Email your letters or comments to greatshelfordwebsite@gmail.com I read with interest with John Wakefield’s letter relating to the leaflet from the Great Shelford & Stapleford Parish Council’s leaflet referring to an alternative route for the busway running alongside the railway line. I also read the same report as John which now appears to have been removed from the website it was on. I am dismayed that the Council is purporting to promote a busway alongside the railway line as a potentially viable alternative route and trying to find a way to make it viable without any consultation with the residents who would be affected by it or villagers as a whole. I cannot see how a busway running alongside the railway will benefit the village. We have a railway station which will soon stop at Addenbrookes and then goes all the way to Cambridge. In the other direction it goes to London and all the stations in between. Very handy for lots of people. I’m not sure what else we need with all the other buses we already have and the Babraham P&R. All the proposed busway will do is go to Addenbrookes then it will stop and other modes of transport will be needed for passengers to get anywhere else. A busway running alongside the railway in Shelford will, at the very least, entail demolishing our heavily-used station (and I doubt very much it would be re-sited anywhere else), demolishing an award-winning curry house, demolishing the offices of many businesses in Mill Court (whose employees benefit other businesses in the village by shopping there at lunchtimes) and demolition of residential properties, as well as disrupting the DNA trail and adding to the congestion already present on Station Road and Granham’s Road caused by the level crossing going down. Much of this congestion spills onto the main road through the village at peak times holding up other traffic. I’m also concerned that a social media pressure group has been created by persons who live in Babraham, not Great Shelford, to promote the route alongside the Shelford railway line. However the route alongside our railway does not adversely affect Babraham residents. I was blocked from that group when I pointed out the detrimental aspects of a busway running through central Shelford. The group does not go into the details of how a busway alongside our railway line will be detrimental to Great Shelford. I hope the Council removes itself from this cause. I did not make a donation either for the report they were seeking and I’m dismayed that the Council is not consulting with villagers before promoting such schemes. I’m also dismayed that the Council is not being frank with us about what a busway next to the railway line will entail. Brigitta Naunton I have recently received a leaflet from the Great Shelford & Stapleford Parish Councils requesting a donation to a fighting fund to stop the proposed Cambridge to Abington busway being built through the green belt mid way along Hinton Way, and altered to an alternative route nearer the village alongside the main Liverpool Street to Cambridge railway line. What they don't state, is that in a report they have commissioned by transport consultants I
Transport, the alternative route would entail demolishing properties including the railway station and Zara restaurant as well as taking a large part of Mill Court to enable the busway to go through this densely populated part of the village. Further more no considerations has been taken of the traffic congestion, it will entail by having the bus crossing adjacent to the rail crossing. Total madness. Needless to say I will not be making a donation. John Wakefield Leeway Ave East-West rail link through Great Shelford I have kept an eye on EWR and attended a webinar run by Cambridge Approaches (CA). Whilst not happy it may run past my village I was horrified to find that CA are lobbbying for routes in Option E most of which run via the rugby field/Westfield Road/Stonehill Road down to the King’s Cross/Liverpool Street line. This means houses would be demolished and as is currently thought a 4 track passenger and freight non electrified line will be built. I have tried to find out what Shelford is going. The Parish Council’s view that they will lobby once the preferred route is chosen is, with the greatest respect, too late. The villages North of Shelford are organising lobby groups and letter writing campaigns. They may try to push the CambridgeBed Rail Route plans to go round North Cambridge but if that fails and Option E continues to be the way forward then CA appears to be saying the route should track the A428 and M11 into Shelford. I do not think that many residents are aware of this or the CA view. People need to know. If no ones speaks up now for Shelford you may find decisions are made with no real input. MB Posted Nov 25 2020 Thank you! James Goddard East-west rail link through Great Shelford The East West Rail Consortium have released a map showing the possible routes of the East West Rail line, all connecting onto existing lines at Great Shelford. The most contentious one would appear to be the southerly route passing south of Little Shelford and joining the Liverpool Street line just south of Shelford station near the London Road Bridge. This would increase rail traffic over the level crossings at Hinton Way and Granhams Road thus causing severe traffic tail backs due to extra down time of barriers. (A crazy idea). The other proposed routes would be more sensible as they join the line north of Shelford Village avoiding the level crossings. The most sensible and environmentally friendly route would appear to be the one that joins the Kings Cross line at Harston, thus avoiding the loss of green belt land. John Wakefield Something that seems to have been missed by the majority of Great Shelford residents is the fast approaching East West Rail project. A lobby group known as ‘Cambridge Approaches’ have put together an excellent web site (www.cambridgeapproaches.org) and have arranged several meetings with local Parish Councils - which includes Great Shelford. They are trying very hard to gather views and opinions from the affected villages in South Cambs. I hope Great Shelford Parish Council will be sharing this information with the village as soon as possible. The EWR is very likely to cross Great Shelford to link with the proposed Cambridge South Station. This will mean that some houses in the village will need to be demolished to accommodate the lines as well as several years of major disruption for all. PD October 6 2020 This the Parish Council response: "The Parish Council website under News Item in September (Cambridge Approaches Group Information) identifies the options being considered. This document has also been circulated to all GSPC website subscribers. Further GSPC consultation can & will take place when EWR proposals are announced." the Parish Council issued a position statement on October 13 2020 (external link)  South Cambs Environmental Officer has all the evidence. But to date there is no conclusion. As the rubbish was dumped on private property the council will not remove it as it now legally belongs to the owner of the property it was dumped on. The offenders could be invited to remove the rubbish they fly-tipped but cannot be forced too. There is a slight chance they may be prosecuted. It’s bad enough to have fly-tippers in our village but even worse when they live just round the corner & don’t give a dam. Lesley Smith Posted Oct 1 2020 DNA path weeds  Make using the path a lot safer. Kevin Roberts Posted August 6 2020 Complaint by Great Shelford Parish Council and Stapleford Parish Councils South East Transport: Parish Councils accuse GCP of maladministration over controversial southern busway
Stapleford and Great Shelford Parish Councils have drawn forces to oppose a scheme through the greenbelt of little economic advantage to them that will dissect the fields adjoining the Magog Down, a unique and valuable landscape rich in biodiversity.
