Cambridgeshire Voice Summer 2016 CPRE Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is our local branch of CPRE, a national charity. We speak up for the English countryside: to protect it from the threats it faces, and to shape its future for the better. Inside this issue: Chairman’s 2 message Discover Your 2 Countryside 90 Years of CPRE: 3 Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Joint CPRE and 3 ACRE neighbourhood planning conference report Peakirk: 1,000 4 years of living on the edge of the Fen Peterborough City 5 Council Local Plan update Planning news and 6 updates from across the county Water voles and 7 wind farms Contacts 8 Additional 8 information “CPRE as guardian of our rural heritage must continue to argue that our countryside, valued for its own sake, is a unique and wonderful asset vital to our health and well-being” Page 2 Cambridgeshire Voice A word from your chairman It’s been a busy old time “devolution to combined Molesworth, due to be for CPRE at all levels. authorities”. In our area an released by the USAF) or Nationally we have been agreement for East Anglia may require unacceptable tackling the government’s (Norfolk, Suffolk, transport infrastructure latest attempts to Cambridgeshire and (RAF Wyton, which may weaken... er... sorry, Peterborough) was trigger the need for a new “reform” the planning announced with a flourish road across the Great Ouse system. Key messages on as part of the valley). our response to the government’s budget. Er, consultation on changes to yet this deal excluded And then there is the the National Planning Cambridge city (surely a emerging suggestion that a Policy Framework include pretty important part of new growth corridor should that although planning the local economy?) and be established in a permissions are up, since then Cambridgeshire crescent from Cambridge housebuilders are not County Council has voted to Oxford with an building out the against the deal. Oh – and expressway road and east- permissions they have the East Anglian deal west rail. While these (land banking is rife). included a proposal for a transport projects in While making more land new “garden city” in either themselves may be worthy, available for housing might Fenland or West Norfolk. I our fear is that they could seem the way forward, our think what this actually lead to increased pressure evidence suggests that meant was the for even more more permissions do not regeneration of Wisbech, development. speed up building. On that which we could support, front we are now promised but why wrap it up in All this requires a level of houses at the new town of confusion? resource which we struggle Northstowe “next year”, to provide. Fortunately our yet this has been in the Even more locally we are Eyes and Ears volunteers planning pipeline for more also following carefully the are giving tremendous help years than I can remember. progress of our councils’ in alerting us to proposals We also argued that rural local plans, particularly the which we might otherwise exception sites for proposed housing numbers miss. However, given the affordable housing in rural and growth locations. The scale of the challenge I am areas should not be made government is keen to top concerned we may not be to include starter homes up its coffers through the able to tackle some of for purchase instead of sale of public land for these matters as truly affordable homes for housing. Very effectively as we would local people priced out of commendable, but some of like. the market. these sites are redundant airfields or military bases Michael Monk More locally we have been which may not be in Chairman following the saga of sustainable locations (RAF Discover Your Countryside You may have forgotten the country where you can The 2016 members’ guide that, as a member of CPRE, get discounted entry with can be downloaded via you can enjoy discounted CPRE membership in http://tinyurl.com/CPREgu entry to over 200 of Discover your Countryside. ide2016. England's most splendid houses and gardens, either for half-price or as two visitors for the price of one. In Cambridgeshire that includes Cromwell’s House in Ely, Elgoods Brewery Gardens in Wisbech and The Manor in Hemingford The photograph on the Grey, and we hope to front cover, taken by feature these in future Nicholas Jackson, shows the view eastwards from editions of Cambridgeshire just outside Peakirk. It Voice. Or go further afield, pictures the canalised River Welland flowing and visit more distant towards Crowland, at the attractions on holiday. Cambridgeshire- Lincolnshire border. The lakes are Deeping Lakes Take a look at a few of the SSSI. attractions from around Page 3 90 Years of CPRE: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow CPRE East Midlands and East of Reynolds DBE and Oliver Hilliam, representatives from other England invite you to this special