Agenda and minutes

To elect a Chair of the Hinchingbrooke Country Park Joint Group for the remainder of the Municipal Year.

RESOLVED

that Councillor M L Beuttell be elected Chair of the Hinchingbrooke Country Park Joint Group for the remainder of the Municipal Year.

Councillor M L Beuttell in the Chair.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 18th March 2022.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 18th March 2022 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To receive from Members declarations as to disclosable pecuniary, other registerable and non-registerable  interests in relation to any Agenda item. See Notes below.

No declarations were received.

To appoint a Vice-Chair of the Hinchingbrooke Country Park Joint Group for the remainder of the Municipal Year.

RESOLVED

  that Councillor C A Lowe be appointed Vice-Chair of the Hinchingbrooke Country Park Joint Group for the remainder of the Municipal Year.

To note the Membership of the Group for 2022/23 as follows:

(a)  Cambridgeshire County Council

Councillor K Billington

(b)  Huntingdonshire District Council

Councillors M L Beuttell, C A Lowe, D L Mickelburgh and S L Taylor.

To note the membership of the Group for 2022/23 as follows:

(a)  Cambridgeshire County Council

Councillor K Billington.

(b)  Huntingdonshire District Council

Councillors Mrs M L Beuttell, C A Lowe, D L Mickelburgh and S L Taylor.

To receive a report by the Senior Ranger on park activities for the period March to October 2022.

The Group received and noted the contents of the Senior Ranger’s report (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) and a PowerPoint presentation on park activities for the period March to October 2022. In doing so, comment was made as follows:

Staffing and Volunteers

It was reported that the Assistant Ranger had been successfully recruited to a position elsewhere within the Council with a replacement Assistant Ranger in post since mid-September. Members were encouraged to note that one Kickstarter had started as an Apprentice Ranger at Paxton Pits Nature Reserve and that a new full time Café Team Leader had also been appointed.

In terms of volunteers, it was reported that work parties were at full strength and that this group of volunteers had been pivotal in the delivery of new signage at the Country Park. Cambridge Regional College’s Green Team continued to deliver projects with work underway to create the Santa’s Grotto for this year’s event.

Hinchingbrooke Country Park Management

The Group noted the completion of the first phase of the installation of new fishing platforms supplied by the Environment Agency and Brampton Angling Society. Over the dry summer months, strimming and grass cutting activities had been undertaken (though less than usual due to the extremely dry weather) as well as the removal of reeds in The Wash as part of the maintenance work required for open water whilst maintaining and managing wildlife habitats.

Looking forward, it was reported that tree planting work would continue to be undertaken by the Friends of Hinchingbrooke Country Park replacing those that had died in the drought and to improve diversity in the glades and coppice plots as well as planting more mature trees to provide shade in areas used for picnicking.

Additionally, it was reported that the Country Park were currently trialling the use of duck nest boxes.

Community Groups

Members were pleased to note the Segway events that were currently taking place at the Country Park with 320 individuals booked this coming weekend. The Canoe Club and BRJ Club had funded the steps up to the new sailing facilities and a new joint venture with Cambridgeshire County Council and Grafham Water was currently being pursued to provide boating and wild swimming in the Main Lake over the summer holidays and weekends in 2023. In terms of the latter, a brief discussion was held on the current “No Swimming” policy and the recent national guidance which advises to “Swim Safely”. Some work will initially be required to review the Council’s policy and signage if the Council were to adopt the national position. In response to questions it was confirmed that events organised by a group would be required to take their own water samples. 

Satellite Sites

A fire had broken out at Spring Common over the summer but the cause of it was yet to be identified. Litter picking across all sites remains a very time consuming task and can only be negated through educating the population.

In respect  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To note that the next meeting of the Hinchingbrooke Country Park Joint Group will be held on 17th March 2023 at 10:00am.

It was agreed that the Hinchingbrooke Country Park Joint Group would now meet on three occasions per year in April, July and November to receive updates on the redevelopment proposals. Dates will be confirmed with the Joint Group outside of the meeting.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Countryside Manager and the Assistant Director (Recovery) sought feedback from the Joint Group on the proposed redevelopment plans.