Issue - meetings

Start time 19:45

Discussion item with representative from Anderson Group

The Committee received a verbal report from the Communications Officer (Anderson Group).

The report gave an update on Cambridge Lakes security and actions taken to address anti-social behaviour on-site:

       i.          Anderson continued to invest in security for the site.

     ii.          Contractors visited the site to investigate issues and tidy up litter after vandalism of the fence. Visits used to occur twice a week but had now increased to four.

   iii.          The Anderson Group held a Community Planning Weekend in November where residents were asked to build a masterplan for the area of major change. This is with the City Council planning team for review but would alleviate traffic and open lakes for public access. Anderson Group would continue to manage Cambridge Lakes. They were engaging with City Council Officers on how to do so.

   iv.          The Communications Officer was happy to follow up with South and East Area Committees in future if desired.

    v.          Local media portrayed the site as somewhere to visit now. It was not safe to do so. Referring to the site as “Romsey Beach” continued this incorrect impression.

The Committee made the following comments in response to the report:

       i.          Queried if the site was contaminated. Asked for the site to be cleaned up and made safe before it was opened to the public.

     ii.          Thanked Anderson Group for replacing fencing that was continuously damaged. Access via neighbouring sites needed to be stopped too.

   iii.          Land adjoining the Lakes site was owned by Peterhouse College. This is not as secure. People accessed the Lakes site through Peterhouse land, then broke down Anderson Group’s fences to access the site.

   iv.          People also accessed the lake site via the railway track and cutting down large sections of fencing.

    v.          Trespass may continue as an issue once the site was opened up to the public. This was an issue to monitor.

   vi.          Anderson Group were doing a lot of positive public engagement.

 vii.          Hoped the media would pick up on the change of site name from “Romsey Beach” to “Cambridge Lakes”.

The Communications Officer said the following in response to Members’ questions:

       i.          A cement factory used to be on the Cambridge Lakes site. The lakes were deep holes where the cement was excavated.  There were underwater structures present.

     ii.          Anderson Group did erect a wooden fence around the lake some years ago. Within one month the fence was vandalised, removed and set on fire. Rather than replacing the damaged fence, Anderson Group protected the site in other ways. A security/management plan was coming forward on how to protect the site in future.

   iii.          All landowners (Anderson, Peterhouse College and the City Council) would have to protect the site in future. The City Council was engaging with Anderson Group on how to do this. It cost £4,000 per month to protect the site at present.

Action Point: Councillors Thornburrow and Ashton to invite representatives from Peterhouse College and Anderson Group to a future meeting in Cherry Hinton to discuss issues about Cambridge Lakes.

   iv.          If people trespassed on the site, this caused a safety issue.

    v.          The lake was not contaminated. The land above it was.

   vi.          Anderson Group’s priorities were to secure the site perimeter, clean up the site then develop it. Anderson Group had offered to pay for site clean-up before developing it further.