CPRE Senior Communications and organisations. event, taking place on Information Officer, and co-author Wednesday 6 July 2016, from of 22 Ideas That Saved the English A programme will be available 10am to 4pm, at The Fleet, Countryside. shortly. There is no charge for Peterborough. attending and lunch and There will also be a choice of refreshments are included. There Members and volunteers of workshops: Raising your branch’s is ample, free on-site parking and branches in the East of England profile; Balanced communications: transport will be provided from and East Midlands regions are strategic techniques to improve Peterborough station to the venue invited to join us to celebrate 90 your organisation and its free of charge. years of CPRE, reflect on our reputation; Planning in the future: achievements, and consider how does CPRE still have a voice?; and To register your interest or book a we go forward. This event will Effective campaigning: what place, please contact Tracey enable us to share information, makes a successful campaign? Hipson at learn from each other, get to know [email protected] or by each other and find out more There will be plenty of phoning 01480 396698. Places will about CPRE, how we work and our opportunities to meet members be allocated on a first-come, first- priorities. and volunteers from other CPRE served basis. branches and staff from CPRE’s The day will include presentations national office, as well as from keynote speaker Dame Fiona Joint CPRE and ACRE neighbourhood planning conference report In March, the Cambridgeshire branch of CPRE and Cambridgeshire ACRE held a joint conference on neighbourhood planning at The Maltings in Ely, which was funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government. It was well attended by nearly 120 delegates, largely drawn from parish councils across Cambridgeshire. Speakers outlined the advantages – and problems – of preparing a neighbourhood plan and the support, both financial and technical, which is available. There were also two case studies highlighted, one of which was Peakirk in Peterborough, which has been led by Sally Jackson who is a CPRE committee member. The event was chaired by Michael Monk, Chairman of CPRE Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, who commented: “Our present government is pretty anti- planning, which it sees as an obstacle to growth. Neighbourhood planning is the one bright spot – the government is enthusiastic about this new layer of planning. I hope the conference will encourage the creation of more neighbourhood plans as our county has been a bit slow off the mark compared with others. It is an opportunity to demonstrate to the government that people wish to take more control over how their communities develop and how they wish to protect valued environmental assets.” Page 4 Cambridgeshire Voice Peakirk: 1,000 years of living on the edge of the Fen the Monasteries caused the neglect of the channels which took away the floodwater, resulting in a general flooding of the ‘Great Level’, which remained the case until the 1630s when Dutch drainage engineer Cornelius Vermuyden was commissioned to plan the drainage of Deeping Fen4. In 16535, using Scottish and Dutch prisoners of war, the River Welland from Deeping St James to Spalding was widened and deepened to reinforce the North Level [the north part of the Great Level] and reclaim the land for agriculture. By 1700 the land was again flooded as the drains and sluices were not properly maintained, leading to the appointment of local commissioners to improve and maintain the main roads and commons and drain the fen Peakirk from the air, looking west across the Peterborough-to-Spalding railway line. marshes to win new agricultural land. They were greatly helped by Peakirk is a small rural village of the sister of St Guthlac of the advent of the windmill and 450 residents in the Welland Crowland, reputedly lived as an horse mill pumps7. Valley, five miles northeast of anchoress in Peakirk, on the site of Peterborough. It is currently the current chapel. It comprises a The Inclosure Act of 1809 made it within Peterborough City Council’s 13th-century chancel and a 19th- possible to enclose the open fields administrative boundaries, but century nave. and common land around Peakirk historically it was part of the ‘Soke including Peakirk Long Meadow and of Peterborough’ an administrative The earliest documented Peakirk Moor. The allotment of district of Northamptonshire settlement in Peakirk was land to individuals was recorded on created in 18891 which was recorded 1,000 years ago, by the the Inclosure map of 18196. The traditionally associated with the granting of a charter by King landscape changed as paths or City and Diocese of Peterborough. Edmund II, Edmund Ironside, to baulks between open fields were It covered about 30 parishes in the the church in 1016.