Swavesey Parish Council and Internal Drainage board and by Cottenham Parish Council, underlining the fact that an encouraging local consensus is emerging.

Along the same lines, we’re delighted to hear that an inter-parish hydrology working group has been set up to facilitate communication and co-operation between local parish councils, and that they have already had their first meeting. It can only be good news if the voices of all our local parishes join to insist on action.

Attention is also well worth drawing to the fact that Northstowe Town Council have their own hydrology group. Our Northstowe neighbours are actively investigating possible interactions between the new town’s drainage system and the gravel aquifer, with the aim of helping us find out where the groundwater is going. Special mention should go to the personal efforts of Deputy Mayor Paul Littlemore. Thank you Northstowe!

Just how dry is your home?

13 Sep

13th September 2022

As we investigate the causes and effects of the local groundwater problems, one word is keeps coming up: flooding. If it seems strange to be concerned about flooding when we’ve been complaining about the lack of groundwater, consider this…

Sea levels are rising. Ice caps and glaciers are melting. A recent article in the Guardian indicates that a sea-level rise based on current rates of ice loss will result in an increase of 27cm, but if that rate of increase becomes the norm, it very soon becomes 78cm. Read the article here, and remember that mean sea level is not the same thing as the level of a spring high tide with a following wind pushing a surge down the North Sea.

So just how far above sea-level is your home? We live in the flat lands and it’s not easy to see where the land rises and falls. If this topic has caught your attention, you will find this website of interest: it shows very precisely the altitude of different areas of our village – just point and click. That’s the level above current mean sea-level, not necessarily the level above the spring-surge sea-level in 10 or 30 years time. (Northstowe has a planned build-out of 20-30 years…)

You will also be able to see how the height of the land falls between the middle of Longstanton and the busway on the far side of Northstowe, which may help explain why the water in the aquifer is all going one way.

Two new articles you really should read

8 Sep

8th September 2022

We have added two new items to our ‘Groundwater’ area. One describes how Northstowe’s dewatering came about – a chapter of astonishing oversights, mistakes and unforeseen consequences by planners and developers.
Read our article on the tragic errors that led to the groundwater debacle

The second takes a close look at the loss of the pond in Ladywalk. Amid the politics and the science, it is easy to overlook the human consequences that the loss of a much-loved amenity can have on those who suffer it.
Read our interviews with Ladywalk residents about the loss of their pond

The ‘thing in the lake’ revealed

1 Sep

1st September 2022

Yesterday, we brought you news of the construction of the first water-sports installation on the phase 2 lake. Yesterday’s photo was taken on a phone from a moving bus, so understandably it was not very detailed. This morning, we obtained more detailed images and they add significantly to our reservations about this development. Continue reading →

Follow-up questions to Council Leader Bridget Smith

27 Aug

27th August 2022

In an earlier post we published questions put to SCDC cabinet by Hilary Stroude and Council Leader Bridget Smith’s response. Feeling these answers to be inadequate in many respects, Hilary subsequently sent a list of comments and follow-up questions to Ms Smith. A few words have been edited to suit the formatting of the online version.

To date, no response has been received to these additional questions. Continue reading →

Cottenham Parish Council joins the chorus of disapproval over Northstowe plans

25 Aug

25th August 2022

Cottenham Parish Council have joined their colleagues in Swavesey in expressing disapproval of a planning application relating to the Northstowe development. This time, it is the drainage proposals for Phase 2 that have come under fire. On SCDC’s planning website, Cottenham PC make the following statement:

“CPC recommends refusal of this application in the strongest possible terms. The EA (note: Environment Agency) have already admitted that Cottenham Lode isn’t fit for purpose. Capacity is limited and, as demonstrated in recent years, the Lode is prone to overtopping at Rampton and Cottenham during heavy rains. Additional run-off into Beck Brook and the Lode from Northstowe would therefore have disastrous effects for both Cottenham and Rampton. Furthermore the pumping stations, particularly at Smithy Fen and the wider Old West IDB area, require upgrading to manage the existing water. It was evident during the Christmas 2020 flood that the pumping stations were unable to cope.”

A number of other objections, by Longstanton residents, have also been made on the SCDC website. You can view all the comments by visiting the link below. If you are dissatisfied with the plans published by the District Council, you too can have your say by visiting the link below and adding your own comment in the ‘Public Comments’ section. One warning: you can only comment if you register on the site first.

Visit the SCDC planning applications website.