Histon & Impington schools could be faced with a strike by teachers and non-teaching support staff if the National Education Union (NEU) is unable to secure an acceptable pay deal for their members.
The union says they have called the strike due to “a crisis of recruitment and retention within the school system” which they attribute to “a decade of falling pay”.
Four provisional dates have been set for the strike: 1 February, and 1, 15 and 16 March. NEU members working in Histon & Impington schools may choose to take part on those days, but the situation will remain unclear until the last minute unless an agreement is reached.
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At Impington Village College (IVC), it is estimated that more than half of the teaching staff could take part in industrial action. As such, the school has taken the decision not to open on strike days. Instead, students will be set the DfE-recommended five hours of remote learning per day, with plans in place to cater for students with EHCPs and the children of critical workers.
Headteacher of Brook Primary School Jonathan Newman explained in a letter to parents and carers: “…we are not always aware of precisely how many employees intend to join the strike action as individuals are not under any obligation to notify us in advance. As a result, this can make predicting the impact of action difficult.
“We hope to be able to remain open as much as possible during the strike, but we are aware that a number of our staff are members of the NEU and that, consequently, some disruption is possible…”
Parents and carers from Park Primary received an identical letter. Both primary schools and the Meridian Trust, to which they belong, are neither supporting nor opposing the NEU action. They are urging parents not to discuss the strike with members of staff and are asking staff to avoid discussing their personal views on the action with parents, carers and pupils.
Abbey Fields Project trustees, volunteers and a crowd of Histon & Impington residents gathered on Saturday to watch the planting of a sapling in Long Meadow, off Park Lane.
A crowd of 150 people assembled on the 4.5-acre meadow to mark the moment when the sapling – a descendent of the veteran 450-year-old oak on Croft Close Set Aside – was transferred to Long Meadow in a symbolic linking of the two sites.The Abbey Fields project was formed by local people in 2021 to ensure that Long Meadow and Croft Close Set-aside (CCSA) are saved in perpetuity for, and by the community. Through a fundraising campaign, the group have raised £400,000 in just over a year – and the project looks set to meet the target of £500,000 needed to secure and maintain the land.
Caroline Chivers addressed the crowd before helping to plant the sapling. Photo: Amy Murrell.
The commemorative planting in Long Meadow – which may have historically been used as a hay meadow and summer pasture – is a symbol of both continuity and renewal for the community.
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Saturday’s event was multi-generational, with Caroline Chivers – whose family has been associated with the villages of Histon and Impington for over a century – planting the tree with the help of a group of local children.
The new sapling will have sturdy posts and a rabbit-and-deer-proof mesh fitted in the next few weeks to provide permanent protection from the elements, and will be looked after by volunteer working parties.
The new tree is a symbol of continuity and renewal for the villages. Photo: Arnold Fertig.
Chair of Histon and Impington Green Spaces (HIGS), Rob Bensted-Smith commented: “The tree planting recognises that our project is just a small step in a long continuum of village life. One day the sapling will be a worthy successor to the huge sycamore that dominated Long Meadow for over a hundred years.
“We have a responsibility to the planet and to ourselves as a community to leave a network of green spaces around H&I, as well as preserve biodiversity for future generations.’
Protecting the ancient oak
Meanwhile, steps are being taken to protect the veteran oak at Croft Close Set-aside by cutting back shrubs and saplings growing beneath and immediately around it.
The ancient oak will be more visible and dominant in its surroundings once nearby vegetation is cut back. Photo: Daphne Fisher
Recommended by leading experts on ancient trees, this practice is called halo release. It will prevent overshadowing and allow light to reach the trunk of the tree again.
The halo release work party will take place on 28 January from 10:30am to12:30pm. Volunteers are invited to meet at Croft Close Set-aside for a short talk by Daphne Fisher, Chair of the Site Management Action Group, on why this is important for the health of the veteran tree, before clearing the surrounding trees and shrubs.
After a 3-year absence from the community calendar, 2022’s Fireworks Extravaganza has seen record ticket sales with the highest ever grants donated to each of the three village schools. Several smaller sums were gifted to local organisations whose help on the night aided the safe and smooth running of the event.
Speaking to HI HUB, event Chair Dan Mace said: “We were delighted to see so many people come along to enjoy this event and the huge number of tickets sold has resulted in us being able to make significant donations to the local school PTAs, as well as other organisations who help make the event a success. We counted 3800 people through the gates and would like to thank every single one of you for your support”.
