…was a great success. It is only four years old, but already it has established itself as a fixture on the calendar. This year’s fair was particularly notable for its laidback, leisurely atmosphere, as compared to last year’s slightly more frenetic high-wire act.

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I was very pleased to learn this week that the Planning Inspectorate decided to reject Tesco’s appeal for an extension.

It is a rare victory for local democracy, and a lesson to those who think planning decisions should be taken by officers alone, without any democratic involvement in the process. If this had been the case Tesco would have set up shop a year ago.

The grounds for the Inspectorate’s decision were exclusively transport related, focusing on the inadequacy of the existing infrastructure to any of Tesco’s proposed delivery systems, explaining that these would “pose unacceptable risks to highway safety”. I made this point repeatedly at the appeal, as did numerous other campaigners, including Nichola Harrison of Petersfield.

It is a relief that Mill Road’s traffic problems are not going to be worsened, and small independent retailers can breathe a sigh of relief too. I am already working hard on a plan that would not only conserve but enhance the independent nature of Mill Road’s shops.

Rumours that Mill Road is going to be closed are unfounded.  (See article below.) The really important news is that the County tried this week to scrap Mill Road’s funding for an accident reduction scheme, or at the very least to postpone it indefinitely. 

We agreed with officers that the Watchman speed cameras would be expensive and ineffective, but were furious to discover that no other alternatives were being considered.  Nichola Harrison and I expressed our extreme disappointment about this at the AJC, and orchestrated a vote to reinstate action on Mill Road as an urgent priority.  After all, it has the third highest road-traffic accident frequency in the entire county.  To remove it from this list would be absurd.

We are now launching a petition to have Mill Road restored to the priority list for funding.

Our petition statement reads:

We want Mill Road to become a civilised and safe public space for everyone.

We, the undersigned, call for the County Council not to drop its commitment to reducing accidents on Mill Road and to make urgent progress with consulting the public on what is needed.

We are collecting signatures on weekends and weekday evenings.  You can also sign our petition online, by clicking on this link.

For further details of our plans for the area click on this link to The Mill Road Masterplan.

Some of you may have read in the papers this week comments about closing access to Mill Road using bollards on the railway bridge.  Only public transport would have access.  I want to make it clear that this idea has no political endorsement whatever. 

Moreover, if such a proposal were to be put forward I would have serious reservations about it, including: its impact on the shops in Romsey (city shoppers would only have direct access to Petersfield), the way in which it would reinforce existing social divisions between Romsey and Petersfield, and the fact that taxis and buses would actually be able to travel much more quickly, making the area  more dangerous for pedestrians. 

I am a keen cyclist, I do not drive or even have a license, and am all in favour of radical changes to Mill Road; indeed, they are urgently needed.  However, it is extremely disappointing that having failed to deliver us any alternatives to the cameras, the Councils should start spreading controversial rumours instead of engaging in the serious business of consultation. 

Above all what I want to see happen in Romsey is for the Council to allocate us our October List accident-reduction money, and for it to consider a range of different possibilities - which the public should be allowed to comment on - as a matter of urgency.  This is what our petition is intended to achieve.

I would also urge readers to look at the the Mill Road Masterplan we are working on which offers a positive and realistic way forward.  This program promises to integrate three key requirements:

1/ Promoting Mill Road’s independent shops.
2/ Making the area safer for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists.
3/ Making environmental improvements.

Kilian

Kilian recently visited Brighton to learn more about Shared Space, which is one of the schemes being considered as part of the Mill Road Masterplan.

“New Road in Brighton is one of the only fully implemented shared spaces in the country, and it has been a great success” said Cllr Bourke.  “I wanted to see exactly how it worked, and how it might map on to Mill Road.”

He met with Liberal Democrat Councillor Paul Elgood, who explained how shared space functions and what the benefits are.

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Tesco’s appeal against the East Area Committee’s decision to reject their applications for planning permission recently took place at the Guild Hall.

Councillor Bourke spoke against both applications.

 He explained “my principal objection to a Tesco on Mill Road is that it is totally unsuited to the existing infrastructure; Mill Road is not capable of absorbing the impact it would have without causing problems for the community.”

He expressed concern about two particular aspects of Tesco’s proposal: the consequences of their delivery system, and the impact on parking in the area. “A large number of spaces would be lost from the site and its surroundings, in a ward whose parking facilities are already being placed under severe strain, because of a high-ratio of car ownership as well as Mill Road’s proximity to the train station.”

He also expressed concern about the proposal that Tesco delivery lorries simply park on Mill Road for up to forty minutes while unloading: “This would result in the current, chronic congestion problems being replaced with a sheer, immobile chaos.”

Councillor Bourke then travelled cross-country to look at the Shared Space on New Road, Brighton which is one possible option being looked into as part of the Mill Road Masterplan. This plan would not only preserve but enhance the independent character of Mill Road’s shops.

After months of hard campaigning Cllr Bourke has finally convinced the County Council to make improvements to a dangerous stretch of pavement at the junction of Hemingford Road and St. Philip’s Road.

“The slope of the pavement is particularly steep at this intersection,” explained Cllr Bourke, “and there is a slippery drain which protrudes from the pavement as well. This has caused problems for elderly residents, two of whom have incurred serious injuries as a consequence.”

Following Councillor Bourke’s intervention the council agreed to lower the drain to the level of the pavement and re-coat it with a non-slip surface.

“These days one has to fight tooth and nail to get money for highways maintenance,” added Cllr Bourke, “because the Tories who run the County are refusing to finance the department properly.”

“It is not acceptable to be ferreting away surplus revenue when basic services are decaying like this, making our environment dangerous for the elderly.”

