Most Local Authorities used powers under the Commons Act 1899 to prepare and implement a management plan for their commons. Cambridge City Council has not used these powers. However, the Council recently engaged the Wildlife Trust to help prepare a Management Plan for Midsummer Common. After a year of public consultation and inter- departmental discussions in the City Council, the Wildlife Trust has now presented their finalised Management Plan. It sets the Council 7 objectives to be achieved by the year 2014:
FoMC wants to see this Management Plan fully implemented and is lobbying Councillors to achieve this.
The condition of the Common has declined over recent years. The grassland is in a poor condition - the lack of a proper mowing regime has resulted in the spread of chickweed, thistles and nettles over large areas. FoMC volunteers have helped pull the weeds out but the task is monumental and never ending. Many of the newly-planted trees have been neglected with nettles impeding the flow of water and nutrients. FoMC volunteers have helped clear them away. Some of the trees have been vandalised by fire and with branches and bark torn away. Heavy vehicle movements close to the trees have compressed and damaged their roots. Heavy vehicle movements elsewhere have compressed and rutted the soil. This has impeded the natural drainage of the Common and results in long-lasting puddles. Too many people leave litter which is unsightly and a danger to grazing cattle. Some of those walking dogs fail to clear up their foulings. Others light fires which damage the vegetation.
It is comforting to report that the situation has improved recently. The grass has been cut, nettles round the trees have been cut, the trees themselves have been pruned, one footpath has been upgraded and more waste bins have been installed. Once fully implemented, the new Management Plan should ensure that this good work is maintained.
There are two main fairs on the Common - Midsummer Fair and Strawberry Fair - each with its own following. Midsummer Fair has a long tradition and is enshrined in statute (see history). The Council organises this event and it is opened by civic dignatories. Strawberry Fair has its own independent organising committee and the Council merely gives it permission to use the Common. It is a free summer festival of music, art, theatre and crafts.
Strawberry Fair has not been without its problem in recent years. Local residents, in particular, have suffered from much anti-social behaviour by some fairgoers. FoMC asked the Council to impose conditions on the Fair organisers this year. The Council did this and the organisers responded positively. As a result, the chair of FoMC was reported as saying that "it went superbly well" with few people coming into the residential areas and causing trouble.
Commoners have a right to graze cattle on most Cambridge Commons. A local vet put 9 Red Poll steers on Midsummer Common this year but they have to be moved away when there are events on the Common. Read more about the cattle at their website. FoMC would like to see the grazing season for the cattle extended and their absences from the Common (when the Fairs arrive) avoided. FoMC believes this would improve the condition of the Common and could be achieved.
The only traceable byelaws for Cambridge Commons are those dated 1851 and 1969. The former are over 150 years old and reflect a bygone age - for example, any person beating or shaking a carpet, rug or mat or gambling, betting or playing with cards, dice or any other article on Midsummer Common can be fined forty shillings. The 1969 byelaws do no more than impose a £20 fine on any person feeding animals depasturing on the Common. This is a sad picture, especially when compared with what other local authorities have done. FoMC has produced a draft set of new byelaws based on Defra guidance and what other local authorities have produced. The Council has been asked to consider these.
There has been a spate of bonfires on Cambridge Commons in recent months and Midsummer Common has suffered more than most. Groups of youngsters congregate, light up assembled rubbish and have a party - the turf is burnt, litter and drink bottles and cans are left, and the cattle are exposed to dangerous morsels. This is an unwelcome and illegal activity and the Council has engaged local groups, including FoMC, in discussing how this activity might be stopped.
Legislation has long protected English commons from unauthorised vehicular access. The fence around Midsummer Common stops vehicles entering and parking. However, there is a gate to let service vehicles access the Fort St George pub and Midsummer House restaurant. Unfortunately, this gate is too often left open and other vehicles ignore the Council notice and enter and park illegally on the Common. We are still waiting for the Council to provide a robust solution to this problem.
Recent media reports have highlighted the loss of orchards from the British landscape. The National Trust and Natural England put Cambridgeshire as the second worst offender with an 80% loss over the last half century. The Wildlife Trust, in their Management Plan, suggest planting an orchard on part of Midsummer Common. FoMC has welcomed this idea and presented its own ideas to the Council.
In the first phase a section of the pound could be cleared of brambles, nettles and thistles and 10 New Rock Pippin and 5 Wayside apple trees planted there. These trees would supply apples for eating from October to May - over 6 months of the year. In the second phase another section of the pound could be cleared and 4 Wallis’s Wonder plum trees and 4 Cambridge Gage trees planted there. These trees would supply plums and greengages for eating in August and September - just before the apples.
Help when on the Common
The Cambridge City StreetScene team is responsible for a wide range of services on the Common including litter picking, bonfires, grass cutting and toilet cleaning. They can be contacted at the Council Customer Service Centre on 01223 458282 (after hours, at the emergency number 01223 457457). Trees are the responsibility of the Arboricultural team who can be contacted at 01223 457200. Any problems with dogs should be referred to the Dog Warden on 01223 457898. If cattle escape from the Common or fall in the river, please contact the Pindar on 078553 76652.
The following events are scheduled for 2009:
All the trees on Midsummer Common have been surveyed by a Council Arboricultural Officer. As a result, an extensive programme of pollarding and pruning has been carried out. The survey also resulted in a number of trees being identified as damaged or diseased and these have been felled. The Common lost 6 trees this way in 2008 and another 7 have just gone in 2009. The pictures show one of these fallen trees with the tree surgeon showing the diseased wood. FoMC collected £1,400 from its members and friends to have the first fellings quickly replaced by 3 Black Poplars, 2 Dutch Elms and 1 Horse Chestnut. The Council has promised to replace the latest fellings.
Nettles are becoming all too common on Midsummer Common. Nowhere is this more evident than around the newly planted trees - see the pictures on the left. Two FoMC members took it upon themselves to clear the offending weeds. Suitably protected and with much pulling and digging they cleared the nettles and left them in piles ready for collection by the Council - see the pictures on the right.
