Recording studio

The committee met on 4 July and discussed, among other matters, the recording studio that the organisers of the 2012 Cambridge Folk Festival propose to place over the duck pond in the grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall. Many people have expressed serious concern about this encroachment. In previous years, the temporary boundary fence of the Folk Festival has run along the west side of the path that runs beside the duck pond and close to the brook, from Daws Lane to Cherry Hinton Road. This year, there are proposed to be two further encroachments into areas that were previously accessible to the general public during the folk festival: one across part of this path near the brook and the other – the recording studio – over the top of the pond.

We (the committee) understand that the plan area of the proposed recording studio is about 10 metres by 10 metres, and it will be about 7 metres (23 feet) high. It will be founded on pads both sides of the pond. It appears, from our discussions with City Council staff, that it has been demanded by the festival sponsors, who are wishing to have impressive background views of the park when they carry out interviews for TV broadcasting.

An article has already appeared in Cambridge Evening News in which the committee chairman, Bob Daines, presents serious objections to this studio.

We object strongly to this encroachment into the wildlife space of the park. This proposal is driven by commercial objectives and not by the interests of regular park users and the wildlife of the park. In particular, this encroachment will impact the feeding area of the bats that are resident in the wildlife area. There will be an impact on the natural play area that has, in previous years, been available to children even during the festival.

As a compromise, however, we propose that the studio be placed entirely over ground beside the pond, rather than over the pond.

If you are also concerned about this proposal, we would urge you to address your concern to the following four City Council staff at addresses:

[email]antoinette.jackson@cambridge.gov.uk[/email]
 
[email]alistair.wilson@cambridge.gov.uk[/email]
 
[email]eddie.barcan@cambridge.gov.uk[/email]
 
[email]debbie.kaye@cambridge.gov.uk[/email]
 
and copying your email to [email]newsdesk@cambridge-news.co.uk[/email] and [email]chhfriends@gmail.com[/email].