Jonathan Pallant St Ives mayor, Cllr Jonathan Pallant, writes for The Hunts Post. - Credit: JONATHAN PALLANT St Ives is a town rich in heritage, and with a huge community spirit. I once heard St Ives (our St Ives, not the Cornish one) described as a virtual sea-side town in terms of its geography. Certainly, the meandering Great Ouse and its wide flood plains, must have presented a pretty formidable barrier to our ancestors. We can see that in how the town spreads out along the north bank of the Ouse, overlooking the flood plains, with the crossing places limited to just the old stone bridge with its curious central chapel, and the newer bypass to the east.