| News from St Ives |
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| St Ives Cambridgeshire
Click Oliver Cromwell (who once lived here) to go to contents list. A personal view
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| GUIDED BUS The new way-over-budget and much-delayed guided bus system between Huntingdon and Cambridge, via St Ives, opened on 7th August 2011. There are still major disputes with the contractors that have yet to be settled. |
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| The journey from St Ives to Cambridge takes five minutes more than it usually did on the A14, but it is much more reliable and has quite won me over. For the current timetable see http://thebusway.info. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| There's none of the excitement and drama of the A14, with bus drivers' occasional diversions into the countryside to avoid traffic jams. But ypu know you are likely to arrive on time. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The most scenic parts are the lakes at Fen Drayton (above). Apart from these, you get a fleeting glimpse of a windmill and of Swavesey church. But there are always car traps (right) to look out for. These are built into the start of the busway tracks to discourage cars - and were soon catching a few reckless drivers. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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THE CORN EXCHANGE
is another (eventual) success. It re-opened in June 2010 and is now available for exhibitions, theatrical events and concerts, indoor markets, conferences and self-catering dinners and parties. For more information, see its website: http://www.thecornexchange.org.uk |
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Try visiting it on a Friday morning for the Women's Institute stalls and good cake and coffee! |
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| This was Mrs Bateman Brown (in centre of picture) opening a Free Church Sale of Work in the old Corn Exchange, presumably at the turn of the last century. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RECESSION: SHOPS CLOSE IN ST IVES | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Woolworths closed in December 2008. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Walkers Bookshop closed on February 28th 2009. It is sadly missed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Would-be customers were upset to find that in June 2010 Grays long established butcher's shop was "closed until further notice". It was our only real butcher's. Days, another local butcher, took over - but it shut down hurriedly in September 2011 following a visit from the public health inspectors. . The large number of charity shops do good business - but are no substitute for "real" shops. |
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| Also see the SHOPS page. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NO PARKING? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Market Day, July 2011: all eight cars are typically left parked on double yellow lines. The space outside Piggotts shop in the right background would make a useful dropping-off point if only cars were not left there. There is, in theory, now a 20 mph speed limit from the foot of Ramsey Road along The Waits. but the signs marking it are minimal, and it too is often ignored. |
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| HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN ST IVES WEST
There is major house-building under way to the north and south of the Houghton Road, leading from St Ives to Huntingdon, and the southern part of the development is to be greatly expanded reaching almost to Houghton. In all, there will be some 500 homes. Local residents expressed much anxiety about this at a public consultation meeting held at the Corn Exchange on September 6th 2011 when Huntingdonshire District Council planners explained what was being proposed. They very sensibly intend that a large area of open space will be left below this development, reaching down to the river. But there is still at least one local landowner who would like to build houses there too - so this has still to be resolved. Let's hope that it is an argument that the planners will win. Much concern was expressed about the new homes' impact on local transport and education facilities as there seemed totally inadequate information about these, but it turned out that these were the responsibility of the Cambridgeshire County Council - who hadn't even managed to send a representative to the meeting, despite an invitation from the St Ives Town Council to do so. You can't help wondering whether we really need all three councils: the St Ives Town Council; (who really know the town), the Huntingdonshire District Council (whose planners did the best they could), and the Cambridgeshire County Council (who, as far as this meeting was concerned) did not even turn up. |
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Move on to NEWS FROM ST IVES 2 |
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