They are suggesting that the GCP have failed to go through proper public consultation by omitting to include the realistic alternative route of following the railway line in any of their public consultations. Furthermore, no actual evidence has been publicly presented to influence the choice of route, nor to demonstrate that appropriate evidence-based decisions have been made. The general public have therefore not been given the opportunity to consider the options of an off-road route and the process is therefore invalid.
Now, just published in the GCP Joint Assembly papers, is the GCP’s first public statement on the alternative (railway) route.
· In it they state that the additional cost would be £29.1m (is this material in the overall context of the scheme and therefore unaffordable?) Where is the environmental and economic cost/benefit argument for this?
· They suggest that there are environmental costs but we how can these be taken into account when they haven’t assessed the environmental costs of their preferred route?
· In terms of overall travel time they state that villagers would walk a kilometre uphill to the busway station rather than the short distance to the existing railway station. Perhaps that could be explained?
· They reject any proposals to make the existing railway station safer, with its current not fit-for-purpose access via the level crossing.
· They want to introduce two additional road crossings for the busway, arguing that the alternative route would create unsafe queuing at the existing level crossing.
· They argue there are pinch-points along the route to navigate due to the risky and unproven bus system being proposed rather than the more compact and high capacity Light Rail System.
The two Councils fundamentally oppose the GCP’s chosen route through the unique and valuable landscape around the Magog Hills and chalk downlands and instead favour the railway alignment through the two villages. The attached plan illustrates this. Other more detailed reasons include:
· The scheme involves loss of greenbelt and creates a new demarcation line for infill development, effectively creating a developer’s charter. Over time there will be no restraint for development of the green fields between the villages and the busway.
· The scheme fails to take into account the significant opportunities for multi-modal transport offered through other planned infrastructure initiatives such as East West Rail and the opportunity to upgrade Shelford Station and make it accessible. The ambition to meet Cambridge’s 21st century needs is underwhelming.
· The preferred route does not serve Gt Shelford or Stapleford since the proposed stations are remote, a kilometre walk up the hill into the countryside. The scheme misses the opportunity for significant economic benefit and sustainability to our villages.
· The stations positioned as they are in the greenbelt will attract commuting by car and the proposed car parks (albeit limited to disabled parking) intrude into the countryside.
· It compounds congestion by adding two more road crossings to an already congested road system and further adding to pollution.
· Finally, in a post Covid world, what will be the impact on travel and transport? I assume new modelling will be required based on the evidence, with new strategies / modes developed.
The two Councils are calling on the GCP to halt its undemocratic preferred choice of off-road route and to consider the alternative off-road solution of the railway route.
On behalf of: Cllr Malcolm Watson. Chair of Gt Shelford Parish Council and Cllr Howard Kettel. Chair of Stapleford Parish Council Positive feedback for Boots Sarah Judges May 1 2020 I know that you often publish complaints about the local pharmacy at Boots but I would like to offer my support for them. These are very difficult times for them but they are very helpful and continue to offer advice patiently. During this time for obvious reasons it is not easy to visit the Medical Centre but the local pharmacists are always ready to listen and advise, and to administer over the counter medication as well as issue our prescriptions. Of course there are occasional problems but the community would be much poorer if they were not there. On behalf of my husband, David, as well. Gillian Scahill April 30 2020 Mobile phone deadzones in Great Shelford There has for some time now been very poor mobile phone coverage in the vicinity of Shelford rail station (Station Road/ Hinton Way and Leeway Avenue). I have contacted my provider 02 and this is their reply. But I would add I have reported this before and they have done nothing about it! Thanks for contacting Complaint Review Service.Given the highly anxious and challenging circumstances faced by all, we’re doing everything we can to try and make things easier for you. We know people are relying on our network and some of our customers will have an urgent need for support. With this in mind, we’ll be prioritising customers that are without service and experiencing financial difficulty, we’ll endeavour to contact these customers by email, within 7 working days. Don’t worry if your email isn’t about these issues, we will respond as soon as we can and will give a full response to your complaint within eight weeks.Our website www.o2.co.uk is updated regularly and you may find an answer to your question there, or through My O2. Thank you for your patience. I have also reported the matter to our MP Anthony Brown. I would urge other phone users to also make a complaint to their provider as this problem needs to be resolved. I cannot make mobile call inside my house and even in the garden it is patchy and liable to fail during a call. John Wakefield Leeway Ave. April 20 2020 Jim Mundell responded: Mobile reception, particularly indoors, is quite patchy in several places in Shelford. This applies to more than one provider. One solution is to have a mobile phone with the facility for “wi-if calling”. Calls indoors are then automatically routed via broadband. Problem solved but, unfortunately, not for all mobile handsets. What is happening at Boots in Woollards Lane? I tried Monday afternoon after coming back from work (I cannot work from home due to the nature of my job and also I have no broadband at the moment – am in to work today) and still a queue, so gave up. I spent most of Tuesday morning (“working” from home) in a queue to only find that when I got to the counter – my repeat prescription put in last week had not even been made up. Was sent away – checked with the Surgery (receptionist could not have been nicer). Went back joined the queue and then had to wait in the shop (which as only 5 people are allowed in reduced the number of people being seen) I finally got the medicines but the one drug I had asked for at the Surgery they knew nothing of. So will be joining the queue on Thursday to get this drug.
