The East Cambridgeshire HCV Group, a voluntary group made of parish councillors and members of the public, is working with the Northstowe Joint Action Group to assess the cost to our communities of the growing numbers of heavy goods vehicles using the fen roads and travelling through our villages.We recognise that we are all dependent upon road transport for goods and services and that many journeys will be to and from local businesses but we also recognise that much traffic is through traffic for which alternative main routes could be used. The County Council has listened to our case and has recently amended the County Draft Strategic Route Map and removed the designations of the A1421 and A1123 as 'strategic' routes. It is also working hard to make routing agreements with local aggregates companies as part of their planning conditions. However, these are only partial solutions.  They do not make it illegal for an HCV operator to use a particular route and so they do not stop the fen roads being used as short cuts and bypasses for the A14, the A10 and other roads. We are therefore attempting to carry out a full analysis of the costs of these vehicles to our community. Firstly we are looking at the damage they cause to those roads, which cross the low fens where the roads move and sink and therefore constantly have to be repaired. Secondly, we want to find out about the cost to individuals as these vehicles pass through our villages. We need you to tell us about the cost to you and your family. Does your home suffer from noise and vibration? Do you have to abandon the use of some rooms because of it? Does your property suffer physical damage such as cracking masonry, broken windows or water ingress?  Are you always cleaning because of the dust? Has your property been hit by a lorry. Do you have to take special precautions when accessing your property, maintaining it or even just cutting the hedge?  Do you have an old or a listed building that you are battling to maintain? Is your sleep disturbed? Please tell us your story. A single page of A4 will suffice. Please email or send it by 30th April 2010 to

Jenny Manning, Parish Clerk, 8 Aldreth Road, Haddenham, Cambs. CB6 3UB