He added “I am glad they have seen the light of day on this occasion.”

Kilian recently submitted an application to the City Council for a “Suburbs and Approaches Character Study” to be made of Mill Road.

A large number of gateways to the city are on the shortlist and the Petersfield part of Mill Road is already a Conservation Area. Consequently it would be very strange if the other half of Mill Road were not strongly considered for this status.

Unfortunately the present boundaries of the Conservation Area are socially divisive, especially when they are reinforced by the fact that the city-centre officially ends at the railway bridge as well. The submission explains: “The railway bridge should be seen as a link between communities with shared interests and a shared focus on Mill Road, which runs as a spine through the area, not the opposite. The murals on the bridge are a sign of this link.”

Other reasons for this part of Mill Road’s designation as a Conservation Area include its importance as a gateway to the city, which will only increase with the Marshall’s development; its historic interest as the first major expansion of the city after the medieval period; its unique social character in the city; and its planted landscape, which includes many ginko trees.

Kilian would like to thank Allan Brigham for helping to put together a strong submission for Mill Road.

The County Council has secured £57m in Government funding for a Private Finance Initiative scheme to replace and improve 44,000 existing street lights across Cambridgeshire which have reached the end of their design life.

This means that, if the County Council proceeds to accept the Government’s offer, all streetlights over 25 years old will be replaced.  As the vast majority of those in Romsey and on Mill Road (Romsey) meet this criteria,  they stand to be replaced - at last!  Your councillors have been campaigning for new lights on the Broadway for over ten years now.

In addition, the Liberal Democrats are pressing for the new streetlighting to be done in the most energy efficient way.

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This letter was printed in CEN on August 13, 2008:

John Hodgson in his letter concerning the Tesco planning application (”It’s the councillors’ job”, 8 August) makes the very salient point that of the 12 councillors who were in a position to cast a vote, only two voted against it, and the rest either didn’t turn up or abstained. This is correct.

However, he then proceeds to lament “the performance of the Mill Road councillors”.

This is not entirely fair. Of the four Liberal Democrat councillors for Romsey, Cllr Raj Shah was not permitted to participate or vote because of “a prejudicial interest”, and Cllr Ellis-Miller had booked her family holiday long before she learned the application would come before the committee on this date.

Meanwhile, not only was Cllr Smart one of only two councillors who voted against the application, but it is thanks to her calling in the planning decision in the first place that the public have had a chance to express their feelings. And although I, as a county councillor, am not entitled to vote on planning decisions, I was allowed to speak and took this opportunity to give a sustained critical account of Tesco’s shambolic acoustic report and the unworkable delivery system being proposed.

I hope this clarifies any confusion about the Liberal Democrats’ participation in this process.

Kilian Bourke
County Councillor for Romsey

This letter of mine was published in the Cambridge Evening News on 02.08.08:

Your readers have been kept well informed of the furore that surrounds the County Council’s absurd decision not to allow 20mph speed limits to be introduced on roads where the average speed is above 20mph. This goes against government guidance, which states that 20mph limits may be imposed on roads where the average speed is 24mph or less.

At last Tuesday’s council meeting in Shire Hall this farce reached new heights of absurdity. When challenged to explain why the Conservatives have ignored government guidance on this issue, Cllr McGuire said that it was for reasons of “numerical consistency”. He then explained that the government advises that speed limits on bigger roads must always be higher than the average speed on those same roads; consequently, Cllr McGuire believes, it would be more coherent to have the same policy for smaller roads.

What this myopic argument overlooks is the fact that there is a fundamental qualitative difference between roads which are candidates for 20mph speed limits and all others. These are densely populated areas which are heavily used by pedestrians, cyclists and schoolchildren. What are the chances of a child unexpectedly stepping out on to the A14? Zero. But on to a busy town street?   

Moreover, only 5% of accidents at 20mph are fatal, whereas 50% of those at 30mph result in mortalities. As such we must do everything possible to drag down speeds in these areas. Justifying their decision by reference to an abstraction like “numerical consistency” is an embarrassment.

The bottom line is that the Conservatives are more concerned about economizing on the new signs and speed cameras that would be needed to enforce these measures than about protecting the vulnerable people on our streets.   

I call on them to revoke this ill-informed decision which will have quite literally fatal consequences for our local communities.

Kilian Bourke
County Councillor for Romsey

On Tuesday 22nd July I attended a “Speed Summit” at Sawston Village College, where an interesting new project called “Neighbourhood Speedwatch” was introduced by the police.

It uses a system called “Radarlux” to measure the speed of oncoming traffic and if it a car is speeding, to signal the speed to the motorist from the side of the road. The system is operated by local people who have been trained in the use of the equipment. No guns are required; the sign itself measures the speed. They write down the registration numbers of speeding vehicles, as well as the time, speed and location. These details are passed on to local police, who write an advisory letter to the registered owner. Recurrent offenders and those who were driving well over the limit will be visited in person and threatened with points and a fine. (The system cuts off at 50mph so as not to encourage our budding Lewis Hamiltons to try for personal bests.)

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Cambridgeshire County Council released today the results of its wide ranging public consultation exercise in relation to the proposed congestion charge. This included a face-to-face survey of 1,100 randomly selected residents across Cambridgeshire.  The report of that survey summarised its findings as follows:

There is a clear issue with congestion in and around Cambridge. Nearly all respondents thought congestion was a serious problem in Cambridge with 40% stating it was a very serious problem. Half the respondents said congestion had got worse over the last twelve months. Respondents said the main ways to reduce congestion were cheaper fares on public transport, more frequent public transport and more reliable public transport. Three quarters of respondents said they would use their car less if there were suitable alternative ways to travel.

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