Category: News

School announces traffic scheme without prior consultation
One of the village primary schools has been criticised for revealing it will trial a new traffic control scheme without consulting nearby residents beforehand.
Brook Primary School says the scheme will involve a moveable barrier being put in place at the intersection between The Green and High Street. It will be supervised by volunteers during the busy drop off and pickup times between 8:30am-9am and 3pm-3:30pm.
A school spokesperson said: “This is designed to enhance the safety of pupils and their families, improve air quality, reduce traffic congestion and reduce the number of occasions that cars are obstructing the drives of residents.”
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He also explained “access for residents and other essential vehicles” would be allowed through the barriers during the restricted times. It is not yet known when the scheme will begin.
Annoyed residents
While the school says “a comprehensive public” consultation will run during the first six months of the trial, one nearby resident feels the idea should have been presented to them beforehand.
The resident, who asked not to be named, said: “I’m annoyed about this actually. We only heard about this scheme because someone we know has kids at the school and they were sent a message about it.
“We got in touch with the authorities and it seems the school has got ahead of themselves even though nothing has been decided yet. The thing I’m most put out about is the fact there has been no public consultation despite Government guidance stating there should be for residents when it comes to initiatives like this.”
Safety issue
For some time, it has been felt the mixture of cars dropping off children and those on two wheels were becoming a safety issue around The Green. In a statement, Cambridgeshire County Council says it is aware of concerns and held an “initial meeting” with Brook Primary School. A Council spokesperson said: “Currently there are no specific proposals in place and no decisions will be made without community engagement.”
However, County Councillor Ros Hathorn explained the Council’s Schools Streets Initiative has had its Department for Education funding withdrawn and it is still early days for any scheme around the Brook Primary School area. She said: “We have been assured nothing can go ahead without a conversation with residents in the first instance.”
In its statement, Brook Primary School said Ros is available to answer questions relating to community engagement on this project. Her email is Ros.Hathorn@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.
Histon & Impington Parish Council was approached for comment.
READ ALSO: Residents step up Park Primary parking campaign | HI HUB
06/02/2025
Online threat to schools believed to be hoax
Police believe an online threat that caused panic across Cambridgeshire schools, including Impington Village College was a hoax. It has since emerged that Peterborough City Council contacted headteachers about a message reaching schools in another part of the country on Tuesday afternoon, and this attracted a lot of attention overnight.
An e-cops email from Cambridgeshire Police explained: “There was no evidence to suggest that Cambridgeshire schools might be at risk, but the message was shared for awareness and to remind them of the need for good safeguarding procedures to ensure the safety of pupils.
“Understandably, overnight this has attracted a lot of interest and concern from parents as a result of the message to schools being shared wider. However, we would like to reassure the public that this message is believed to be a hoax. At this time, there is no specific identified threat to schools within Cambridgeshire and we are not aware of any of our schools having received the email in question.”
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‘Security Awareness‘
Parents of pupils at IVC were sent an email update on Wednesday in which a spokesperson for the Eastern Learning Alliance, the Trust that runs the school, sought to reassure parents and pupils, saying: “Please be reassured that we have robust lockdown procedures in place across all our schools, and this morning, we have worked closely with our Heads of School to ensure that all necessary preparations are in place should they be required”.
They continued: “While there is no immediate cause for concern, we ask for your support in remaining alert. If you receive any similar communication directly, please report it to the police immediately by calling 999 before informing your Head of School.
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority, and we will continue to work closely with the police and relevant authorities”.
06/02/2025
Price increases proposed for using Rec facilities
Items on the agenda for discussion at the next meeting of the Parish Council’s Wellbeing, Recreation and Leisure Committee include:
- Price increases for clubs and public to use the Recreation Ground facilities
- A verbal update on the Youth Provision Working Group
- An update from the Rec Development Group
The meeting takes place on Monday 10 February in the Community Room at 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 should contact the office to request a slot. Email clerk@hisimp-pc.gov.uk. For more details, see the agenda pack here
06/02/2025
Prison sentence for persistent shoplifter
A shoplifter who targeted Histon Co-op and two of their other stores around Cambridge has been jailed for a year.
Between 20 December and 27 January, Daryl Baynes, of no fixed address, stole items including meat, cakes and olive oil and also stole a bike from Corn Exchange Street in the city.
At Peterborough Magistrates’ Court he pleaded guilty to four counts of theft, three counts of bike theft, burglary, assaulting a shop worker, criminal damage and resisting arrest.
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As well as a jail sentence, Baynes was given a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order, including conditions not to enter any Co-op or Tesco store within the boundary of the M11, A11, A505 and A14. He is also banned from being in possession of a bicycle without verifiable proof of ownership.
