Comberton Parish Council are running an online survey about the recreation facilities that the village should plan to have in the future.
The Parish Council is extending the deadline to submit a response to the Recreation Facilities Survey to 31st January 2023. The more responses we receive, the stronger our applications for funding will be. Note that we accept one response per resident. Groups are invited to email a letter to the clerk ( @ ). If you have any questions, or if you would like to help, please contact the clerk. Many thanks
The online survey is here, it closes on 31st January 2023.
CPC needs more responses from the old age groups, and teenagers to reflect better our village demographics!!
As of late November 2022 our Village Pond has recovered well as the ground water level has risen through the gravel beds (click image for bigger picture)
Below is what it looked like ten years ago, before many of the invasive plants were ‘donated’.
People hope to see a floating island added to act as a sanctuary for breeding moorhens etc
Pictures of the works were added as the project evolved – last updated 24th November 2022
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Two pictures show that the coir matting laid over the earthworks up’hill’ of the boundary have now been covered and some plants are already growing up through it !
The outfall from the field drain hasn’t yet shown any flow in the recent days of rain but the one from the Green End gulley has, but unfortunately has washed some of the seeds away. I have added a splash area of stones to disperse it a bite, hopefully.
The Ducks have returned for their daily bath at 7am (I am told) and now the planting is greening after the arid summer…
Planting for Coir Rolls
AGA’s native wetland plants are selected for their adaptation to varied physical conditions and also provide excellent cover for invertebrates, fish and other animals. All the rolls are planted at their Merton Hall Ponds nursery using mature bare roots (MBR).
They plant the coir rolls with 6 plants per metre – a mix of four from:
AGA will return in late autumn or the spring to plant further plants in better conditions than this summer !
PLEASE Do NOT put ANY plants or fish into the pond !
Re-introduction of appropriate plants is being done slowly and systematically by CPC’s Pond Working Group to encourage bio-diversity and to stop non-native and invasive species causing the pond to revert to its poor state in 2021.
Work on the village pond started on Monday 25th July and was expected to last three weeks. During that timeframe the area around the village pond was inaccessible, protected by fencing. Residents should take care around the site, particularly when contractor vehicles are moving around the site. They will be removing the island, dredging the silt, deepening the pond, removing the plants, repairing the brick work and then adding plants at the end of the project. It is not being re-lined.
This work has been funded by a £10k grant from the The National Lottery Community Fund (championed by Claire Coulson and the CPC Pond Working Group) and two pre-allocated budget amounts from last years and this years CPC budgets (i.e. from residents precept).
Aliens Among Us: Invasive Species in Our Countryside
The Countryside Regeneration Trust’s popular programme of free online talks returns on Thursday, October 15, from 7pm to 8pm, with a fascinating look at invasive species and their impact on our countryside
Around 2,000 Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) are known in the UK, with more arriving each year, mainly accidentally through international trade routes. Their economic impact has been estimated at around £4bn annually, through impacts on agriculture and fisheries, forestry, construction and development. They also have major ecological impacts and, in some cases, pose extinction threats to our native species.
Dr Vince Lea, the CRT’s Conservation Officer at Lark Rise Farm, Barton, will explore the growing challenge posed by invasive non-native species (INNS). More than 2,000 of these species are now found in the UK, with new arrivals continuing to enter, often accidentally, through international trade routes.
These species cost the UK economy an estimated £4 billion each year, affecting agriculture, fisheries, forestry, construction and development. They can also have serious impacts on wildlife, in some cases threatening native species with extinction.
Vince will explain how the CRT is tackling these issues and how local people can help. He will also discuss successful efforts to control American mink, which have contributed to the return of water voles in some areas.
There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the talk. A recording of the talk will be made available afterwards to those who have registered in advance for the talk.
Vince has a wealth of knowledge on all aspects of wildlife conservation and has played a key role as conservation officer at the CRT for many years. Having monitored the wildlife on our farms for so long, he has a great insight into the changing environment and its impact on local wildlife species.
Vince was part of the steering group which became the Waterlife Recovery Trust, a project that is leading the way in eradicating American mink from Britain and helping water voles to make a recovery.
In his spare time Vince has been volunteering with the Cambridge Conservation Volunteers, a group that has taken on invasive species in many different ways, from Himalayan balsam in the local Bourn Brook to rhododendron on Lundy Island, false acacia in Czechia and azalea on Scottish hillsides.
HM Government has given the go-ahead for the new busway with path for walking, cycling and wheeling and a new travel hub to support the area’s growth – hopefully making journeys quicker and easier.
The route will connect Cambourne to Cambridge via the new Bourn Airfield development, Hardwick, Coton and the university’s Cambridge West site.
A new 2,000-space travel hub at Scotland Farm, south of Dry Drayton just off the A428, will help drivers switch to a bus before they hit the queues into Cambridge city.
The Secretary of State for Transport’s decision follows four public consultations and extensive stakeholder engagement to fine-tune the proposals, culminating in an eight-week public inquiry last autumn.
The Greater Cambridge Partnership will now begin the full tender process, with contractors expected to be appointed in the new year to complete detailed design of the scheme. During this time further engagement with parish councils, landowners and other key stakeholders will take place to help shape the final design of the scheme.
Main construction will follow the detailed design phase although some preparatory works may begin earlier.
