Environmental blitz in Queen Edith’s

Fag butts outside Addenbrooke's

Fag butts outside Addenbrooke’s

In May, the City Council’s Refuse & Environment & Streets and Open Spaces teams ran a ‘ward blitz’ in Queen Edith’s, focussing on areas highlighted by councillors as needing attention.

They will be reporting on this work at the next South Area meeting as well as reporting on how they have addressed specific problems identified by councillors. In Queen Edith’s, these include:

  • verge parking on Mowbray and Fendon Roads
  • smoking-related litter in streets near Addenbrooke’s and Long Road Sixth Form College
  • dog fouling at Nightingale Rec and in Gunhild Way, Godwin Way and Godwin Close; purchase of dog bag dispenser for Nightingale Rec
  • deep cleanse of Holbrook Park

At the meeting there will be a chance to ask questions and raise any issues.

7pm, Cherry Hinton Village Centre, Colvill Road, Monday 29th June.

 

 

 

 

201Environment report June 2015

Welcome to Papworth but pleas for Addenbrooke’s to be a good neighbour

Cambridge City Council’s planning committee this week discussed the relocation of Papworth hospital to the Addenbrooke’s site. The application is for a New Papworth Hospital, allowing relocation from the hospital’s current site in Papworth Everard, 13 miles from Cambridge. The hospital is the largest specialist cardiothoracic hospital in the UK and includes the country’s main heart and lung transplant centre.

This would be built on the land to the west and south west of the Addenbrooke’s Campus in Robinson Way, Cambridge and the proposals is for a new hospital and associated amenity space, planting, a vehicle drop-off area, cycle parking, an energy centre/plant room and servicing area.

Although councillors welcomed the new development, Queen Edith’s councillor George Pippas expressed concerns that the travel plan and parking arrangements for staff and visitors will not be sufficient to meet the needs of the new development. He and others argued that Addenbrooke’s has not been a good neighbour when it comes to parking, and the pressure on the local Queen Edith’s community will only increase if the relevant measures are not taken. One of the suggestions George made was to reduce the staff car park charges to make it affordable and attractive to be used by the staff. He also called on Addenbrooke’s to take responsibility for cleaning the cigarette ends and coffee cups from the perimeter of the hospital.

The application was passed by 6 councillors voting in favour but George abstained, because his requests fell on deaf ears!

Got a local grotspot?

abandoned bikeCouncillors are being asked to nominate areas for special attention by the City Council’s Enforcement team, which acts on a range of environmental nuisances such as fly tipping, litter, graffiti, verge parking, abandoned vehicles, and dog-related offences. (NB This team does not deal with parking nuisance.)

I am aware of many local grotspots for litter, such as near the sixth-form college and in passageways between streets, eg Hulatt Road; and we are well aware of the littering around Addenbrooke’s, especially smoking-related rubbish. Bikes (possibly stolen ones) are frequently dumped in the park or passageway near my home, while dog fouling is another recurrent complaint.If you haven’t already been in touch about your local grotspot, please contact me or George, Tim or Viki.

At the South Area meeting next Monday, December 8th, we will nominate areas for action, and decide sites for new bins. The meeting is open to the public and is at the Cherry Hinton Village Centre, starting at 7pm. Here is a link to the agenda.

 

Queen Edith’s residents say ‘No’ to Addenbrooke’s smoking litter!

Those little brown things aren’t flowers!

Addenbrooke’s Hospital introduced a total ban on smoking this year. An unintended consequence has been that people go just off site to smoke, and leave litter behind. The smokers congregate in local streets such as Red Cross Lane, and residents are annoyed about their loss of privacy as well as by the copious litter left behind — not only cigarette butts but sandwich packets and drink cans too. The Liberal Democrat City Council is clearing up after the smokers by providing more litter bins, at some expenses.

My colleague Cllr George Pippas has called on the hospital to provide somewhere for people to smoke on site. We hope that Addenbrooke’s will take steps to stop staff and visitors causing nuisance to local residents in this way.