Next Meeting

Last Updated on Friday, 27 January 2012 16:32

The next Friends of Cherry Hinton Hall meeting will take place at 7.30 pm, on Wednesday, 18 January 2012 at Cherry Hinton Village Centre, Colville Road, Cherry Hinton.

NB Please note the change of venue!

The guest speaker is Sam Ovenden, Membership Development Officer with the RSPB.

To see a copy of the Aganda, click here.

Programme for 2012

Last Updated on Monday, 09 January 2012 18:51

PLEASE NOTE NEW VENUE

The Village Centre, Colville Rd., Cherry Hinton CB1 9EJ

at 7.30pm

18^th January

Sam Ovenden from the RSPB

‘Homes for Wildlife’

21^st March

Guy Belcher

Nature Conservation Officer, Cambridge City Council

16^th May

Mark Buckton

Recycling Champions Coordinator, Cambridge City Council

18^th July AGM

Laura Watson

Community Conservation Officer

The Wildlife Trust

Followed by a visit to the chalk pit to look for glow worms

All Welcome. Raffle prizes appreciated.

News from City Council

Last Updated on Wednesday, 28 December 2011 17:51

Cherry Hinton Hall Bulletin

December 2011

The Cherry Hinton Hall Bulletin is designed to keep visitors to the park informed of any recent, current and up and coming works. It also provides news of any events which may be happening as well as other interesting information about the park.

Latest News:

Taking a concept through to delivery

The Masterplan to this point in time has been a well consulted concept.  Since the last bulletin considerable work has been undertaken to consider the following key areas which will take the concept forward to delivery;

• A full project appraisal of the scheme to look in more detail at the sketched Masterplan and apportion realistic costs.

• Identifying current section 106 funds ready and available and prioritising the elements of the Masterplan to maximise use of these funds.

• Obtain Committee consent for these funds to be spent (January 2012).

The latest section 106 budgets available have ear marked £75,000 for a first phase with a further £350,000 to follow as part of a matched funding bid.

Key priorities in the phasing process

One of the key priorities of the masterplan is to bring the currently dis-used and fence off central area into the park for the public to use.

The first phase of delivery will therefore concentrate on this area, opening out and creating a blank canvas which will mean other more complex elements of the plan can be delivered without any major earthworks required.

Subject to the £75,000 funding being formally released for expenditure at Community Service Scrutiny in January 2012, the following works are being planned from February onwards;

• The removal of a section of the privet hedge and green wrought iron fencing in line with Daws Lane entrance gate going towards the pond area. The fencing removed will be re-used to create a service area/compound used by the Cambridge City Council.

(Area 1 on map) 

• Removal of vegetation (including self set sycamores) and fencing along the back boundary of the current compound enabling views across the parkland from and into the pond area.

(Area 2 on map)

• Removal of vegetation up to the Leylandii hedge and boundary fenceline of the school

(Area 3 on map)

• The re-grading, preparation and re-seeding of main central area to enable public access from summer 2012. The existing roadways and hardstanding will need to remain as currently there are insufficient funds to remove it. Minor remedial works will be required to repair some of these areas to ensure they are safe when the area becomes accessible to the public.

(Area 4 on map)

• Planting of 8 large trees (species Ash) and informal native hedging along the Daws Lane boundary

(Area 5 on map)

• Removal of mixed species hedge and selective thinning of vegetation along the stream running from the small bridge through to Daws Lane.  This will enable light levels to be increased into the natural chalk stream and promote biodiversity.  For many years the ditch has had to have periodic clearance of fallen vegetation and debris, by thinning this belt of vegetation. This intensive maintenance regime will diminish significantly.

(Area 6 on map)

• Further consultation and consideration as to the removal of Leylandii trees to rear of Hall building.  One of the agreed masterplan aims is to open up views of the Hall building (front and rear). It is likely, should this work proceed within the funding allocated that this will be planned for later in 2012 to coincide with the school holidays and after further careful consideration of what is to replace the belt of trees to ensure the school boundary remains secure.

(Area 7 on map)

• Tree planting – replacement of failed Beech Tree on front boundary and Ash felled during 2011 – to be replaced by two English Oaks

(Areas 8 & 9 on map)

Routine works recently completely/currently in progress

Work has been ongoing in the Hall play area as part of the routine maintenance/renewal programme which happens across the city on all of our play areas;

• The old swings and wooden cableway were rotten and these have been replaced in the last month, also incorporating a small mound to add natural play opportunities.
• The bark within the play area has broken down and requires full replacement.  The existing mulch will be scraped off, removed and replaced by bark nuggets suitable for play provision.
• Work will be undertaken shortly to address the mound where the small slide is situated.  This is currently very muddy so the work will seek to address the problem by either use of rubber matting with grass growing through or a synthetic Astroturf product.