Boots Head Office need to sort this out – possibly other small Boots are having a similar problems. Plus do not ask the Pharmacist for health advice they are too busy sorting out peoples drugs and also if possible do not go for shopping. On a small plus side the Pharmacist did easily swop my Aniseed medication for a peppermint one – very nice young man.
Village very quiet aside from outside of Boots!!! Sue Tombs March 25 2020 Sue Tombs makes some good points in her email. Even before the Corona Virus pandemic, Boots were struggling to get prescriptions out on time after the prescribed 4 days stipulated, we often find that Boots have not completed the prescription, with staff searching in the storage area and on line then only to find that the prescription is still awaiting completion by the pharmacy staff. They never seem to be able to catch up, and the fact that they then have to break off and make up the prescription whilst the patient waits only exacerbates the problem. With regards to "Put your contact details on your prescription. We’ll call you when your medicines are ready to collect." Surely this info needs to go on the prescription from the medical practice. Back to the immediate problem, clearly a new way of working needs to be in place. ie patient contacted when prescription is ready, and it put into a 'waiting / collection' area with the patients name clearly visible so when the patient goes to collect it, it can be readily found and handed over immediately. This would drastically reduce the waiting time and queue outside the shop, which clearly is most undesirable. I am sure the the staff at Boots are working to their utmost under very difficult conditions and are not to blame, its the management at Boots head office who need to get their heads around this problem. John Wakefield I went back to Boots who confirmed that this was correct and they promised to have it ready on Saturday. I was able to collect it on Saturday morning. At all times they were very busy. Would it help, if possible, to send the prescription details across more quickly? Paul Stower This is a response from Boots: “Our pharmacies are facing unprecedented challenges at the moment and we appreciate the patience and support of our customers at this time. To make sure we can keep our customers and colleagues safe we are following social distancing guidelines. In small stores this means they may only be able to let a small number of customers into the store at any one time. Our colleagues may also need to temporarily close the store during the day, or alter opening times due to staff needing to self isolate, to perform deep cleaning more regularly or take a break so they can safely continue to dispense medicines. We understand that this may cause some of our customers to have to wait longer, and we thank them for their patience and support.
There are some practical ways that patients can help manage their prescriptions:
• Try to plan ahead. If you have a repeat prescription, please try to order your next one seven days before it’s due. This will help us deal with urgent requests more swiftly. • Put your contact details on your prescription. We’ll call you when your medicines are ready to collect. Or we can text you if you sign up to our reminder service. Please try not to ring the pharmacy unless it’s absolutely urgent. • Adhering to the new social distancing measures in stores • If you can, sign up to our free online NHS repeat prescription service via Boots.com or the Boots App to arrange to have your medicines delivered by Royal Mail. • If you are over 70 or have been advised you are at high risk, we can offer free prescription delivery from our stores to those most at need • And remember, if you have symptoms such as a temperature or new continuous cough please don’t come to the pharmacy.”
