The parish council would welcome your comments.
We are looking into applying for a Local Highways Initiative project in 2025-2026. This is where we apply to the Highways Authority for funding on highway projects. These are only part funded with the parish picking up the rest of the costs. Generally the more the parish offers the more likely we are to be successful.
We are very lucky at present to have and excellent crossing guard. Thank you Chipper. We have also have other great crossing guards before. We were if you recall without a crossing guard for about 18 months a little while ago. This caused great concern in the village, particularly with for the safety of parents and children going to school.
No plan is going to be perfect due to the layout of our roads and junction. The parish council have asked for advice from expert highway officers and received it.
The plan will be in two phases. Firstly a footpath behind the war memorial to invite pedestrians to cross North End away from the junction. A new footpath will be needed across the war memorial green and along the west side of North End.
The second and critical part of the plan would be a zebra crossing across Brook Rd, half the way from the junction of North End to the bend of Brook Rd.
These two phases would have a cost circa £89,000. Over 50% of this would come out of parish council monies. You all pay into this through your council tax and if the project were to take place the precept for Bassingbourn would have to increase.
This project is not perfect but the solution recommended by highway officers and would make the crossings of school children safer should we be without a crossing guard.
The council wants to listen to the views of parishioners on this. It will be a chunk of change for us and not really needed if we can keep our much needed crossing guards. What if we don’t?
If the application for funding were successful we would anticipate construction might start in 2026-2027.
Please let the Parish Council have your views, preferably by email to rfo@bassingbournparishcouncil.gov.uk