Nearly a quarter of a million pounds will have been spent by East Cambs District Council on their project to build a crematorium on the site of Mepal Outdoor Centre by the time they submit their planning application. That was the shocking news given in answer to a question from my colleague councillor Lorna Dupré […]

Last July at a meeting held behind closed doors East Cambs District Council decided to abandon plans to re-open Mepal Outdoor Centre and to instead build a crematorium on the site. It was reported in the summer that “plans will most likely be submitted later in the year” but as we begin 2021 those plans […]

As any local resident will be only too aware, parking enforcement is not fit for purpose in East Cambridgeshire. In our towns and villages vehicles are regularly parked on double yellow lines. This is not just an inconvenience but can cause safety issues. It was very welcome therefore that at last Thursday’s district council meeting […]

On Friday 31 July East Cambs District Council met behind closed doors to decide to abandon plans to re-open Mepal Outdoor Centre and instead build a crematorium on the site. I posted further details a couple of weeks later showing that the plans had been worked on in secret for more than 18 months and […]

Earlier this year East Cambs District Council conducted a survey for bus users. Four months on we are still waiting for the outcome, but is the solution to public transport in the villages of East Cambridgeshire a few tweaks to two hourly services that don’t run in the evenings or on a Sunday or do […]

Generations of children and young people benefited from Mepal Outdoor Centre until an arson attack in 2016 forced the centre to close. After an abortive attempt to re-open with a new operator we recently learnt that East Cambs District Council now plans to use the site for a new crematorium. An alternative of a revitalised […]

Late in the evening on Friday 31 July residents officially learnt for the first time of East Cambs District Council plans to abandon the re-opening of Mepal Outdoor Centre and to instead build a crematorium. A month earlier Lib Dem councillors were told future options for the Outdoor Centre “has not been a priority looking […]

Before COVID-19 official council meetings were legally required to be held face to face. Then suddenly lockdown meant a different way of meeting was needed. With the benefit of Zoom, council meetings have continued to be held and made available for the public to watch. Are they an improvement or should we return to meeting […]

Let’s assume for the moment that the demand for a new crematorium in East Cambridgeshire District can be established (not itself a certainty). Then to be successful we need to maximise the market it services and minimise the competition. In the words of Kirsty and Phil it’s “Location, Location, Location”. The primary factor determining which […]

Late on Friday evening East Cambs District Council published a press release which began “An outline business plan to transform a currently unused brownfield site in Mepal into a cutting edge, ecological crematorium…”. This was the first public confirmation of leaked reports earlier in the week of secret plans agreed behind closed doors to abandon […]