Back behind bars
Sergeant Dan Scott, from the Spree Offending Team, said: “This type of offending not only harms local businesses but ends up costing every customer in the long-run and is unacceptable.
“Baynes continues to refuse to learn his lesson so we are pleased to see that, on this occasion, he has been put back behind bars and unable to commit any further crime anytime soon.
“We hope this will give some respite to the stores and their staff and we will continue to crackdown on those who target businesses across our county.”
06/02/2025
Pedestrians punched by cyclist near busway
Two female pedestrians in Impington were assaulted by a man on a bike on Monday.
In separate incidents at around 1pm near the Railway Vue pub, and then on the guided busway, a male cyclist shouted at two women and then struck them both on the head as he cycled past.
The first incident took place on New Road, Impington and the victim ran after the man as far as the guided busway, where she was able to take a photo as he cycled in the direction of Oakington.
The victim described feeling shocked and said: “I felt something coming up behind me so I looked behind and saw a man on a bike racing towards me really fast. As he cycled past, he punched me in the side of the head and shouted ‘watch the road’.
“He turned back and saw me running after him with my phone out so he quickly turned away from me and cycled off. I managed to get a few pics of him and have sent these to the police. I was really shaken up and sobbing. It was the shock and violation that upset me the most”.
In addition to contacting the police, the victim also shared her photo on a local Facebook page, where a second victim replied to the post, stating that she had also been assaulted while walking her dog at around the same time, by a man fitting the same description.
Identification
Since the initial report of the crime on social media, a contact of the cyclist has reached out to the assault victim and identified the man in her photo as a vulnerable adult in the care of a professional service. HI HUB is not identifying the service at this time to protect the individuals in its care.
However a spokesperson for the service confirmed that they have been in contact with the police both on Tuesday and Wednesday this week concerning a vulnerable person in their care and the alleged assaults, and said they are “putting a plan in place to make everyone feel safe.”
They continued: “This is being dealt with seriously alongside the police, and I am dealing with the safeguarding team and the police around what we can put in place”.
Ongoing investigation
Cambridgeshire Constabulary confirmed that they are looking into Monday’s incident, and said: “A crime has been raised for common assault and is pending further investigative opportunities”.
Witnesses with further information can contact the police and use the crime reference number 35/6158/25 .
30/01/2025
HI HUB anniversary to bring improved services
A new ‘What’s On’ email, higher profile for local traders and businesses, a sharper focus on current job vacancies, and better terms for promoting events outside the village are among a raft of new initiatives being launched to coincide with HI HUB’s 5^th birthday.
Knowing What’s On
The recent closure of HILights magazine was the catalyst for re-thinking how to offer a better service to those who run events in the village.
Administrator Kate Jakubowska, who works with community groups to present their events online, explained: “The number of news items, features and events in the Thursday HI HUB email newsletter has grown a lot over the years, and we felt the events deserve higher profile.
“Most of these take place thanks to the very hard work of many local residents.
“By launching a separate email to promote them, we hope to instantly raise their profile and encourage more people in the community to support them.
“But we also recognise that the world doesn’t end at the village boundary. Whilst we only offer free listings for events taking place in the village, we also want to ensure that our community knows What’s On at other locations nearby. That’s why we have reduced the price for listing these events from £30 to just £10.”
Better coverage
Community groups are being encouraged to tell HI HUB about their events using an online form to post a What’s On listing and any posters or related photos. A news form can now be used to suggest stories, and capture details about interesting activities, achievements and initiatives in the village.
While the regular ‘News’ emails will continue on Thursday afternoons, the ‘What’s On’ email will be sent on Tuesday afternoons, aiming to give readers more time before the following weekend to open and read it, and put dates in their diary.
Also in that email will be links to the other ‘temporary’ listings, namely property for sale and to rent, and job vacancies.
Chris Cox, who runs the village Job Club, explained the changes to the jobs section: “The local jobs market has tightened a bit recently, so listing all the individual jobs available – not grouped by employers each week – will help everyone to spot the vacancies that appeal to them more easily.
“The jobs where applications are still being accepted will appear in the email, and on the website they will be tagged ‘current jobs’ and listed on a separate page.”
Business opportunities
Opportunities for businesses to promote themselves to the Histon & Impington community have also disappeared with the loss of HILights, so giving local traders a high-profile space to talk to readers was a priority for the relaunch.
Chris Cox is also in charge of the HI HUB website and email services. He said: “A very limited number of advertising slots will be introduced into the emails and embedded in the news and feature articles online, so that local businesses can continue to promote themselves to residents.
“We know that digital advertising can be very effective, but are conscious that too many adverts can be a real turn-off for readers, so we will be strictly limiting the number that appear – striking the right balance between them being highly visible but not annoying!
