Starting on Sunday 30th November and every last Sunday of the month going forward there will be a “walkabout” through the King’s Wood. These are nature rambles with some knowledge sharing paired with an old fashioned Sunday afternoon stroll. They will start at 2pm in any weather. If you haven’t visited the KW yet then these are a good reason to tag along.
DON’T MISS THIS YEAR’S CHRISTMAS FAIR – GREAT GIDDING VILLAGE HALL!
Sunday 7th December 11.00am – 4.00pm
Tea, Coffee, Mince Pies and Mulled Wine!
Crafts • tombola • gifts • handmade cards • skincare • fragrances • toys • games • leather goods • candles • knitted items …and much more!
GREAT & LITTLE GIDDING PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Jan Maciag
Clerk: Julie Trolove
Great and Little Gidding Parish Council, The Village Hall, Main Street,
Great Gidding, Huntingdon, Cambs PE28 5NU
TEL: 01832 293 068 EMAIL: ggparishcouncil@outlook.com
To Members of the Council
You are hereby summoned to attend a meeting of the Great & Little Gidding Parish Council to be held on Tuesday 18th November 2025 for the purpose of transacting the business listed below.
Members of the Press and Public PLEASE submit your question/request/comment in writing to the Parish Office letterbox or via email, no later than 2PM on Monday 17th November
Julie Trolove
Parish Clerk
14 November 2025
0080.25 Chairperson’s Welcome
0081.25 To receive apologies and reasons for absence
0082.25 Member’s declaration of Disclosable Interests for items on the Agenda
0083.25 Public & Press participation session with respect to items on the Agenda
0084.25 To confirm and accept minutes of the meeting held on 21st October 2025
0085.25 To receive reports from Councillors and Clerk.
0086.25 FINANCIAL MATTERS:
a) Bank statements from Barclays Bank (not yet received)
b) PAYMENTS – to approve online payments in respect of the following
| Who | What for | TOTAL | Invoice includes this VAT amount |
| Staff costs | Wages for September (28 hours) HMRC National Insurance | 415.52 | NIL |
| Great Gidding Village Hall | Annual rent | 800.00 | nil |
0087.25 PLANNING applications and matters:
a)awaiting date of the planning meeting at which the Hemington Lodge Road application will be discussed. Note of thanks from resident, also more on website.
b) Great Gidding School site
c) Local Plan Engagement sessions (nearest is Sawtry on 3 December). Report from Cllr Maciag on recent District Parish Council meeting with Head of Planning in attendance.
d) Laurel Farm – crown reduction of ash tree (Parish Council not asked for a response).
0088.25 Local Government Reorganisation – Hunts DC require response to their proposal to become a unitary authority – Meeting Wednesday 19th November to decide, deadline Friday 21st November
0089.25 Information Technology – website options/email addresses/laptop etc.
0090.25 Village Maintenance –
0091.25 Correspondence received since 21st October 2025 :
a) NALC newsletters – dated Chief Executives Bulletin NALC events,
b)Cambridgeshire County Council –
c) Huntingdonshire District Council –
d) Cambs &Pboro Combined Authority – monthly newsletter
e) Cambs ACRE – Staying in Touch newsletter
f) CAPALC – nothing
g) Parish Online monthly newsletter
h) SLCC advise – The 14th edition of Arnold Baker has now been published and is available for purchase. SLCC members can purchase it at a discounted price of £144 (plus £5.40 shipping)
i) Citizens Advice Rural Cambs, recently launched a dedicated Community Energy Advice service to support residents across Huntingdonshire, Fenland and East Cambridgeshire – poster available
0092.25 Items for next meeting:
The next meeting will commence at 7.30pm on 16th December 2025
in the Village Hall, Main Street, Great Gidding.
Held on Tuesday 21st October, in the Village Hall, Great Gidding – starting at 7.30PM
Minutes approved at meeting held on 18th November 2025
PRESENT: Cllrs Maciag, Hargrave, Hodson, Bolton, Downer, Nankivell, County Cllr Gardener and District Councillor Alban, the Clerk and 21 members of the public
0067.25 Cllr Maciag, as Chairperson, welcomed those present to the meeting
0068.25 There were no apologies for absence
0069.25 There were no Member’s declarations of Disclosable Interests for items on the Agenda
0070.25 No members of the Press were present. Members of the Public were in attendance in respect of item 0074.25b Highways application in respect of Hemington Lodge Road and its junction with B660 – CambsCC application no CCC/25/107/FUL – there followed considerable comment and discussion regarding all aspects of this application, particular concerns were raised regarding the increased heavy goods vehicle and agricultural vehicle traffic that will impact on travel through the village and on the local road network. Cllr Gardener read out additional notes provided by Planning Dept of CambsCC (these were added to the village website on 22/10/2025) and encouraged both Parish Councillors and concerned residents to attend the planning committee session at which this application will be discussed (Date and details to follow when known). Parish Councillors will write a response to the application, setting out their objections and highlighting the concerns of parishioners.