Having emailed the parish clerk listed in the grave yard with no reply I thought I would try yourselves. Although I have not yet taken up my place in the grave yard my dad has. I have the grave at his feet and over the past year have seen the grave next to mine become more and more overgrown. I am not sure if the grave owner has no family to tend the grave or they are unable to because of age or health reasons but this needs some attention. I am more than happy to cut it back into some order with the concent of the owners family or yourselves. Please do let me know if you wish me to do it or if the parish council will be doing it. Thanks in the hope I can get an answer. R, Great Shelford I just wanted to bring your attention to the Cemetary maintenance, prior to the landscaping men arriving to cut the grass, I have to say I have never seen the Cemetary grounds look so neglected and looking like a jungle. When they did arrive to cut the grass, I found one of the men lying on the grass using his phone, when I left I asked them to leave my Mum and Dads resting place alone as my sister and myself have now taken it upon ourselves to cut the grass etc as every time they cut the grass they leave the excess grass all over the surrounds and if some flowers are in the way they cut those too with no thought of our loved ones resting there. I find this absolutely disgraceful and upsetting, they have no thought or respect of those who are caring for our loved ones. Jane , Great Shelford There was no comment about the letter from Great Shelford Parish Council. Please can you place something in the newsletter about the cemetery down Cambridge road, it is a disgrace...whoever cuts the grass has no respect for our loved ones, my sister and I are always cutting the grass (which I purchased) and clearing up free them. Some of the graves up there are hair raising as people do not look after their loved ones, surely they can be sent a letter and if no reply put back to grass or shingle them. The person who looks after the cemetery on the parish council does nothing after endless calls, it is really upsetting. Could the feast donate some money to our loved ones who have lived in the village most their lives......please can you help! Thank you in advance. Julie Zamikula Dear Shelford Website, As a long standing resident of Shelford (on and off for 65 years) the experience of waiting 3-4 mins for each train to pass (and sometimes much longer) is not a new one. However the problem is getting worse and I imagine will further deteriorate as more trains are scheduled on the Liverpool Street line. I recall that the excuse that the old British Rail network came up with in years gone by, was that the main road was too short a distance from the level crossing. It was meant to be a safety issue. However, the current long lines of built-up traffic caused by these excessive delays is probably a safety hazard in itself. Has the PC ever contacted Network Rail to discuss this matter? There may well be a good reason why we all have to suffer. However there might also be the possibility that it is the way it is, because no-one has ever complained. Just a thought. Sincerely yours, Robert Hyde I was looking for information on what is happening at the Recreation Ground. A workman told me it is for electric points as well as toilets for the Shelford Feast which lasts one week a year. A lot of disturbance and expense when one can hire porta loos! CV Mike Winter, Parish Clerk for Great Shelford Parish Council said: "The current work programme on the Recreation ground is to provide alternative safe operational services for drainage, power, water and internet to a more suitable area of the Recreation Ground during the Feast and for use by other planned events or Recreation Ground improvements The project has been widely discussed with potential users, subject to a formal tender process and is fully approved by Great Shelford Parish Council." I wrote as follows to my GP at the Shelford Medical Practice about the change in their policy about prescriptions. After two weeks I have had no reply. Others in Shelford may like to know that the BMA’s advice goes against the change.
I am writing about the practice’s new policy of giving out prescriptions for only 28 days. As I’m sure you are aware, this is a serious inconvenience for patients such as myself who are on long term medication.
I would like to draw your attention to the BMA’s advice on this matter, to be found on their website.
It reads: “A report on prescribing durations recognises that blanket instructions to only give 28 days’ supply are associated with significant increases in dispensing and other transaction costs, together with reductions in compliance in previously stable patients, and an increase in dissatisfaction amongst patients because of travel costs and time to obtain regular medicines. It can also place significant and unnecessary workload on the doctor and surgery staff.”
This is clearly at odds with the statement on the practice’s own website that 28 day prescribing “has been proven to reduce wastage of medicines (£100 million annually) by 15% .” I hope you and your colleagues will consider a change of policy.
With best wishes
Professor Nicholas Humphrey Great Shelford It would have be nice if customers were informed of the closing of the Shelford Health Centre Website or at least been redirected to the Granta one. Instead we get a “Ops” type of message with no help.
Luckily I found a way round this and was able to order my medications which were running low. But was unable to book an appointment unless I wanted to go to Barley or Royston.
This Practice has a problem with communication or is it just me – perhaps I expect too much. Sue a Great Shelford Resident Shelford Medical Practice website response
Since the merge on 1st July 2018 we have been trying to get our website redirected to the Granta Medical Practices website. Unfortunately, on Friday 26 October 2018 our hosting company made the decision to take down the Shelford website without informing us first. Now, when our patients go to the Shelford website they see a standard default message, which apparently cannot be amended.
We are currently working to resolve this problem, with a view to setting up an appropriate redirection of Shelford Medical Practice’s website to the Granta Medical Practices website.
We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this sudden closure may have caused our patients. Please be assured that we are aware of this problem and are working towards a prompt satisfactory solution.