“HI HUB is a not-for-profit publication, so it goes without saying that all the revenues we generate from advertising go towards sustaining the future of HI HUB. We want this to be a winning formula for local traders, local residents and HI HUB itself.”
30/01/2025
Lifeline for IVC trees
The line of mature trees that was due to be cut down under plans to improve the netball courts at Impington Village College (IVC) could now be saved.
The trees form a 60m hedge that creates a natural screen between the courts and neighbouring residential properties.
Fence approved
Despite objections from neighbours, including those living on Park Drive, immediately in front of the courts, the planning application for upgrading the facilities included replacing the trees with an acoustic fence.
This was approved by the planning authority when they gave permission for the development in December 2024. They said: “the use of the courts shall not commence until the acoustic fence has been installed in accordance with the approved details. It shall be retained as such thereafter.”
But the Decision Notice also allows for variation of the permission if there is local agreement.
Change of heart
At a meeting with residents and other stakeholder last week, Ryan Kelsall, Deputy CEO of Eastern Learning Alliance (ELA), the academy trust that runs IVC, confirmed that they had listened to residents’ objections and that the trust’s preferred option was now to retain the trees.
He told HI HUB: “We can’t confirm that we can keep the trees until we get confirmation from Planning that this is supported…
“The Parish Council are following up with the Planning Department to seek confirmation/clarification; once we have this we can confirm either way.”
Courts to open
The IVC Liaison Group will now be considering whether the trees alone or a combination of both the trees and a fence would mitigate the expected levels of noise and light pollution.
Whatever the outcome, ELA is not in a position to put floodlights in place yet, as they are prioritizing progress on creating an all-weather 3G football pitch elsewhere on the IVC site.
But the resurfacing of courts has now been completed, with top dressing and lines due to be added in March. IVC students will be able to use the courts shortly, and when all the work has been completed, the public and clubs will be able to use them on a pay-and-play basis during daylight hours.
READ ALSO: Decision time for IVC netball development | HI HUB
30/01/2025
Pothole prevention back on the agenda
Melvin Way is back on a list of roads selected for re-surfacing, but of the 91 sites across the county now scheduled for some type of surface treatment, this is the only one in Histon & Impington.
Five roads in the village were earmarked for treatment in 2022/23 when Micro Asphalt was due to be applied to prevent further deterioration and extend their life.
Although ‘carriageway patching’ was done in Melvin Way to prepare a suitable surface for this work, when inflation squeezed the highways maintenance budget, other roads in the county were deemed to be greater priorities. The pavements were pre-patched and slurry sealed in 2023, but the roadway work was never completed.
Limitations
While other streets in Histon & Impington may appear to be more deserving of surface improvements than Melvin Way, County Councillor Ros Hathorn pointed out that Micro Asphalt treatment is “like a thin layer of butter – if the potholes are too deep it won’t work”.
She told HI HUB: “It is really important to stress that this is not a ‘resurface’, and that this type of treatment is cheap and cheerful and simply not available to Pepys Terrace, Milton Road or Impington Lane as they are in too poor a state of repair. This is intended to stop the decay of roads in a relatively good state of repair. It can’t fix roads which are too far gone.”
Drop in the ocean
The newly announced plans to improve some of the county’s roads have been drawn up following the Government promise of £10 million in 2025/6 to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority for highways capital maintenance. It replaces the £2.3m potholes funding from HS2 cancellation, which has been withdrawn.
But the contribution that the £10 million will make to the backlog of highways maintenance in the region – estimated at £600 million – will inevitably be minimal, and £2.5 million of this has to be held back until the Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Councils have proved they will meet some criteria that have yet to be specified.
READ ALSO: Pothole priorities to focus on personal safety | HI HUB
30/01/2025
Mayor advised to go ahead with bus franchising
Changes to how the bus network is managed have moved forward another step.
Bus franchising across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough has been recommended to Mayor Dr Nik Johnson now the findings of a public consultation have been reviewed.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) transport committee met last Friday (January 24) to discuss the analysis from the consultation, which concluded in November last year. Over 1,600 stakeholders responded, including councils, bus companies, community groups and bus users.
The consultation proposed two potential approaches for running the bus network: an enhanced partnership model and, a more favoured model of franchising. The committee unanimously voted to recommend that the Mayor chooses franchising as the best way to reform the region’s bus network. He is due to make a final decision early next month.
Judith Barker, executive director of place and connectivity at CPCA, told the meeting: “We had to look at each case and all the representations and concluded that, to deliver the strategic objectives and to deliver value for money within the funding envelope, the best way forward was to recommend franchising.”
Current system
Currently, our bus services are mainly run by private operators which have control over the routes, timetables, ticket options, fares and frequency of buses.