0071.25 Minutes of the meeting held on 16th September 2025 were confirmed as a correct record by Cllrs Bolton and Hargrave.
0072.25 To receive reports from Councillors and Clerk.
Cllr Alban reported:
He has sent an objection to the planning application regarding the re-aligned access to Hemington Lodge Road.
Local Government reorganisation – Option E, a standalone Huntingdonshire authority is still an option to be considered.
Civil Parking enforcement is being carried out in towns but has not yet spread out across the whole district.
Clara Kerr, head of Planning Department, will attend a District Wide Parish Council meeting to discuss the next stage of the Local Plan procedure.
Cllr Alban left to attend another Parish Council meeting.
Cllr Gardener reported:
Cambs CC have chosen Option A (Peterborough, Huntingdonshire and Fenland) as the preferred option for the Local Government reorganisation – Cllr Gardener will vote for Option E (Huntingdonshire as a standalone authority).
The revised Highways reporting system is up and running, we should check that all reports have been transferred, are relevant and update them to reflect the current state of any highways issues – anyone can report an issue, it will be assessed/triaged and auctioned accordingly. Cllr Gardener will hold regular meetings with the Highways Maintenance Manager.
The next round of the LHI scheme is open between 10th November and 16th January for bids to be submitted. 20MPH scheme bids are open between 26th January and 26th March (Little Gidding scheme remains “on the list”).
Cambridgeshire County Council funds Healthy You, a service that provides free NHS Health Checks for adults aged 40-74 to screen for conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and dementia. See https://healthyyou.org.uk/ to book an appointment
Cllr Hargrave:
Over £500 raised at the McMillan coffee morning
38 bookings already for the Quiz and Fish and Chip Supper in November
Clerk – Remembrance Sunday, there are no details yet of a service at Great Gidding. Poppies will be placed at bottom crossroads.
0073.25 FINANCIAL MATTERS:
a) Bank statements from Barclays Bank (not yet received)
b) PAYMENTS – Cllrs Hargrave and Bolton approved the following payments and clerk’s working hours
| Who | What for | TOTAL | Invoice includes this VAT amount | Authorised | Authorised |
| Staff costs | Wages for August (29 hours) HMRC National Insurance | Up to £500 (figure not available at meeting) | NIL | JRT | |
| Viking | Print cartridges, paper and other stationery | 135.59 | 22.60 | ||
| Bradgate Grounds Maintenance | Invoice no 3285 | 253.03 | 42.17 | ||
| Karl Morgan Maintenance | Painting of 2 x benches | 339.00 (less £23 for paint) | NIL | ||
| Julie Trolove | Paint for benches – reimbursement | 23.00 | NIL | ||
| Ady Pendred signs | Noticeboard and installation | 1440.00 | 240.00 | ||
| CAPALC | Training sessions for 2 x Councillors | 150.00 | NIL |
0074.25 PLANNING applications and matters:
a) 25/01714/HHFUL Two storey and single storey rear extensions 6 Winwick Road Great Gidding Huntingdon PE28 5PB
DECISION – a retrospective application as this was built some time ago, in the Conservation Area, but does not impact on visual street scene.
b) Highways application in respect of Hemington Lodge Road and its junction with B660 – CambsCC application no CCC/25/107/FUL
DECISION – objection due to increased traffic through village and on local, unsuitable road network, and resulting safety issues
Copy of residents correspondence (x4) to CambsCC regarding this application was shared with Councillors prior to the meeting
c) Baptist Chapel – information sent to Tim Alban from the Conservation Officer
d) School site – Cambs CC (Mark Freer) advised that demolition and dismantling work starts on Monday 20th October (already started on Thursday 16th October)
e) District Councillor Alban has arranged a District wide Parish Council meeting to take place on Wednesday 5th November, with Clara Kerr Head of Planning in attendance and particularly to discuss the next stage of the Local Plan – Cllr Maciag will attend.