Sandra East Any chance of getting a dog waste bin between high street/high green to Granhams Road. There are a lot of dog walkers who do this walk but no bins between high street opposite plough pub and the cycle paths near the railway. Would be appreciated Jeanette Gee Great and Little Shelford Primary School With regard to the traffic situation outside Great and Little Shelford Primary School, I wonder if we are ignoring a potential elephant in the room? The real problem may be that the school is too small and located in an unsuitable place. What might have suited the villages perfectly well 150 years ago is clearly not necessarily going to be the case now, given that there has been huge expansion in the population, and employment, transport patterns and daily schedules have varied so much. It might be possible that the villages could now support a larger primary school with two-form entry, if the right site could be found. There might even be the possibility of developing on-site accommodation for some younger staff, to help the local teacher recruitment and retention problem. It would be interesting to know what other residents thought about this as a long-term strategy and ambition. Sandy Leaton Gray Church Street traffic I do not think it will make any difference to the poor driving skills plain to everyone, not least people driving cars who have no idea how wide they are and whether there is enough room to pass, and the impatience of people in general. The other problem is speed and the only way to slow it is to have parked cars obstructing half the road. They protect the children and the very occasional bad word or slanging match however unpleasant will hopefully educate the children how not to behave. The light pollution outside 29 Church Street is such that at night when the street lights are switched on, the whole front garden and house are illuminated all night. When the new street lights were erected an extra light was added outside The Old Thatch which is exactly opposite number 29 driveway and front door. Three street light are visible from the house. The school driveway has lights which switch on and off when anyone goes up the school drive. The church yard has a light on the tower which turns on and off especially when it’s windy and we are anxious as to the placement of the new signs and flashing lights. This is one of the prettiest parts of the village, a conservation area and next to green belt.. Are there no planning regulations on this subject? We have lived here for thirty four years. I do not think the problem of traffic is a twenty four hour problem. It ceases at about six to seven pm apart from odd cars. At weekends and holidays it is quiet and peaceful as during school holidays. The problem is being exaggerated. If anything it is better since the new Addenbrookes Road and because the parents are sensibly bringing their cars less and their children on scooters. Sometimes problem arise during deliveries to the school when parking at the bottom of the school drive during deliveries causes obstruction of sight lines. Large vehicles cannot pass at all either way if a large vehicle is passing through, without sensible giving way. Parking round the bend opposite The Lawns proposed as allowable in the new plan, obstructs the bus and following traffic, after it has passed the narrow obstruction outside the church, and often during during a busy time. Jenny Morris Congestion on the A1307. My idea to alter the amount of traffic build up from Park & ride to Addenbrooke's. Build a roundabout at the bottom of Granham's Road. Build a link roadd from the new roundabout that skirts around Knightly Ave to join on to Dame Mary Archers Way. Install traffic lights to allow traffic to flow one way only in peak traffic times. To Addenbrooke's in the morning and from Addenbrooke's in the evening. Just think of the congestion it will cut out on Babraham Road and Addenbrooke's roundabout. Its only an idea. Ian McLeod. This large development (some would say a blot on the landscape, the word 'Shelford Marque' has been suggested) has now been signed off by developers and residents are moving in. Towering to three story's the development has an 'underground' car park accessed through a 'tunnel' with two rising bollards (how long before a vehicle becomes impaled on them?) Also there appear to still be a few issues to complete, including a missing window sill above the tunnel access. One wonders what the traffic situation will be like once it becomes fully occupied, looks like accidents are waiting to happen as cars exit the tunnel onto a busy Station Road, particularly just after the rail barriers have gone up. I expect a lot of inpatient motorists & horn honking. John Wakefield Your item about an attack on the bike path (October 2017) prompts me to ask why it is that the beautiful DNA bike path has fallen into such bad repair that 80% of the lights are now completely covered by undergrowth. This makes the track a real hazard to navigate after dark. I wonder who it is that is responsible for the upkeep? If no one from Addenbrooke's or elsewhere is prepared to cut back edges I suggest a small group of Shelford vigilantes armed with strimmers could do the job in a morning. Robert Hyde Woodlands Road  Please please can we request double yellow lines are painted on this road before somebody is seriously hurt. David Gooch  An ugly out of character building that has already been branded 'The Shelford Marque' has recently had EIGHT television aerials installed, making it look look like some form of communications tower, are GCHQ moving to Shelford? Surely in this day of high technology the complex could have been served by ONE communal aerial with the signal then being fed to each apartment. There was no sign of these aerials on the computor generated pre publicity photos. Are the South Cambs. planners going to let this through? John Wakefield
Illegal parking in Great Shelford I would like to place the state of illegal parking in Great Shelford on the agenda for at the next Parish Council meeting. Last Tuesday (13 June 2017), I attended an accident which had occurred on Robinson Close by Barclays bank at approximately 16:30, when a car turning left from Woollards Lane into the Barclays Bank car park knocked a 4-year old boy off his scooter. Whilst the boy was subsequently taken to Addenbrookes by ambulance, I understand that fortunately he is making a good recovery. At that time, there were vans and cars parked illegally on double yellow lines and the disabled parking bay stretching (almost bumper to bumper with few gaps other than those for access to the car park behind McColls) from 30 Woollards Lane to McColl’s Newsagents, and at least 1 parked on the pavement outside Barclays bank. Irrespective of who is to blame for the above accident, I am certain that a contributory factor was the distraction caused by the number of vehicles around, obstructing the driver’s view and forcing every driver onto the same side of the road, meaning that the driver in question was probably also thinking about the oncoming traffic in a frustrated state. Unlike the above incident I have not personally witnessed an accident on Church Street, but the same factors are still at play. These are both areas where little people go in large numbers. We want them to use the recreation ground; we want them to go to school, and whilst doing so we want them to be happy and feel safe. Unfortunately, though, I believe the current circumstances pose a serious child safety risk; and perhaps we want, as a village and a community, to consider whether that risk is worthwhile, and if the risk is not considered to be reasonable whether merely redrawing road markings on those 2 streets is sufficient; or whether a different course of action is required - we know that the current street markings are being ignored, and the Police have insufficient resources to deal with it. Are new street markings likely to be treated any differently? Richard