Minutes of an Extraordinary Meeting of Milton Parish Council
held on Monday 15 January 2001 at 7.30pm in the Community Centre
Present: RLE Waters (chair) RJ Farrington EH Baker JE Coston R Day
M Ellwood B Jefferson IF May PK Oldham GM Richardson
TJ Siggs HM Smith RT Summerfield LC Twinn
The clerk SJ Daniels
C Bowdler from Go-East
M Mason Histon Parish Council
J Hockney Landbeach Parish Council
1 Apologies for absence none
34/01 2 A14 Multi-Modal Study Strategies - Council's response
(10/01) The chairman opened the meeting by explaining that the purpose of
this meeting was to formulate Council's official response to the
A14 Strategies proposed by the consultants to Go-East. He thanked
JEC for arranging the public meeting held on 12 January.
The public meeting highlighted four main issues:
- Overwhelming majority against Strategy 3 - 184 written replies
against out of a total of 207 responses.
- Use should be made of the St Ives railway line.
- No new roads should be built through the countryside.
- A10/A14 interchange, rat run through and difficulties of getting
out of Milton by car.
Council's role was to look after the interests of Milton.
RLEW felt it important to make Go-East aware of the problems already
existing in Milton including noise pollution.
The strategies needed to address the problems of the number of
accidents on the A14.
Council discussed fully each strategy in turn. It was AGREED
unanimously (unless stated otherwise) to make the following formal
responses:
STRATEGY 1
- Council agreed that this strategy did not satisfy the problems on
its own but was disappointed at the lack of imagination shown in
the consultation documents.
STRATEGY 2
- Council reluctantly supported the widening of the A14 to three
lanes between Girton and Milton together with Traffic Management
(eg 50mph speed limits).
- Council was opposed to any widening of the A14 between the Milton
A10/A14 interchange and Fen Ditton. Reason: noise pollution and
the impact on the Country Park. Carried by 11 votes, 1 against
and 2 abstentions.
- Any alteration to the road east of the A10/A14 interchange would
require a sound barrier for Milton.
- The A10/A14 interchange required drastic modification to allow
traffic to flow freely on to the slip roads, without backing up
to the A14 and to reduce the queues on the A10 and the inability
to move out of the village.
- The Science Park was another major problem which required a
solution to assist traffic which had difficulty accessing and
leaving the site. There was one entrance only. A solution would
be to have another junction for the Science Park on to the A14.
STRATEGY 3
- Council rejected Strategy 3 since it would
- destroy green fields
- pass in close proximity to Milton cemetery
- cut through Milton allotments
- have to pass at a high level across land to the north east of
Milton in order to cross the proposed rowing lake, railway and
river ensuring a high level of pollution through noise, air,
light and greenhouse gases
- cut across an area of Best Landscape east of the village
- ensure that Milton is surrounded on all sides by major roads and
- totally destroy the Country Park, the only country park in the
area.
STRATEGY 4
The comments made about Strategy 2 were relevant also to Strategy 4.
- Milton Parish Council felt that both Strategy 2 and 4 failed to
move through traffic away from the A14 corridor (60% of traffic
on A14 being through traffic) and that the real solution was a
road much further north, running north of Huntingdon, St Ives and
close to Ely before returning to the A14 further east.
General Comments
- Any proposals for new roads should include facilities for
cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians. Links between villages
must be maintained and local routes not cut off.
- Council supported the concept of a Park and Ride site north of
Milton. (A site close to the A10 but outside the parish boundary
was suggested).
- Council confirmed its support for the St Ives railway line to be
used for public transport in the form of a light rail, guided bus
or bus system along the St Ives railway line corridor (but not
heavy rail). Carried 13 votes in favour 1 abstention.
- Council expressed disappointment
- that it did not receive early notification of these proposals or
- have the opportunity to attend an exhibition
- that it was necessary for JEC to have to organise a public
meeting and
- that the official leaflets were not distributed throughout the
village.
- Urgent consideration should be given to the ideas listed in the
Strategies to improve safety, particularly speed control on the
A14 and village traffic calming.
The meeting ended at 9.35pm.