0075.25 Local Government re-organisation. Introduction of option E – to retain Huntingdonshire as a standalone unitary authority. – see Cllr reports above
0076.25 Village Maintenance –
0077.25 Allotments – Renewal letters were sent out – all paid, except for Plot No 10 which became vacant and has been offered to the first name on the waiting list. Clerk requested clarification of terms of tenancy, this will be revised and tenant will be advised.
0078.25 Correspondence received since 16th September 2025 :
a) NALC newsletters – dated Chief Executives Bulletin NALC events,
b) Cambridgeshire County Council –Cambridgeshire Matters monthly edition
Traffic Management Centre incident report for roads (4 in Huntingdonshire during last month),
Highways events during coming months – nearest is a Remembrance event in Sawtry.
Community Food initiative small grants available in respect of food poverty,
Local Highways Initiative – 2026/27 expression of interest
The Local Nature Recovery Strategy for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough region
Information about replacement Highways asset management system, known as Aurora – clerk has attended online information session.
Waste Education Newsletter
c) Huntingdonshire District Council –
d) Cambs &Pboro Combined Authority – monthly newsletter, includes buses
e) Cambs ACRE
f) CAPALC – adverts for job vacancies
g) Society of Local Council Clerks – advert for a Deputy CEO
h) Parish Online monthly newsletter
i) Huntingdon Archives – request for return of legal documents loaned some years ago.
0079.25 Items for next meeting:
Review of finance and budget to date, with a view to setting 2026/27 precept
Information Technology – website and email addresses
Rec Field – management of grass cutting, areas and frequency
The next meeting will commence at 7.30pm on 18th November 2025
in the Village Hall, Main Street, Great Gidding.
I’ve been waiting for a rainy day to write the next KW blog, they have been few and very far between but today, 14th November is entirely a different matter, it’s lashing it down and looks set for the day. So this is probably the best thing to talk about and as rainfall and weather are an ingrained farmer discussion topic, what better subject!
There is no denying that the weather for most of 2025 has been different to the usual fare of a maritime climate. We started the year having had an above average rainfall for 2024 (673 mm – 602 mm average 1991-2020) Ditches running, brooks flowing with purpose and “most” ponds full to capacity. Looking at the recorded data, January and February were slightly below average, winter months are not generally high rainfall periods, cold air holds less moisture. There are exceptions when Atlantic storms come bowling in. March however was completely bonkers, only 2 mm of rain recorded in this location and masses of sunshine. My daily diary entries started March with “glorious day” and ended “another sunny day, warmer” and this was the trend for the remainder of the year up until today with the exception of July where a most welcome 66 mm was recorded (July Av 55 mm – rainfall data from the Met Office rain gauge at Monks Wood which is the nearest official rain gauge) So this all adds up to a staggering figure of just 47% of our normal yearly average rainfall amount to date.
If it hasn’t been raining its usually overcast, but no, wall to wall sunshine. Its more difficult to quantify sunshine data locally as I don’t have a fancy Campbell – Stokes sunshine recorder. However there are many sources for weather records most notably the Met Office.
How has this affected the KW? Not a lot would be a simple and honest answer. If we had planted this year instead of 2024 it might well be a very different story. One of woe and wasted effort perhaps. Coming out of a high rainfall year the tree roots got themselves growing and locked into the soil particles. The biggest problem was the intense sunshine making the new leaves transpire rapidly especially in the wrap around tubes. The thinking here was that leaf diseases would become an issue so the answer was to lift the tubes on the most affected trees. I did have to spend a week mulching the trees to try and mitigate moisture loss. Overall the outcome is mostly positive with some “tree-mendous” growth by most of the planted species.
A walk through at the end of July counting dead trees and shrubs put the overall loss at around 8% this includes 1st year losses and over winter loss caused by rodent damage to the area known as the root-stem junction. Lost quite a few oaks in late summer 2024 to what visibly looked like powdery mildew but transitioned into a virus and stopped the young oak trees from growing.
We are obliged to keep the planting density high for the early years so replacement trees have been ordered for a December planting along with lifting some sapling oaks, field maple and wild service trees from the Jubilee Wood to transplant in the KW
Date: Saturday 15th November 6.30pm
Tickets: £15 per person to include a Rumbles supper (drinks not included)
Teams: between 2–6 per team
Pre-order your food by 8th November
Please book by 8th November
Email: ggvillagehall@gmail.com or phone Andrea 07985 889780
All proceeds to the Village Hall improvements
BACKGROUND: Northamptonshire Council (NNC) are considering a planning permission
under reference NN/23/0006/WASFUL for a Proposed Anaerobic Digestion Plant, Associated
Infrastructure, Lagoons and Feedstock Clamps at Rectory Farm, Luddington.