Lighting up the sky. A memorable moment from 2022’s display captured by Penny Reeves.
This year the event surplus was £9,585 and the committee agreed to make donations totaling £9,309. Approximately 80% of the money went to parent-led organisations at our schools:
£520 to 1st Histon Scouts who managed and ran the novelty and sweet sales on the night.
£520 to Panther Explorers who marshalled the car park.
£509 to IVC 6th Form for the purchase of a new Barista style coffee machine. The 6th form volunteers did an excellent job marshalling during the event and then stayed on to clear up afterwards in very wet conditions.
Scoff ‘n’ Nosh, Sam’s Thai and Verrecchia ice cream and crepes fed the crowds and the dedicated couple who have brought their fair ride along over many previous years returned once more for 2022. Essex Pyrotechnics – without whom there would have been no display at all – provided the fireworks for the display along with the all important mandatory firer training.
The 2023 event will take place on Saturday 4th November. Look out for further information in the autumn.
Overwhelmed by excess demand for on-the-day appointments, Firs House surgery has amended its proposed system for booking appointments online to help deal with the intense pressure on medical services. This pressure has led to the surgery having to suspend its new online Patient Triage platform for at least some hours each day to give staff time to assess the medical requests submitted.
Concerned that misinformation about its new system was being discussed on social media, the surgery clarified that the system wasn’t faulty, “This is the same process that was used when the telephone booking system was at capacity”, they explained.
Originally it was intended that the online platform would also be open for bookings overnight and during weekends, but this will no longer be the case – even after the current capacity crisis is over. Based on experience in other surgeries, Firs House expects the number of potential appointment requests would then be too great to enable them to prioritise on the next working day.
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Improvements
Despite the capacity issues, the online appointment booking platform introduced by Firs House at the start of the year has been effective at improving wait times for priority appointments. And it has been signalling alternative healthcare providers when medical services aren’t available or required, enabling medical staff to reach the most urgent cases sooner. Experience at other surgeries suggests that as many as 1 in 5 requests could be signposted elsewhere as the system settles down.
Also, although the booking system has had to be suspended each day at some point during the morning, it has on some days been reopened briefly in the afternoon if any appointments are still available. When all bookings were coming in by phone, patients were normally told to try again the following day.
“A little bit of tolerance”
The expectation, based on experience elsewhere, is that it will take at least three months for Firs House and the community to get into their stride and use the new system to its best advantage.
In recent days feedback from surgery staff as well as patients confirm it is now working far better than first-past-the-post telephone systems without any triage capability. One patient posted on social media “I prefer this new system and am very grateful that Firs pursued a different system when the phone system wasn’t working. I completed the form yesterday and spoke with a doctor today.” Another commented “My wife and I have had excellent responses [to an online request] so far, with medication prescribed, and non-urgent appointments set up for next week.”
Some social media comments have been critical of the surgery, but others have recognised the huge pressures they are working under and defended it. One patient pointed out “In a nutshell, too many patients need the services of the local GP team, which it simply doesn’t have the resources to meet. If we want to complain, then maybe to higher authorities than Firs/Telegraph Street may be a way forward.”
Another person called for the community to “be a bit tolerant of initial teething problems.” Someone posted: “We need to be patient while [the system] beds in and the staff get used to it. It’s always hard when a new process and system are introduced, especially if it gets swamped like today. I have a friend in Haddenham whose GP surgery uses this and has for a while. She says it’s way more efficient that the first come first served on the phone system.”
Members of the community who want the Parish Council to consider a new idea, take action on a suggestion, or tackle a problem or concern, could get the chance to make their case in person in future.
As things stand, residents aren’t allowed to speak at a Council meeting unless the matter they want to raise is on a meeting agenda – an agenda which is set by the Council. But a proposal to change to a rule that governs how the village’s Council meetings are conducted would give Histon & Impington residents the right to speak formally at meetings and have their position recorded in the minutes.
This proposed amendment to the rules – which are known as ‘standing orders’ – is being put forward by Chair Denis Payne. If endorsed by Councillors, this would bring the village into line with other Councils, including South Cambridgeshire District Council.
