Monthly Archives: December 2023

Their first meeting is on 09 Jan 2024 and they have two ongoing consultations – but they need to remind the public of who created it – Otherwise it’s left to people like me to carry out this task and that’s not right. Given the lack of public political and democratic literacy, more public sectorContinue reading “Cambridgeshire & Peterborough’s Combined Authority 2024”

The barriers installed by the big social media firms seem to have had a particularly big impact this year, as social media streams clogged up with ads’n’spam, with exchanges between actual people fewer and further between I noticed it more than in previous years because for whatever reason, my fatigue symptoms have been stronger ofContinue reading “Big tech’s anti-social Xmas”

Some of you will have noticed some uncomfortable differences between the responses of local government leaders in and around Cambridge, and that of the University of Cambridge. The University of Cambridge responded as per Pro Vice-Chancellor Andy Neely Above: University of Cambridge quoted by Mark Williamson “It is pleasing to see the plans recognise theContinue reading “Why isn’t the University of Cambridge standing shoulder to shoulder with Cambridge City Council over Cambridge2040?”

Kind of a rhetorical question because that involves some basic awareness of the local and social histories of settlements with shorter municipal histories than somewhere like Cambridge – sadly the histories of which can be easily looked down upon and/or dismissed. Some new (to me) old (they were published ***ages ago*** pamphlets arrived earlier whichContinue reading “Have Cambridge’s decision-makers and influencers learnt the lessons from post-war new towns?”

Establishing a development corporation is not something that can happen overnight. Which makes the announcement today all the more interesting given election timetables “A development corporation to deliver upwards of 150,000 homes around Cambridge over the next 20 years has been announced by Housing Secretary Michael Gove.” Gemma Gardner, Cambridge Independent, 19 Dec 2023 AboveContinue reading “The Cambridge Development Corporation – a public consultation looms for 2024”

Some of you will have seen the planning application for the sci/tech park south of the airport between Romsey and Cherry Hinton where I commented about their proposed shuttle buses to the railway station being incorporated into the existing 114 Bus Service. Image – from Unite Glasgow Well…there are a few more planning applications looming.Continue reading “Nik Johnson’s buses team need to rein in the private shuttle buses – and get the sci/tech parks to subsidise public transport”

The long-running proposals to revelop the site of the old tip and cement works comes back again. Building a sci/tech development on an old landfill site (by sinking thick metal piles into the bedrock and building a frame over the landfill site, rather than resting on it) is a huge undertaking. You can read theContinue reading “Planning Application – Land South of Coldham’s Lane”

On why adult education and lifelong learning needs to be front and centre of practical responses not just to the call for ‘a million green jobs’ but also for a host of other challenges across our villages, towns, and cities. Image: Cambridgeshire & Peterborough’s Structure Plan Draft Deposit Plan 2002 which you can read hereContinue reading “Linking responses to the climate emergency & other big issues with adult education”

The Regional Water Resources Plan for the East of England has revealed how under-prepared our part of the country is for the climate emergency – whether for droughts or extremely heavy rainfall. TL/DR? Read Mark Williamson’s thread here. See also BBC Cambridgeshire here. Also, go and see the Pure Clean Water film about Cambridge’s waterContinue reading “Ministers and water industry chiefs are in denial about the scale of our water crisis”

The report was commissioned following complaints from MPs on a number of issues. Broken regional governance structures are at the heart of some of the problems they found. You can read the report here “Improved communication and joint working between central government and local bodies are needed to overcome barriers to progress and achieve theContinue reading “National Audit Office criticises lack of joined-up working on East West Rail”