Davies  After months of stop & start, the work on upgrading the traffic lights at 'Freestones Corner' (the junction at London Road, Woollards Lane, Tunwells Lane & Station Road) is now complete. The only real difference is that there is now only one set of traffic lights per road (previously two), and areas now marked out for cyclists to form up in front of motor vehicles on the London Road & Tunwells Lane approaches. The pedestrian crossings are largely the same as before except the one in Tunwells Lane has been moved a couple of metres to the North, and the displays have been duplicated on each pole, with one containing the activation button, & a second, display only box, above it. Can anyone explain the logic & added expense of that? John Wakefield The Parish Council would like to make the following points: · Traffic Lights are the CCC responsibility and are part of a technical upgrade roll out across many areas · Previous traffic lights were dumb (timed changes) with no traffic sensing · New lights fully traffic sensing and smart thus reducing unnecessary delays · Filter right from station road is to prevent build-up of traffic to railway crossing · Cycle boxes are for road safety at suitable junctions and have not been applied to unsuitable road space at Freestones corner · Pedestrian Crossing time is now longer · Pavement surfaces have been improved and slopes reduced for wheelchair users · The upgrade is at the full cost of CCC no Parish Council funding is provided. Mike Winter Parish Clerk  Is this to become the Great Shelford 'Marque'? The 'Barley Mews' development on the old Railway Tavern site is now well under way but is it likely to be Great Shelford's 'Marque', the building on the corner of Hills Road & Cherry Hinton Road, Cambridge that has been branded one of the ugliest buildings in the UK. Barley Mews appears to be much taller than shown in the plans & computor generated pictures displayed on the hoardings, and looks as though it will become one of the tallest residential buildings in Great Shelford with an over powering effect on neighborhood properties. John Wakefield I own solution hairdressers and I do not agree with permits as people using it as a railway car park does not help shop owners . As 300 pound a year for comuters is a drop in ocean for them and employers staff need to park for work in village . Are you really trying to get all shops in Great Shelford closed Gary Footman Solutions To my shock the lady behind the cashier shouts to me "is that your child ?" To which I say " yes" she shouts back " supervise her please !" To which I replied " she's just having a look , she's fine" my daughter was carefully picking the cards up having a read and placing them back, I couldn't see the problem! She then came out from behind her desk and told my daughter to leave the cards!! I told the lady she was not doing anything wrong! She plainly ignored me . When I got to the service desk I kindly asked the man for a complaints form. To which he replied " No! This is a private premises and it's owned by myself and you can't complain, if you don't like it take your business elsewhere !!!" I was stunned!! This is the second time I've used this post office and the same lady shouted at another child , I remember the poor child's mother looking very perplexed! Who gives these people the right to treat our children this way?! My daughter was so upset she thought she was at fault! I would hate for this to happen to any other families and think the Great Shelford Post office owe my daughter and myself an apology. Kindest Regards Mrs A Mitchell This is a response from Mr Duthie Smith. It is a one-sided complaint from a young woman we have had problems with before (& things did not occur as she described). We feel it has nothing to do with the village website - if a customer doesn't like the way we operate our business they are free to shop elsewhere, and that should be the end of the matter. We typically serve around 2000 people a week and rarely have any problems - people who come onto our (private) premises treat the place, other customers, and ourselves with courtesy and respect. Unfortunately there are a tiny minority who don't share those values, and understandably, they are not welcome.  The telephone box in Hinton Way has now been redundant for over a year, when is something useful going to be done with it? Other villages Little Shelford, Shepreth & more recently Great Wilbraham have converted their redundant call boxes into mini libraries/book exchanges which seems one of the better ideas for them. Why does Great Shelford not do the same? In fact we could have two, as the other one in Church Street now looks dowdy having outlived its current use with a mannequin dummy installed, and would benefit the wider community if also converted into a mini library or book exchange. John Wakefield Susan Hedges said: "The idea of a book exchange like Little Shelford is a good one but there is already a well used one in Shelford Station booking office. I was in Bristol recently and a telephone kiosk near the main housing areas had been used as a defibrillator store. handy as it doesn't close at night as Tesco does....."  John Wakefield Great Shelford I expect many of you have already heard about the massive delays being caused by the temporary 3-way lights at the junction of Granhams and High Green. At 8am this morning (Tuesday, April 26) the hold-up was back to the bridge into Stapleford from Sawston. At 4.45pm this afternoon the back-up from Trumpington was well before Scotsdales. Frustratingly, throughout the day, there was no sign of anyone working where the hole has been dug at the side of the road. Is there anything that can be done by one or more level of local government to press the contractors to alleviate the delays that are occurring especially during rush hour periods? The actual area that has been dug up is not large. Surely, when no work is taking place the amount of surrounding space that is at present barricaded off could be much reduced to allow more traffic to pass through? I hope something can be done. Thank you. Ian Kydd Praise for 'Lay Electrical'. Last Thursday morning our fridge freezer broke. After phoning John Lewis, they couldn't deliver a new one for a week, we visited Lay Electrical, in the village. In the shop stood a fridge freezer. For £260 it was delivered within half an hour! How's that for service. Cheers Diana Haines Post Office comments I am disappointed to see the community being asked to comment on the Great Shelford Post Office as our local businesses need all the support they can get to continue. I do not think websites should be used in this way and I am horrified by the comments, some of them slanderous, about the nice couple at the Post Office. Running a Post Office when services are gradually being withdrawn, and people buying their postage online and simply dropping off their parcels, must be a 'kick in the face'. I have witnessed them stuck behind the glass when 'little fingers' fiddle with and soil their goods, the parent totally ignoring, and it must be very frustrating. I am not surprised they say something. So many people will loose out if they give up and we no longer have this facility in Shelford. I was rather hoping Streetlife would