Denis told HI HUB: “Members of the public can already make representations, answer questions and give evidence at Council meetings, but only if this relates to an item that is on the agenda set by Councillors. By removing this restriction I hope we can improve community engagement and respond more effectively to the people who elected us.
“If agreed, this would allow residents to ask questions or raise topics at the start of meetings. It’s a small change – but an important one as currently there is no means for the public to formally raise an issue or concern with the Council.”
Other key decisions to be taken at the meeting will relate to income and expenditure for 2023/4. The Finance and Governance Committee is proposing a 2.86% increase in the element of Council Tax that can be spent by the Parish Council. This would mean residents in Band D properties paying £123.27 for direct use by the village in 2023/4, compared with £119.94 this year.
Other items on the agenda include HI Friends request for £17,500 towards the cost of the Wellbeing Team. Connections Bus Youth Work is also asking the council to consider funding request for £25,575 for youth work provision in the village.
The next meeting of the full Parish Council will take place on Monday 16 January in the Community Room on the Rec, starting at 7.30pm. All Histon & Impington residents are invited to attend to listen to the debates, and any resident wishing to address the meeting on these or any other agenda item can speak at the meeting. For full details, see the agenda here. To speak at the meeting, contact the office to request a slot. Email clerk@hisimp-pc.gov.uk
Parts of the road will be closed at night in both directions as final resurfacing work is carried out in preparation for a full reopening.
The Greater Cambridge Partnership is predicting that the Histon Road into Cambridge will be fully reopened to all traffic by mid-October.
Since June 2020 the B1049 has been closed to Cambridge-bound motor vehicles while work has been ongoing to improve cycling, walking and public transport journeys along the route beyond Kings Hedges Road.
Although the southern section of Histon Road from the Windsor Road junction to Huntingdon Road has already reopened to two-way traffic, the northern section around the Gilbert Road junction and up to the Kings Hedges Road junction is unfinished. A final set of overnight road closures will be needed to complete the work there.
From now until 20th September the road will be closed in both directions in the evenings and overnight between 8pm and 6am on the short stretch between the Windsor Road junction and Gilbert Road junction.
Then next week will see the closure of the whole road between the Gilbert Road junction and Kings Hedges Road. From 20th September to 8th October, traffic signs will divert motorists via the A14, Milton Road and Victoria Road between 8pm and 6am. The road will remain open to pedestrians and cycles in both directions, though traffic managers may ask cyclists to dismount and walk along pavements in the sections where active resurfacing is taking place.
The overnight closures will also affect the Citi 8 and Busway B bus routes. Stagecoach has announced that the Citi 8 will be changing its route after 8pm and passengers from Cambridge are being advised to use the bus stop at the Westbrook Centre on Milton Road for travel to Impington and Histon.
Firs House Surgery has fallen victim to the nationwide lorry driver shortage, which has led to deliveries by one of the largest flu vaccine suppliers in the UK being delayed.
As a result, efforts to offer flu jabs all over-50s and vulnerable adults in the village in preparation for a predicted winter influenza spike have suffered a temporary setback. Plans for a team of local volunteers to support surgery staff on vaccination days have also had to be revised.
The comprehensive vaccination campaign has now been pushed back from a start date of 18th September to 2nd October for adults, though the vaccination schedule for eligible children has not been affected.
Rescheduling
The surgery explained the challenge they have faced: “We have had to cancel over 1,000 booked appointments and reschedule new dates. This time-consuming work has now been completed and all patients who had booked an appointment with us have been booked into a new appointment.”
The patients who had already been given appointments will receive a text or a letter confirming a new date and time. If those aren’t convenient, they can contact the surgery to re-book. If they no longer need an appointment, they can call to cancel.
The surgery explained: “Unfortunately, due to the work involved in rescheduling our flu campaign, we no longer have the capacity to individually contact the remaining eligible patients inviting them to book in, and therefore[we] invite all eligible patients to contact the surgery and book an appointment now.”
The adult groups eligible for the flu vaccine are:
everyone aged 50 years and over
those aged 6 months to under 50 years in clinical risk groups
pregnant women
long-stay care home residents
frontline health and social care staff
close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
The new vaccination dates for the Histon surgery are Saturday and Sunday 2nd/3rd October, and Saturdays 9th October, 30th October and 6th November.
Anyone who previously had an adult appointment on 18th/19th September, 25th September or 16th October has been rescheduled and should have already received a text or letter confirming a new date.
