LDHS News – 2010
LDHS News 2010
This section contains a record of all our news in 2010. When our petition to “Save RAF Oakington” is complete this section will be renamed to create a News Archive.
This is the section were we can keep you up to date with what is happening with LDHS; the website etc. Please visit the latest month for current information. We will keep the news updates for a few months as some of the old news may be of interest to others.
NEWSFLASH!
31 Dec. 2010
390 signatures to the LDHS “Save RAF Oakington” petition.
Between the paper and on-line petition, LDHS has now received over 390 signatures. Although most come from across the UK, signatures have also been recorded from Hong Kong, USA, Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, Poland, Qatar, Italy, Australia and Belgium.
Many thanks to everyone who has signed the petition to date. Your comments and interest in what happens to RAF Oakington is invaluable.
Every single signature is vital if we are to save the heritage of RAF Oakington and Northstowe for future generations.
LDHS would like to take the opportunity to wish all members and supporters a Happy New Year.
7 Dec. 2010
LDHS launches EMERGENCY PETITION to save a Heritage Core on RAF Oakington. With the exception of the Officer’s Mess the Northstowe developers are on the verge of demolishing everything out on the airfield. This will happen within weeks unless people take action and sign our petition. See December News for more information on how to help, before it is too late. Please don’t leave it to others!
12 Nov. 2010
Oakington Immigration Centre Closes!
Oakington Immigration Centre officially closes today paving the way for the Homes and Communities Agency, and their joint development partners, to finalise plans for the development of the site. LDHS is grateful to the developers for making a commitment to saving the Officer’s Mess, but we hope that many more WW2 buildings and structures can be saved and incorporated into the new plans. See November section for the developers statement on the closure.
26. Oct. 2010
Northstowe developers say YES to museum!
The A14 upgrade may have been a casualty of the budget cuts announced by the Chancellor last week, but it is not all doom and gloom! LDHS is delighted to announce that this week the Northstowe developers decided to commit themselves to a museum, as part of the Northstowe development. See October News section for details.
Please contact us if you would like to join LDHS and help make this museum a reality. Please also contact us if you have any memorabilia relating to Longstanton, Oakington/Westwick, RAF Oakington or Oakington Barracks that you would like to contribute. All offers of donations are greatly appreciated.
We may not be able to accept everything (particularly large items) but will consider all offers carefully. Larger items may need to be retained by donors until the museum opens. LDHS cannot accept any archival donations unless they relate directly to the places listed above, or people associated with these places. If in doubt please seek our advice.
5 Oct. 2010
The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway breaks the world record for the longest guided busway, as the last concrete beam is laid. However, it is still many months from being operational. See October News section for more information.
1 Sept. 2010
Donations to LDHS, and Friends All Saints’ church, Longstanton, generously made by LDHS members in USA and Ireland. Please see September news for more details.
6th Aug. 2010
Oakington Immigration Centre to close – November 2010!
This decision, announced by local media, signals the start of the final planning stages for the development of Northstowe, the new eco-town. An inevitable decision, which has implications for the future of the A14 upgrade and the Guided Bus-way project.
LDHS has spent the last few years lobbying for a heritage facility located within the former Officer’s Mess building, Rampton Road. We will continue these efforts. The heritage of the existing villages and RAF Oakington/Oakington Barracks is worthy of protection for future generations.
Responsible, and eco-friendly, development sees that heritage protection helps provide an environment where residents understand their community’s past, and its aspirations for the future. LDHS is happy to meet with government/developers to assist with the development of a heritage facility.
30th July. 2010
FAMILY HISTORY!
We have started to up-load information on some of the “old” families of Longstanton and Oakington & Westwick. To find out if your family history is here – go to the appropriate village section then click on Village People – Family Research. Can you suggest other families to add? Can you help provide information or photographs on these or other local families? If you use our lists to help you trace your family please do let us know via e mail. We are delighted to get feedback from our users – it helps us ensure that the web site contains material that is of interest.
Please see the Talks Sectionfor details of the Autumn talks to be held at the Village Institute, High Street, Longstanton. Please note the September talk will start at 8pm (after the 2010 AGM). The AGM provides us with the opportunity to update members on what we have achieved over the last year. Voting is restricted to members only.
17th June. 2010
Government cuts announced today suspend the A14 upgrade, pending further review. Local media has also broadcast that there will be a public review into the Guided Bus-way. These developments must call into question the future of the Northstowe development.
8th June. 2010
Andrew Lansley, local MP and Secretary of State for Health, expresses support for the work of LDHS. See June News section.
13 May. 2010
The new Lib – Con Coalition will inevitably influence the existing villages and the Northstowe development. See May News Section for the LDHS view.
16 Apr. 2010
LDHS gives their first ever talk to Mike Petty’s Fenland History Group at Ely. The talk entitled Beginnings explains the origins of the society and the work we are doing.
5 Mar. 2010
Andrew Lansley MP (Shadow Health Secretary) visits the Longstanton Conservation Area.
17 Feb. 2010
Terry Fuller, Regional Director of the Homes & Communities Agency (the main developers of Northstowe), meets with Hilary Stroude at The Manor, Longstanton to learn more about our concerns regarding the airfield archaeology and the Longstanton Conservation Area.
17 Feb. 2010
LDHS now affiliated with the Cambridge Antiquarian Society. For members benefits please see Useful Societies & Contacts Section.
15 Feb. 2010
” Northstowe Area Action Plan is legally binding”. This has been recently confirmed. If you take a look at the page of links on your left you can read the Northstowe AAP for yourselves. You will see that provision has been made for the Longstanton Conservation Area to be part of ” Northstowe Green Separation” and to include “open uses” (allotments; cemeteries and sports fields).
The recent adoption of SCDC Policy SP/15 brings “open uses” on the conservation area a step closer!
See February Section for more details.
We have now added direct links to all the major Northstowe and Conservation policies listed on the SCDC website. See the page list on the left.
11 Feb. 2010
At the end of January, 2010 South Cambridgeshire District Council adopted policy Sp/15 that will allow Northstowe ”open uses” on the Longstanton Conservation Area. For full details see February newssection. Concern has also been expressed about clearance of trees on part of Long lane adjacent to the Northstowe site. Our District Councillor has agreed to look into these matters and report back. We have given him some before and after photographs of the area concerned and we will try and load these onto the website in due course.
All of the LongstantonConservation Area should be fully protected in accordance with SCDC Conservation Area SPD (Jan 2009).