The Council is continually reviewing planned projects for the current year and beyond to take into account the needs of the Parish as they arise.
The Parish Council is keen to support other projects in and around the parish which are led by members of the community. If you have a project in mind and you can get a group together to see it through, then please email us: clerk@bottisham-pc.gov.uk
The village of Bottisham urgently needs a new cemetery as the existing Victorian burial ground nears capacity. The Parish Council, in consultation with residents and stakeholders, has identified a site off Lode Road for the cemetery, which is currently owned by the National Trust. A compulsory purchase order (CPO) is required to secure the land, and significant groundwork, including raising the land by 2m, is necessary to meet environmental standards.
This cemetery will meet the village's interment needs for the next 250 years while also contributing to local biodiversity and sustainability goals. It will create a tranquil, green space for residents, offering both ecological and recreational benefits. With careful financial planning and community involvement, the cemetery is expected to open by late 2026, providing an essential service for Bottisham’s growing population.· The new cemetery site will be on Lode Road, just up from Bottisham Village College (BVC). The sale has beenagreed with the National Trust and we will enter into a commercial purchase of the land, by ECDC, once approved by the Secretary of State. Hoping CPO by late Summer 2025.
The vision is to create a tranquil, sustainable, and biodiverse cemetery that serves Bottisham for the next 250 years, ensuring residents can be buried within their community while fostering a green, ecologically vibrant space for future generations.
A resident’s working group was established by the Parish Council in 2012. More information on the project can be found by clicking here.
Optimistically we hope for a formal “opening” of the cemetery to take place in 2027.
You may be aware that for some time Bottisham Parish Council has been seeking to improve the play facilities available to the village. A play area in the new development at Copse Close and Bradens Field was opened in the Spring of 2025. However, we understand from communications with Bottisham residents that this remains a key priority. A residents working party has been established to explore potential sites and, after purchase by the Council, guide the development of a play area.
The Parish Council have agreement with Anglian Learning for out-of-hours access to play facilities within the village college.
The pre-school play area included in the plans for the second phase of the Ox Meadow development isless than the recommended provision for a village of this size. Other possibilities that have been considered but rejected include land from private land owners, the new cemetery land that the National Trust owns as well as ‘dirt hills’ near the primary school.
The open space beside Ancient Meadows had also been identified as a viable option. East Cambridgeshire District Council kindly stated that they would be open to a proposal from Bottisham Parish Council to buy or lease part of it for a Play Area. However, following a consultation with the residents from Ancient Meadows it was evident that this was not supported or wanted.
Having exhausted all suitable options on publicly owned land in the village, the Council has now allocated monies in the 2023/4 budget for the purchase of land. We are also setting up a residents working party to explore potential sites and, after purchase by the Council, guide the development of a play area.
More detail will follow as we have this. However, to take this project forwards we are looking for the active involvement of residents to be part of Project Play and, if you would be willing to be part of the working party, we would be very pleased to hear from you. Please write to us at: clerk@bottisham-pc.gov.uk
Latest Update 3rd March 2025
The first stage of the Neighbourhood Plan was on show to residents on Saturday 1st March at the Bottisham Sports & Social Club. Residents were able to see the vision, objectives and the importance of the provision of services and facilities now and in the future as well as housing provision for the future and protecting areas of over development and the historical areas of Bottisham. For all those that attended there was the opportunity to complete the survey form either on the day or post into the survey box at the Co-Op (by 7th March 2025) or scan the QR code.
The Neighbourhood Plan first presentation (in .pdf form) are here for your review.
What is a neighbourhood plan?
Neighbourhood planning is a way for communities to have a say in the future of the places where they live and work. It gives you the power to produce a plan with real legal weight that directs development in your local area. It helps:
Groups can get tailored advice, support and grants to develop their neighbourhood plans which must fit with the District Council's Local Plan.
The main premise for the Neighbourhood Plan is to ensure that developments going forward meet all of the stringent conditions placed on it by the Planning Inspector.
What is Bottisham doing regarding a neighbourhood plan?
A consultation via Survey Monkey and paper based in The Cresset took place back in October 2023 asking for views on the way Bottisham should develop over the next ten years or so.
A Bottisham Neighbourhood Plan Working Group (BWG) has been created and meeting dates will be uploaded here and also notified in the monthly editions of The Cresset.
This comprises residents and Councillors and currently numbers twelve members.
This is a village wide project. The total process is facilitated by the BWG as an off shoot of the Parish Council.
The group has been active over the past few months collating all of the input arising from the 2023 village consultation.
Why is a Neighbourhood Plan (NP) is necessary?
Neighbourhood Planning provides the opportunity for communities to set out a positive vision for how they want their community to develop over the next 10, 15, 20 years in ways that meet identified local need and make sense for local people.
An NP is even more necessary now with the unrelenting expansion of Cambridge into the countryside and the pressure this has and will continue to place on pastoral land in Bottisham.
The construction of ‘executive style’ homes will only limit the number of homes for our young people and homes for those wanting to downsize.
Who is helping the BWG?
A company, Nupremis, has been commissioned to guide us through the process and to help source demographic and geographical data.
How is the Neighbourhood Plan currently being financed?
The finance for this has been made possible by an annual grant provided by Central Government.
Will the Neighbourhood Plan be enforceable / legal?
Once brought into legal force the NP will form part of the statutory local development plan.In this way communities will be able to choose where they want new homes, shops and business units to be built, have their say on what those new buildings should look like and what infrastructure should be provided. This is a powerful set of tools for local people to plan for the types of local development to meet local community needs.
What information has been gathered so far from the survey?
We had a good response from the survey, so thank you.