The application to North Northants for the AD plant has not yet been decided and the public
can still comment on it. You can find details of the application on their website:
https://www.northnorthants.gov.uk/minerals-and-waste-planning/current-minerals-and-wasteplanning-
applications
The main part of the Anaerobic Digestion (or AD) plant would sit in North Northamptonshire,
and their Council will make the decision on this. However, the gas pipe line and the National
Transmission Service compound needed for the plant would be in Cambridgeshire and so in
March 2024, the County Council granted permission for those minor parts of the development
that would be located in the County – under planning permission reference CCC/23/125/FUL.
CURRENT PLANNING APPLICATION: reference CCC/25/107/FUL
A new planning application has been submitted to the County Council which seeks
permission for a road to serve the AD plant which would link the B660 (Main Street, Great
Gidding) to Hemington Lodge Road.
The proposed road is needed to give better access to the AD plant, it would replace the
existing junction and passing places are also proposed along Hemington Lodge Road. If the
AD plant is approved there will need to be these road improvements. However, if the AD
plant is not approved or not built then the proposed road will not be built.
The County Council understands that an application has also been submitted to
Northamptonshire for a very small part of the road that would sit in their area, that application
is not yet valid and it will not appear on their public access system until it is.
When considering CCC/25/107/FUL, the Council are only able to assess the impact of the
part of the proposed new road that sits within the County and officers cannot consider the AD
plant itself, or the traffic generated by the proposed plant or the traffic routing. Any comments
on these matters should be submitted to North Northamptonshire Council, along with any
other concerns that they may have about the AD plant.
The comments from the County Council’s Highway Development Management team on the
application for the road withing Cambridgeshire are available on our public access system:
https://planning.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/online-applications/
Please direct any queries about the proposed road and highway improvements to
planningdc@cambridgeshire.gov.uk and all other queries to North Northamptonshire Council.
Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday 16th September 2025Present: Councillors Hargrave,Nankivell, Downer, Bolton, Hodson and the Clerk 0055.25 Councillor Hargrave, welcomed those present to the meeting0056.25 To receive apologies and reasons for absence County Cllr Gardener – another meeting District Cllr Alban – at another meeting 0057.25 There were no Member’s declaration of Disclosable Interests for items on the Agenda0058.25 No members of the Public & Press were present0059.25 Minutes of the meeting held on 18th August 2025 were declared as a correct record by Cllrs Hodson and Hargrave0060.25 To receive reports from Councillors and Clerk.Clerk – District wide Parish Council meeting takes place on 1st October – Clerk + 2 x Councillors to attend. District Cllr Alban has offered to arrange a meeting with the Senior Planning Officer to discuss the Call for Sites and the Local Plan – responses requested.Cllrs Nankivell and Downer booked onto CAPALC training day at end of September. Cllr Downer – following the last meeting, he was able to advise that Minutes should be published within 30 days of the meeting, even if a draft copy.
| Who | What for | TOTAL | Invoice includes this VAT amount | Authorised | Authorised |
| Staff costs | Wages for July (28 hours) HMRC National Insurance | 415.52
NIL | NIL | JRT |
|
| WEL Medical PAID after August meeting | S137 funding of replacement pads for defibrillator | 132.25 | N/A |
|
|
| R P Tree Care PAID after August meeting | URGENT Removal of vegetation at junction | 250.00 | NIL |
|
|
| Bradgate Maintenance | Grass cutting – invoice from 2021 *** | 199.32 *** |
|
|
|
| Bradgate Maintenance | Grass cutting – invoice no 3207 | 253.03 | 210.86 |
|
|
Our friendly, informal group meet once a month in Great Gidding Village Hall for two hours to sketch or paint a still life or figure. All welcome (not just Gidding-ites)!
The sessions are untutored but we do a couple of short drawing exercises followed by a longer drawing session and help and advice will be freely available. All you will need to bring is a sketchbook and pencil or your chosen materials.
Tea, coffee and biscuits are provided.
Time: 10.00am – 12.00 noon
Date: Thursday 9th October 2025
Location: Great Gidding Village Hall
Cost: £6.00 per session (cash only please)
If you’re not able to join us on this occasion, the next session is scheduled for Thursday 6th November 2025.
If you are interested in attending contact Krystyna on 01832 293175 or email kw@krystynawojcik.co.uk