Children first
Firs House’s child flu vaccines have not been affected by the supply problems and the first child flu vaccine clinics will be taking place this weekend on Saturday and Sunday 18th/19th September. After that, weekday appointments will be available in Cottenham in October.
Parents of children aged 2-3 years, or aged 2-17 with underlying health conditions, are being urged to book an appointment if they haven’t been contacted already. Children aged 4-15 years (reception to year 11) will receive their vaccine via the School Immunisations Team.
Covid boosters next
Although the government has this week announced a booster vaccination programme for Covid, how involved local surgeries will be in administering the programme is not yet known and Firs House is awaiting further guidance.
What they do know so far is that clinical trials have found giving the Covid booster and the flu vaccine together is safe, and that the booster will be given in the same order of cohorts as the first jabs, with care home residents and front-line health carers and workers being vaccinated first. While they await further guidance they will be pressing ahead to give flu vaccines to patients without delay, to offer maximum protection as soon as possible.
For contact details and additional information, please visit the practice website, here.
Property developer McCarthy & Stone has withdrawn its planning application for 105 new retirement homes on the land known locally as Barrel Field. The local planning authority has therefore stopped all work on processing the application and no decision will be made.
This may not, however, signal the end of the developer’s interest in the jam factory land at the end of Home Close, currently owned by the company Hain Daniels. Withdrawing a planning application is a ploy that some developers use to save money, as it means they can submit again without paying a second time. The planners have pointed out: “The applicant may choose to re-submit this or an amended application to us at a future date.”
Objections
The many objections raised during the consultation on the plans earlier this year made it clear to the developer that there is huge local opposition to the application, which was likely to have failed. The case officer in the planning department has now posted correspondence with draft reasons for refusing the application. In total, nine major issues were raised.
The “overly large and incongruous scale, massing, and proportions” of the buildings in the plan were a primary consideration. This and the “sparsely landscaped public realm dominated by car parking” would make the development “out of character with existing residential development surrounding the site”, they said. The removal of mature boundary trees and little landscape mitigation was also cited as “harming the character and local significance of the designated Local Green Space Histon and Impington Community Orchard”.
Other reasons given for rejecting the plans would have been:
substandard accommodation, including light levels, in the new properties
an “overbearing and overlooking impact” to properties on Somerset Road
insufficient vehicle access to the site, or car and cycle parking facilities
failing to provide a safe crossing at the site entrance and integrate into the existing cycling and pedestrian network
encouraging pedestrian crossings at a high-speed part of the busway
failing to provide an up-to-date assessment of the impact on the ecology and protected species
no calculations of net gain to biodiversity
failing to demonstrate that occupiers wouldn’t suffer from odour and noise impacts from the factory
insufficient information to prove that the site could be adequately drained.
All residents who participated in the consultation on the plans will be notified if McCarthy & Stone decide to re-submit their initial application or an amended one at a future date.
Residents and local organisations are battling to prevent a 15m 5G Monopole and 6m run of cabinets up to 2m high being installed in a residential area on New Road, Impington.
52 public comments have so far been submitted to Greater Cambridge Planning raising concerns about a wide range of issues, but primarily its position alongside a footpath used daily by hundreds of students. One objector commented: “The location is in the middle of a busy pedestrian walk way, next to a bus stop where space is at a premium, at the head of a T junction, particularly hectic before and after school where narrowing the size of the walk way… only increases the risk of accidents.”
Objections
Another major objection is to the impact on the streetscape. Branded “an eyesore” by one local resident, the mast – also known as a ‘Monopole’ – would dwarf both residential properties and other features, including the fragile listed wall that encloses Impington Village College (IVC) land.
A number of people commented on the impact on the trees in the area, including the South Cambs District Council Trees Officer, who is “disappointed” with the planning application. She said: “The issues surrounding the above and below ground parts of trees, which have statutory protection, have not been addressed” and commented that no information had been provided about the impact on future tree pruning and management, or how the trees would be physically protected during the mast’s installation.
Some concerns have been raised about the physical and mental health impacts of 5G monopoles and the long-term effects of living or working near them – especially for the children at IVC and the new Cavendish School for autistic children, due to open soon. Similarly, the proximity to the Spire Lea hospital has prompted questions about how the installation could disrupt scanners and other hospital equipment.