take this comment stream off their website but now I fear more people will join the backbiting. VB I would just like to say how appalled I was to read the comments about the people who run the Great Shelford Post Office. Do any of those people remember the previous Postmaster? And how totally surly and unhelpful he and his wife were? They scarcely cracked a smile in the 20 or so years when I used the post office during their tenure. I have never, ever found the current Postmaster and his wife to be anything other than helpful or polite – but I have seen some customers who were anything but pleasant – mercifully, I did not recognise them, so assumed that they didn’t live in either Great of Little Shelford. Susie Fraser  Phone box The telephone box in Hinton Way opposite Chaston Way has now been decommissioned and equipment removed, but has recently been repainted in Royal Mail red! So what is to become of it now? Will it be removed by BT, or left in place for some other function such as a Mini Library like the one in Little Shelford? John Wakefield Dog waste in the cemetery Walking around the perimeter of the cemetery is an area of dog poo. Why can't dog walkers pick it up - they are so lazy. Can signs be put up. Mary Whiting Parking changes at Great and Little Shelford School I do not think just removing the parking spaces is a good idea at all – it will only increase speeds through there. And move the problem of school drop offs further into Gt Shelford. I previously suggested traffic lights to Catherine - which have worked well in temporary utilities work. However, that may not be allowed with parking in between as those wanting to move out will not know whether the lights allow them to do so! If the parking goes (which the residents will very reasonably reject) then some form of serious traffic calming would be essential. The ‘problem’ and resulting mini ‘road rage’ is caused by the fact that it’s difficult to see beyond the parked cars whether anything is coming. A more radical suggestion for that: a screen at each end of the parking with a web-cam view showing what if anything is coming from beyond the parking. Different – but must be possible! Richard Patterson New pedestrian bridge for Shelford station? With reference to the website report that Gt Shelford Parish Council are pressing Network Rail to install a footbridge at the station I make the following comments: Great Shelford is the only station on the Cambridge/Liverpool Street Line without a footbridge. The reason for this is that there is a controlled road crossing adjacent to Shelford station. Stations like Whittlesford, Gt Chesterford & Audley End do not have an adjacent crossing so require a footbridge to enable passengers to cross from one platform to the other. In 2014 Network Rail constructed a footbridge at the Webster’s Crossing, about half a mile from Shelford Station, where only a handful of walkers previously used an uncontrolled crossing point. The reason for this is that there is a public footpath crossing the line at that point, so Network Rail were legally obliged to put in the bridge on closure of the crossing to maintain footpath access. "If you are prepared to spend several hundred thousand Pounds for such a few walkers, how can you ignore the situation at Shelford Station where the track splits the village, where gates are often closed six to ten minutes at a time for two and sometimes three trains, where passengers are prevented from reaching a platform to catch a train that is about to arrive/depart, and where youngsters regularly cross the tracks between the platforms when the crossing gates are down," said a letter to Network Rail from the Parish Council. "The chances of a fatality will increase considerably with additional train services (potentially, from 6 to 12 per hour) being introduced. The road crossing is a safe full barrier crossing controlled by the signal box with CCTV cameras. The signalmen can visually see any obstruction and therefore not give the train a green signal if the line is not clear. Passengers need to arrive at the station in good time to avoid being held up should crossing barriers come down. With the many steps required to negotiate the bridge, this will not be suitable for the elderly or disabled. A footbridge will not stop youngsters 'jumping the barriers' this needs to be controlled with CCTV cameras & fines for offenders. "It should be possible to “land” a footbridge using the platforms. Alternatively, a footbridge might be located on the non-platform side of the level crossing, but the opportunity for this could be lost as a planning application is imminent which will envisage using the land for housing. It is unlikely that there would be sufficient room on the non platform side of the station as the barrier mechanism blocks this on the West side. As stated the adjacent land (the old Railway Tavern car park) is ear marked for housing development, so a bridge on the platform would seem the only option. Do we want another monstrosity like the Websters crossing bridge so near to the village centre? John Wakefield Woollards Lane parking problems I have always thought that after the Tesco shop opened that traffic has got worse and worse. It seems logical to me to make Woolards lane one way, from any direction will do just make it one way. This should alleviate the problem straight away (hopefully) Ian Mcleod More traffic problems at Shelford school I've lived in Shelford my whole life and the traffic situation outside the primary school before and after school is getting worse every year. Earlier today I saw two buses mount the pavement as this was the only way they could get through - something which is definitely not safe whilst schoolchildren are walking around! Someone suggested elsewhere on this page that traffic lights are put in place to control the traffic during peak periods - why can this not be done? Or alternatively is it possible to put lines all along that road so that nobody can park, and therefore two lines of traffic can move at once. Tasha Hill Great Shelford Great Shelford jogging group? My girlfriend and I recently moved to Great Shelford from Histon and are hoping that you might be able to post a message or let us know of someone we can get in touch with to go jogging with, as currently she jogs on her own. She is basically looking for a few people who would be interested in meeting up a couple times a week and going for a short run with. Back in histon she was part of the Histon Hobblers Ladies Running Group and loved it so ideally would like to find something similar down here, or even start her own group, but just needs the help to get the word out to get it started. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated, and please feel free to pass my details on to anyone who might be interested. Kind Regards, Adrian Granger- Brown How to speed up your broadband A quick note on broadband in the village. We live at the end of a 100 yard long laneway behind the post office. We have been using ADSL provided by Zen Internet which travelling by copper wire from the exchange to Great Shelford gave a poor result of around 1.5 MB/second. Streaming Iplayer was ever stilted more often than not. I asked Virgin to survey which they did – and to quote which they did ‘big time’. To connect to the green box opposite the post office they quoted £8,800 and then wanted to bill us for the survey! We offered to dig & refill the trench down the laneway ourselves to their specifications but they refused. When we complained they dropped the approx £30 fee they’d tried to levy. I was advised by Mike Nettleton of Eagle Analysis that there is a compromise which works well. This is a fibre to copper variant provided for a bit more each month by Zen. Essentially it involves switching from copper to fibre between the Trumpington Exchange and the nearest green box and copper from there. I have just switched and wished I’d done so eons ago. My speed is now between 60 & 80 MB/Second. It requires a BT engineer switching the green box and fitting an additional modem/router. This may be of interest to others in the village suffering a naff download speed. And yes, the level of traffic in the village has massively risen. I’ve been here 33 years and it must have grown more than tern-fold. I hope this is of help to some other villagers. Charles Malcolm-Brown FRSA
Is our traffic getting worse? Can we look into the sudden traffic problems? The early morning traffic is regularly queuing from Cambridge right back to the Great Shelford Post Office now, for no apparent reason, and I think we're all keen to know if this is going to be a permanent problem. it really started happening a fortnight ago with no warning at all. Traffic won't have suddenly doubled or trebled overnight so is this something to do with the new development, or roadworks, or dodgy traffic light sequencing? Sandra Leaton-Gray
A small bus shelter that will seat a max of 6 people has been erected on the forecourt of the Babraham Rd. P&R site. My question is, how much money been spent on this & why is it required when there is an inside waiting room that will seat 16 people in the warm & dry? There is already outside seating for about 8 people outside under the awning of the building. According to passed statements by the council the new car parking charges were put in place to fund a full time attendant at the sites thus allowing the waiting room & toilets to be open during bus running hours. So why is this additional shelter needed? Is this more tax payers money wasted? John Wakefield A follow up to your item about the planned parking restrictions in Church Street near the school. We have only just heard about these restrictions as new subscribers to the newsletter. Although we own a property there, nobody has consulted with us about this. We recently rang one of the councillors to find out what was going on, and left a message, but nobody has responded. Consequently we are not exactly sure where the new restrictions will be, and we have serious concerns about the ability of residents to park, which is important if people need to unload a supermarket shop, or have young children or elderly relatives, for example. We are also worried about speeding up the flow of traffic there, as it can be surprisingly dangerous at certain times of the day for residents, something other Shelford residents may not be aware of, with cars and lorries travelling much too fast and not being aware that it is a residential area with houses very close to the kerb. The parked cars may look like a nuisance to those only visiting the area during the school run, but they act as an important mechanism in slowing down cars racing through the village. The Local Authority provided bollards on the residents' side to help further with the speeding/safety problem, a few years ago, but it is still an issue for people living there.
In 1999, with the full support of the Local Authority, we asked the Parish Council to review this with a view to arranging residents' parking directly outside numbers 15-21 to improve safety further, particularly for residents in those house with young children or elderly relatives, but this was blocked by the Parish Council on the grounds that a) a library bus apparently needed access to Shelford School from time to time, and b) elderly people needed to be on the opposite side of the road to be able to get into the church easily on Sundays. The needs of occasional, or even very occasional, visitors therefore effectively trumped those of local residents. Once again, it seems we now have local councillors who are equally happy to disregard the day to day needs of residents in favour of occasional visitors, councillors who consider it quite acceptable to press forward with the idea of removing all parking, including residents' parking, without proper consultation, or considering the impact on residents other than in the most superficial manner. They have no mandate for this. Sandy Leaton Gray Posted Jan 16 The Parish Council has told the website that the number of places for local residents will not be affected by the changes.
Dear Great Shelford Community Website, I am surely not alone in looking forward to the opening of the new pavilion on Great Shelford rec, and look forward even more to the opportunity to use the new facility. Once we have got used to its size and location, the modern design and wooden exterior can only impress. But can the Parish Council let us villagers know exactly how much it has cost compared with the original estimate, and whether they have managed to raise all the money. Will they be adding something to the Shelford Council Tax bills? Also, how much will it cost to run and who pays for that? I ask in the spirit of openness and honesty. If the new building is to be a genuine community facility, it is of the utmost importance that the community is kept fully aware of all the financial considerations. Yours faithfully, Stephen Chittenden Station Rd. Great Shelford Posted January 7 2014
I was disappointed to read Cllr Dr Gail Kenneys offensive comments made at the Cambridgeshire County Council Cabinet Meeting about the proposed move by Arthur Rank to Shelford Bottom. Arthur Rank approach me about a year ago, I gave this my full support, I can't see a better use for a redundant Farm yard which is surrounded by other commercial business's (ie the Park and ride) I have also obtained the support of South Cambs Chief Executive that we as a Council will advise on planning. Had this opportunity for Arthur Rank been missed it would have been a sad day for Cambridge. We should grateful for all Arthur Rank do and have done for so many this is something we should support in the hope we never need it.
Cllr Charles Nightingale Chairman Gt Shelford Parish Council District Councillor for Shelfords
For years I have watched frustrated drivers try and get past Great and Little Shelford primary school, normally from my bike, and each year it seems to get worse. I suspect 2014 may hit an all time low as new housing will be built on the farm next door. Why not install traffic lights a hundred yards either side of the school, to alternate the flow of traffic and peak times e.g. 8 till 9.30 and 3 till 5 school hours and maybe longer when construction is in progress. I can’t imagine it would make things worse, where parking is allowed will need to be considered, but it might just reduce the blood pressure of some motorist.
Brie Lury
High Street
Little Shelford.
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