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At its meeting this week the Finance & Administration Committee considered a request from Camel Projects, developers of the School Hill site, that it be allowed to lease a small part of School Hill Garden. This would enable the expected tenants of the adjacent unit to lay a patio and thereby to provide outside seating for their proposed business. It is understood that this business would be a specialist bakery and coffee shop and the Committee considered the request mindful of the impact it would have on other businesses in the High Street. However its opinion is that it would complement them and would add to the diversity of the High Street’s offering. It therefore approved the request and will negotiate an annual rent and other conditions with Camel. Camel has already offered to take on the responsibility of keeping the whole garden litter free.
The Committee noted that it is Camel’s responsibility to apply for and secure necessary planning permission for the patio.
At the same meeting the Committee approved a request from the St Andrew’s Centre to extend its outdoor service to include tables on School Hill Garden. The Committee agreed that Camel should be asked to move/remove its fencing to maximise the space available as soon as possible.
Excellent use of the space, very sensible and pragmatic decision. I hope there is no fight over the tables and chairs.
That sounds a good amicable arrangement. I personally think the Youth Shelter should be re-sited away from School Hill. I did propose to Yvonne Murray that the Youth Shelter could be housed on the corner of Narrow Lane and Windmill Lane known by some as Windmill Gardens.
Windmill Gardens was going to be re-landscaped to incorporate seating, bike racks and new Shrubs. Max Parish was given the job to seek idea’s when I was on the High Street and Beyond Working Party. Erika Hunt made suggestions which were not taken up.Maybe the Youth Shelter could be part of this rejigged area.
The Shelter would become more visible than where it is at present and could be a new landmark in the village.. The Shelter could be used by all ages as a ‘stop and chat’ feature.
For your consideration.
Cedric Foster
Good idea and I think this development has enhanced the area and will be good for our villages but I would like to know if the garden dedicated to nurse Fleet, community midwife, is still there and continue to be so.
David – the Pat Fleet garden is part of the site being redeveloped, and sadly is going to be lost as that development moves forward to demolish and rebuild the supermarket. It had, however, become only a shadow of it’s former self over the years.
We do, however, have the original plans, and the commemorative poster with those, and the names of the people who contributed towards the costs. We also have the plaque from the garden in safe keeping. The developers have committed to working with us to ensure that Pat’s life and work is properly marked once the redevelopment of the site is complete
I sincerely hope that while the youth shelter is in its current location, it remains fully accessible with no restrictions and that the terms of the rental contract make this clear. The youth shelter is one of the very few facilities in the village aimed at teenagers, who have few other places to freely congregate. The fact that it is underused reflects the fact that, at the time, there was no agreement to put it in a place where teenagers actually go – the Green or the Rec or Homefield Park or even Manor Park field.
While I would be happy to see it relocated to a more suitable site, it should be done in consultation with the young people in our village – not just appropriating it for others. I suggest contacting our youth worker or the the school council at IVC (if it still exist) and doing a proper consultation.
Yes it will remain fully accessible. That’ll be covered in the terms of the lease. I agree there are better places for it and that young people should decide where it should go if it is to be moved.
If I’m reading it correctly, both the new bakery and StAC would have rights to site cafe seating on the gardens, with Camel taking care of the patio for the bakers, as well as the litter maintenance of the whole gardens. Not clear about the hard standing for StAC seating, but I guess that’s a detail. Are we imagining two distinct hard standing areas, or one amalgamated (perhaps two contiguous areas)?
In either case, I don’t see a major issue with two street-cafe retailers working on the same area, and have enjoyed the atmosphere of similar sites in various tourist destinations. If it works commercially in Histon, then that’s positive. If it doesn’t, can we ensure we are not left with an unloved piece of hard standing in a place where the lawns had been?
No not quite Paul. The permission for StAC is just that: permission to put tables on the grass as it did last year. The developer gets a lease which entitles it to provide the hard stading for its tenant (subject to planning permission).
I agree with your latter point about coexistence although some would take issue wit the adjective ‘unloved’.
I think the unloved comment refers to the new bit of hard standing. It does fly in the face of current thinking to replace green spaces with something less green. Perhaps when the planning application goes in you can share that too?
yes you’re right Hooda and yes that should be written into the lease.
re the planning application: that will of course be in the public domain
A feature on location of the ‘youth shelter’ as I have seen it called here would be very useful on HI HUB. Personally I had no idea it was a youth shelter. As Hooda says there are many locations that feel more fitting for this. I feel it would be a little large and obtrusive on the site Cedric mentions which would be a lovely area developed with a more open feel and seating. We could run a feature on this shelter and ask for feedback to be sent to the Parish Council team responsible. Get in touch with the HUB team if you feel we can help open out this topic.
That’s an excellent idea Amanda. Cedric and Hooda should be able to give some useful background and let’s make sure that if it is to be moved that it does so with the full input of the people who will use it.
The area in ‘Windmill Gardens’, once cleared of Shrub’s and the Mature trees cut back, would be an area large enough to accommodate the
‘Youth Shelter’ plus additional seating if needed and even Bicycle stands in my opinion, and worth serious consideration. I agree our young people should be consulted for their views through The HUB and Youth Clubs. Other areas for the Youth Shelter could maybe include Homefield Park and Pocket Park in Clay Close Lane.
Good luck on moving the Youth Shelter and don’t try and dump it opposite the butchers, like you did with the dog bin. There have been many complaints about the use of the seating already there being used long into the night, especially in the summer and disturbing people trying to sleep in the surrounding houses. In the same way that residents close to the current location have complained about it.
Histon Parish Council took advice from the Police on the siting of the shelter, when it was originally built. Their advice was it should not be sited in a remote area, be close to a means of access and on an area where a disturbance or a call for help could be responded to relatively quickly. At the same time, not to be too close to houses, where noise would become an issue. Places like the Recreation Ground and the Green were considered and rejected for those reasons.
The idea was sound, young people need a safe outdoor place to meet. One of the current drawbacks is the lack of lighting, but yet again lighting left on late into the night begets more late night noise issues. No doubt when the table and chairs are left out overnight on the School Hill site with the overnight shop lighting left on, there will be no need for a youth shelter anyway. One of the fears, with the recent grant of planning permission for the units, was allowing for an additional bank of takeaways to be sighted on School Hill. A recipe for the area to become a haven for discarded food wrappings and late night noise and gatherings. So, you won’t need a youth shelter anymore?
Did you know that our high street was considered special enough with its mixture of houses and shops as a conservation area to require shops to turn their lighting off after 10pm?
Where has that gone?