Analysis of the villages Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (otherwise known as a SWOT Analysis) has been created to help guide the BWG to form a collective community vision. There will be issues that can’t be delivered, or that sit outside of the remit of a NP, or are over ambitious or not pragmatic at this stage. However, with the help of the SWOT, 4 foremost priorities have been identified by the BWG who are working on the objectives needed for delivering these:
a) Housing Needs
b) Natural Environment
c) Facilities and Services
d) Climate Change
When will we see the Neighbourhood Plan?
The draft NP will be presented for local community consent in the form of a public presentation and a formal referendum. This will be announced in due course.
In the meantime if you have any questions related to the Neighbourhood Plan then please email: neighbourhoodplan@bottisham-pc.gov.uk
Cambridgeshire County Council proposed to make an Order under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and all other enabling powers. The effect of this Order will be; To implement a 20mph speed limit on the whole length of the following roads in Bottisham;
Ancient Meadows, Arber Close, Beechwood Avenue, Bradfords Close, Cedar Walk, Downing Close, Howlett Way, Jenyns Close, Lysander Close, Maple Close, Mulberry Close, Parsonage Barns, Peacock Drive, Pound Close, Rowan Close, Rowley Gardens, Spring Lane, Stocks Close, Thomas Christian Way, Trinity Close, Tunbridge Close, Vineyard Walk, West Walk, Willow Walk and on Bell Road from its junction with High Street in a south westerly direction for 300m, High Street from its junction with Lode Road in a south easterly direction for 834m, Lode Road from a point 130m northwest of its junction with Pound Close in a south easterly direction to its junction with High Street and Tunbridge Lane from its junction with High Street to a point 20m north east of its junction with Peacock Drive. And to implement a 40mph speed limit buffer on Tunbridge Lane from a point 284m northeast of its junction with Thomas Christian Way in an easterly direction for 400m.
For administrative purposes existing speed limit Orders for the Parish of Bottisham will be revoked, though their effects, as amended by the proposed, shall be consolidated into this Order.
This went out for residents survey on Thursday 30th July 2025. Closing date for comment is the 20th August 2025. For more detail click here.
Bottisham Parish Council applied for a 20mph speed limit throughout the village of Bottisham. The reason we strongly believe this is needed within the village is it will help address significant known safety issues that have got progressively worse over a number of years. These issues and why we feel this application is justified will be addressed in detail within this application. We will supplement this application with detail from residents that have been concerned for many years about the disruption and dangers posed by the volume and speed of traffic.
Bottisham is already a very busy village and is often used as a “rat-run” or through-route to nearby villages of Swaffham Bulbeck, Swaffham Prior and Burwell. Bottisham Parish Council has received a number of complaints of speeding within the village despite having speed warning signs (MVAS) and 30mph poles. Bottisham has a growing population of 2400 with a primary and secondary school, two care homes and a recently approved, to be built, 170 retirement home. The village is made up of a very diverse population, older people, growing families with children, young adults and persons with mobility issues and irrespective of age and ability surely their safety is paramount?
Bottisham is planned to have a Greater Cambridgeshire Partnership “Greenway” through the village encouraging active and sustainable travel. This “Greenway” will result in Bell Road (a major route into Bottisham) being designated as a “quiet street” and move from 30mph to 20mph. This “Greenway” is going to see cyclists in the primary position of the carriageway. In order for this to happen and more importantly ensure safety is paramount we really need to slow the traffic down everywhere. However, this does not address the crucial main roads through Bottisham which are all 30mph and where majority of speeding and incidents take place.
Bottisham Parish Council has worked hard to find ways of improving safety in the heart of the village. We are aware of the challenges with the junction of Bell Road, the endless speeding on main routes that lead to both a primary and secondary school where numerous school children are walking and cycling to school then adding in the care homes and the doctors – it’s a real challenge.
Bottisham held its inaugural Open Safety Forum on Wednesday 8th March 2022. This meeting was relatively well attended by around 40 residents however considering our village population we are sure a lot more would benefit from attendance.
We followed this up with the second meeting on 17th October 2023.
This open forum is for all residents including those who hold concerns about any aspect of community safety in Bottisham, whether anti-social behaviour, road safety and various other topics. It was a chance to meet and ask questions of representatives of some of the key groups and authorities impacting on life in Bottisham and working to keep us safe.
The meetings are hosted by your Parish Council, with support from East Cambs Community Safety Partnership. The responsible authorities work together to protect their local communities from crime and to help people feel safer. They work out how to deal with local issues like antisocial behaviour, drug or alcohol misuse and reoffending. They annually assess local crime priorities and consult partners and the local community about how to deal with them.
Representatives are there to answer a lot of questions.
At the previous events these were, but not limited to; road safety on the A1303 along with our main roads in the village including Lode Road and the High Street including speed and whether we should be looking at speed reductions from 30 to 20, discussions around the dreaded pot holes that we face throughout the village, anti-social behaviour activity from graffiti, nitrous oxide cannisters around the Triangle and the fires that have been started in nearby fields, refuse collection where black bin collections have been missed causing rubbish to be strewn around paths and roads due to rogue cats, deer, foxes etc and then there is the parking around School time and challenges day in day out around the Triangle.
One key result of these two meetings was an overwhelming demand for making Bottisham a safer village to drive, walk and cycle. This has resulted in Bottisham Parish Council submitting a Local Highways Initiative to the Cambridge County Council to request 20mph speed limit consideration throughout the village.
So as you can see lots of varied topics. Lots of questions were answered but the panel, made up of Neighbourhood Police, Village College, District and County Councillors, took many questions away guaranteeing responses will be given along with 3-month plan created. A community update will follow in the forthcoming months.