Summary:

The Masterplan, which has had invaluable input from key stakeholders and has been shaped into its current approved format, will start to be delivered in earnest during 2012. This has been eagerly awaited by many.

The key to its success is re-developing the central area and the proposed work above will, in the first instance enable the public to enjoy a significantly larger open space for many uses.

Cambridge City Council would like to thank all park users for being involved in the creation/consultation process which has enabled the Masterplan to reach this stage.

Wishing all park users a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Anthony French

Open Space Officer - Horticulture

Cambridge City Council

(01223 457000)

20/12/11

15th Meeting, 16 November 2011

Last Updated on Tuesday, 06 December 2011 18:07

The 15th meeting was held on Wednesday, 16 November 2011.

The main business was a report back from Anthony French, Cambridge City Council Open Space Officer, Horticulture, who had agreed to provide a report on where the Council are in delivering the master plan plus other items of interest.

Anthony covered funding for the master plan, works being looked at over the winter including opening up the former propagation centre area, tree planting along the Daws Lane side, and dredging the pond, plus various improvements and maintenance issues. Behind the scenes quite a lot has been going on. There were lots of questions from the audience which Anthony answered.

Please click HERE to read the minutes in full.

14th Meeting 21 Sept 2011

Last Updated on Sunday, 16 October 2011 16:32

Meeting of Friends of Cherry Hinton Hall, 7.30 pm, Wednesday, 21 September 2011

at the Baptist Church Centre, Fisher’s Lane, Cherry Hinton

MINUTES

1. Welcome and apologies

Bob Daines (Chair) welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies were received from Stuart Newbold and Sandra Day.

2. Minutes and matters arising

The minutes of the previous meeting (annual general meeting of 20 July 2011), as distributed to all members, were accepted unopposed.

The issue of membership cards was raised, now that Cartridge World, who were to have printed these cards, had ceased trading. The matter was to be referred back to Sandra Day after the meeting.

Members were reminded to renew their membership, and renewal slips were available at the meeting.

3. Guest Speaker: Claire Wilson

Claire Wilson, who lost her sight completely at the age of 7, regularly visits the Cherry Hinton Hall grounds, and gave a fascinating talk about her experiences with her guide dog Witney. When in harness, Witney works hard and Claire has complete confidence in her to steer her safely, including on journeys across London where she goes for her work. Once off her lead, however, Witney behaves like other dogs and “lets her hair down”, while always keeping Claire in sight. In the park, with Witney off her lead, Claire uses sound clues and a head map as aids in addition to a cane.

Claire’s talk was warmly applauded and drew out several questions from people at the meeting.

4. Maintenance Issues, Progress with Master Plan delivery

Master Plan: The Chairman expected that, during October, the full city council meeting would discuss how the Master Plan will be funded. At the time of the meeting, it was not known much funding will be made available.

Ivy: Continued concern was expressed by some members about the extent of ivy growth and the associated risk of weak trees being brought down and possibly causing injury. There was a particular perceived risk along Daws Lane. While the ecological value of ivy was acknowledged, there was a consensus at the meeting that it needed more control so as not to smother other vegetation. This was matter that the Friends needed to take up with the City Council rather taking any direct action themselves.

New gates: There was general appreciation for the new gates at the entrance by the car park, which prevented unauthorised access by vehicles. A complaint, however, had been received from a disabled person, who could not now be taken directly inside the park by vehicle. The matter had been referred to Anthony French of the City Council. It was thought that there was adequate access by wheelchair.

5. ParkFit – feedback

Members were asked for comments on the acceptability of the continued use of the Cherry Hinton Hall grounds by ParkFit, as permission had been granted by the City Council for a trial period of 6 months, which was now coming to an end. The comment was made at the meeting that the voice of the leader of the group was very loud, and this comment had already been conveyed to the Council. Members were invited to pass any other comments to the Committee, after the meeting.

6. Community Events - Community Groups Fair

Sandra Day was organising the Community Groups Fair, taking place on the afternoon of

15 October 2011, and members were encouraged to attend. Help with the Friends’ stand was requested, and Pat Jones volunteered at the meeting. Any other help would be gladly accepted.

7. Any Other Business

Giant’s Grave: The members were asked for their opinion as to whether the Friends of Cherry Hall or the Friends of Cherry Hinton Brook should champion the protection and maintenance of Giant’s Grave and the portion of the Brook upstream of the Hall grounds. There was broad support for the inclusion of this reach of the Brook in the remit of either group, so that the whole stream from the source to Coldhams Lane would be “covered”. It was agreed to invite the Friends of Cherry Hinton Brook to the next meeting of the Friends of Cherry Hinton Hall to discuss the matter.

Backwater: The issue was raised of creating a sweetening flow through the backwater in the wildlife area. Such an improvement would be in line with the Master Plan objective of improving the ecology of the wildlife area. It was understood to be feasible to connect the backwater to the brook by open ditch or pipe so that the backwater would no longer be completely stagnant. Ian Simmons offered to take up this matter with Simon Bunn, the City Drainage Engineer.