Minor change
The planning applicant is CK Hutchison Networks (UK) Ltd, which runs the mobile network ‘3 UK’. The company first submitted a planning application for an 18m Monopole in May but was rejected in July on many of the grounds raised by the community, including those by IVC, Spire, Histon & Impington Parish Council and District Councillor Steve Hunt.
Mast and cabinets would sit beside a fragile listed wall and a narrow pavement in a residential neighbourhood
In the company’s new application, the height of the pole is reduced to 15m but no other significant changes have been introduced. The company claims that its equipment “is considered unlikely to have any material impact on the local area but significant connectivity improvements”, and says this should be “a material consideration in the judgment of the site’s suitability.” It rejects comments about the inappropriate visual impact of the mast, saying the proposed location “benefits from screening provided by tall, mature trees and existing street furniture” which will help it “blend into the surrounding area, preventing it from appearing incongruous”.
The mast’s height was among several reason’s for planners rejecting the initial proposal and it was not the height alone that troubled residents. Steve Hunt tweeted: “Disappointing to see an (almost) repeat application with no apparent attempt to engage with the Parish Council/Community to find a more acceptable location. My response… is therefore also almost an exact repeat of the last one!”
The extent to which local residents could gain better mobile connectivity with the mast has been disputed by one resident. They claim that “5G won’t (initially at least?) reach indoors. Its much higher radio frequency (than 3G and 4G) has much lower range (c500 metres) and penetration – so won’t go through bricks and glass. It is designed to serve ‘open public spaces, railway concourses, sports stadia’ and the like.”
Another resident commented on the application being from a single network, and whether lowering its height could potentially reduce its coverage. “Why can’t this be on a shared aerial with other carriers? And, given the reduction in coverage coming from the drop to 15m, how many more will be needed.”
Alternatives?
Among those objecting to the new application are the Parish Council, which shares residents’ concerns and has objected to the revised application on the grounds that it fails to meet National Planning Policy.
Parish Council members have offered to work with developers to help find an appropriate location, and they acknowledge residents’ wish for any installations to be outside residential areas. Other sites proposed by objectors include the Guided Busway, around the Chivers factory, where there is already industrial development, and the business area Vision Park, which is also home to taller buildings.
One stumbling block to other locations could be the cost: a roadside installation would be cheaper for the network providers than private land, where they would have to pay the landowners to use their sites.
The closing date for objections and comments is now 24 September and these can be submitted online here. The planning application reference is 21/03731/PRI16A
Almost 400 cyclists have raised nearly £1,500 for local charity HI Friends by taking part in Histon & Impington’s Strawberry Community Cycle Event, which went ahead under beautiful blue skies last weekend.
The joyful two- (and three-) wheeled event saw different ages and abilities arrive at the starting line throughout the morning to participate on four different routes. 210 of the keenest and fittest cycling enthusiasts entered the two longer rides of 55 miles and 28 miles, while the two shorter self-guided routes, aimed at family participation, saw a further 163 riders take to the saddle.
Local clubs and businesses threw their efforts into the event too, with an on-site Rutland Cycling stall helping with bike issues, and members of the joint organising groups – Histon and Impington Bicycle Club and HI Friends – greeting participants at the starting line and on their return. Weary participants were met at the end by the smell of a barbecue manned by Cambridge Scouts and the offer of a free massage from Fit Again Sports Therapy.
Setting off – in the best weather of the year!
Established in 2015, the Strawberry rides are among the most successful annual mass participation sporting events in the village – only interrupted by the pandemic, which led to its cancellation in 2020. Anna Strivens, Communications Officer for HI Friends, explained: “The rides give cyclists of all standards the chance for a relaxing ride along the country roads of south west Cambridgeshire with others. Participants range from young adults to veterans, from occasional cyclists to keen club riders, and everyone cycles at their own speed or with friends and family.
Celebrating at the finish line
“After the disappointment of having to cancel last year, the atmosphere this year was particularly jovial and excited, and we are very grateful to everyone involved – those who raised money by taking part, and those who offered their time and services to make the Strawberry Community Cycle Event such a memorable occasion.
“Special thanks go to our marshals, the groups manning the refreshment stops along the routes and all supporting organisations. We hope everyone enjoyed the event as much as we enjoyed running it, and look forward to seeing you back at the starting line in 2022!”
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