Oakington and Westwick Parish Council
Notes about the Airfield Road.These were read and discussed at the December meeting, (2008).
1. The present situation would not have come about if the local Magistrates had applied the law, instead of sitting back and doing nothing, because they did not support this road closure. Consequently, the Police did not waste time and effort in bringing cases before them, knowing that in all probability they would be thrown out by the courts. e.g. they dismissed a case involving use by somebody to transport a handicapped person, whereas in actual fact only drivers of specially adapted invalid carriages are legally allowed to use this road, and quite rightly, Blue Badge holders have no privileges whatsoever.
2. The stretch between the inhabited parts of Oakington and Longstanton is subject to a Road Traffic Order. This is a legal document that sets out not only who can use it, but the position and details of all signage.
3. Any change to the Road Traffic Order, no matter how small, has to be put out to formal public consultation at a minimum cost of
This leads us to conclude that the Parish Council cannot possibly provide the necessary funding for any gating arrangement for Longstanton Road, even in the unlikely event that Longstanton agreed to pay half of the total cost of implementation. The same applies, but even more so, to the significantly higher, ongoing maintenance and repair costs.
However, we remain committed to help sponsor a scheme as part of the Jointly Funded Scheme, which requires a