Protection of wildfowl: Following the recent incident in which a dog had killed one of the geese, there were calls for additional measures to protect the wildfowl, including signage that dogs should kept on leads in the area of the pond, and fencing. It was reported that the owner of the dog was very upset that a goose had been killed, and he had not goaded the dog. It was intended to fix signage as part of the planned improvements to the park. It was requested that more permanent measures to protect the swan nesting site be considered for next spring.

8. Date of next meeting

The next meeting of the Friends was scheduled for 16 November, 7:30 pm at the Baptist Church Centre.

August Cherry Hinton Hall Bulletin

Last Updated on Tuesday, 23 August 2011 12:46

The Cherry Hinton Hall Bulletin is designed to keep visitors to the park informed of any recent, current and up and coming works. It also provides news of any events which may be happening as well as other interesting information about the park.

Latest News:

City Farm feasibility study

A report was taken to Community Services Scrutiny Committee on 30^th June 2011 detailing the outcomes from the City Farm feasibility study and subsequently making recommendations for approval.

The main outcomes of the study concluded;

A city farm was not feasible at Cherry Hinton Hall. The main reasons cited were:

• Incompatibility with Folk Festival
• Strong support for the masterplan during 2010 and therefore the likelihood of wider community support for a farm being gained.
• The risk implications to the council should the City Farm venture not be successful.

The decision and approval of recommendations made by Officers at Committee means that the Masterplan is to be developed in its current format.

The next stage of this will be making a full project appraisal of the scheme. This means looking more into the detail of the sketched Masterplan and apportioning realistic costs which can be submitted with the funding bids, needed for project progression.

New gate at front entrance

During the last Friends group meeting I attended on 18^th May 2011, the issue of public access to the park using the main driveway was raised. During busy periods when the car park reaches capacity visitors tend to park on the grass along the main driveway.

Many were concerned about the regularity of this occurrence and the safety implications it posed.

Initially it was agreed that signage would be a way forward but having given this consideration after the meeting and in discussion with Council Officers, it was agreed that the main entrance wooden farm gates ideally needed replacing.

To this end, and in liaison with the Friends group a new set of gates has been installed at the front entrance. Whilst the main reason for the change is based on safety they will also provide a welcoming improvement to the main entrance and the gates will be inscribed with the wording ‘Cherry Hinton Hall’ and have wrought iron detail in the form of leaves.

The new gates will be set in a new chicane arrangement. This will consist of one large day to day access gate being offset by a smaller width gate set out in a chicane style layout.

Both gates will be locked with the smaller gate predominately locked (other than when large delivery vehicles require access). The large gate can be open and shut by designated key/code holders only who require access to the service yard, the school, to service the paddling pool or for the ice cream concession.

The chicane is to enable pedestrian, cycle, wheelchair and buggy access when the gates are closed.

Work recently completed

• In the former propagation area, currently inaccessible to the general public, a small area of scrub was cleared and turfed. This was in order to create a new area for a youth tent at the Folk Festival. This work was funded by the Folk Festival.

• Two benches removed from elsewhere in the city have been re-located in the hall along the Daws Lane boundary.

• A pre-Folk Festival tree inspection revealed one of the large ash trees in the centre of the park had several large cracks low down on the major stems. Secondary advice was sought and the tree was deemed to be high risk to the public. The potential danger was not just for the immediate festival attendees but for everyday users of the park. The tree has now been removed and plans will be made to replace it as part of the programme detailed below.

Work currently in progress

• Tree planting is an important structural part of the masterplan and the Council has been allocated money specifically for citywide tree planting for the next four years. Cherry Hinton Hall has been provisionally scheduled during the first phase this winter. Work is currently underway with the aboricultural team to prioritise this work and agree the tree species. This is likely to be a phased planting programme across the next few years and the first area to be looked at is the Daws Lane boundary.

• Gate installation – Cherry Hinton Road entrance – see above.

• Good weather during this weeks folk festival has helped to mitigate the impact and damage to the hall grounds this year. The grassed areas which have turned yellow under the stress of having a marquee or roadway on top for a few days should recover themselves. As good practice and to help relieve compaction and to allow good air circulation within the root system there will be a day of aeration undertaken in early September.

Forthcoming work:

• Work on the main adoptions to the park outlined in the masterplan are now being progressed following the Committee approval. At present a project appraisal is being costed to enable Officers to identify suitable funding streams in addition to some which are available through the Section 106 developer contributions fund already.

• Bulb planting forms part of the Masterplan and the intention is to work with the Friends group to arrange another community action day during the autumn to help plant some bulbs.

Anthony French

Open Space Officer - Horticulture

Cambridge City Council

(01223 457000)

18/08/11