Dr Nik Johnson, the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Under the proposed franchising model, the CPCA would gain control over these areas and private operators would no longer be able to independently decide to withdraw services.
Instead, operators would bid to run services under franchise contracts, with the CPCA overseeing the process and monitoring operations based on travel needs rather than profits. It also means an integrated ticketing can be introduced, where the same ticket can be used across the network.
A report put before the CPCA’s transport committee meeting revealed that 1,468 participants in the consultation provided an answer to whether they supported or opposed the bus franchising proposals.
A total of 42 per cent of responses strongly supported franchising, with a further 21 per cent tending to support, putting 63 per cent of participants in favour of the new model.
The report revealed that 18 per cent of responses neither supported nor opposed, while seven percent tended to oppose and a further seven percent strongly opposed.
Rural services ‘woefully inadequate’
South Cambridgeshire District Council responded to the consultation, saying “in principle” it supports the proposed franchising scheme.
The Council said it “wants the franchising decision to drive economic growth in new settlements” but also consider current transport needs and economic growth objectives. It particularly highlighted that “a key consideration” should be getting children and students to places of education and training.
The Busway. Photo: Guy Richardson
It also shared firm words about the current situation with the consultation, saying: “The Council expects to see better bus services within South Cambridgeshire, and improved connections with other destinations such as Cambridge.
“Buses should be affordable and reliable. This is especially important for those most reliant on public transport. As a rural district, our residents have long suffered woefully inadequate bus services, and we expect these to improve significantly under a franchising arrangement.”
South Cambs added it “expects the CPCA to ensure it has the funding, capacity and capability to manage the transition and service” and is “keen to see” a transition to a net zero fleet and accessibility prioritised.
Councillor Peter McDonald, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s lead cabinet member for economic development, described the franchising scheme as “an opportunity for step change” at Friday’s CPCA committee meeting
He told officers: “We fully support the work that has been done… but please keep rural connectivity in mind, especially for those areas where there isn’t a rail connection. Then, the whole principle of franchising and having to control that bus network is increasingly important.”
Further discussions
Bus franchising will be discussed in detail at further meetings before the Mayor makes a final decision. According to a Combined Authority report, the total operational costs for franchising would be £9.65 million.
The franchising option would require the Combined Authority to acquire bus depots. The capital costs of depots in the outline business case is £31 million, funded by £5 million non-ringfenced capital grant, £4 million ringfenced capital and £22 million borrowing.
Reporting by Joe Griffin, Local Democracy Reporting Service. Additional words from HI HUB.
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30/01/2025
Council moves to remove barriers to public accessibility
A project that aims to help residents get around the village using the path network wants your views to help guide its next steps. The Parish Council has shared seven H&I locations where access barriers to be removed – and residents are being invited to say if they agree with each suggestion or not.
Metal chicanes across footpath entrances, barriers at cul-de-sac ends and street links are among the challenges preventing people from moving around the village. Especially pedestrians using wheelchairs, mobility scooters or pushchairs.
Improving accessibility
Cllr McKeown has been able to illustrate what locations with the access barrier removed with the help of an AI tool. Photo: Cllr Tom McKeown / Dall-e AI model
Cllr Tom McKeown, Chair of the Highways Committee has been championing this project since he first joined the council. The initiative is in line with the Equalities Act 2010 and a Histon & Impington Neighbourhood Plan priority is to improve footpaths for sustainable travel.
He said: “All residents can take part in the survey which looks to understand the community’s views on our proposals. We are seeking views on seven locations where a safety audit has approved direct removal of an existing barrier.
“Locations where white lining, addition of signs, installation of bollards or other measures may be required are not being considered at this time. We hope residents will understand the primary motivation for improved accessibility and the additional secondary benefits to sustainability.”
The seven locations
Twenty-six barriers have been identified for evaluation. Guidance from Cambridgeshire County Council and road safety experts suggests 15 of them are completely removed, nine require more involved redesigns and one is relocated. One has already been removed as part of works on the Guided Busway.
Last November, HI HUB reported the Parish Council had allocated funds towards removals for the first round of works. The seven initial locations being suggested as simple removals in the survey are:-
- The Coppice – Central
- The Coppice – South
- Henry Morris Road
- Symonds Close (proposal includes metal and concrete barrier)
- Parlour Close
- Narrow Close
- Parr Close
Contributors are also welcome to add further comments to the proposals. Locations that require replacement bollards or other measures will be visited in later rounds of work.
The survey is available here or can be accessed via QR codes attached to barriers around the village. It will close on Monday 3 February ahead of discussions at the Highways, Drainage and Formal Spaces committee on the evening of Tuesday 4 February.
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23/01/2025