We need to talk about the Civic Gap

Posted byCambridge Town OwlPosted inUncategorized

Especially in leisure, sports, arts, cultural facilities and civic amenities. Cambridge City Council will be going out to consultation on developer contributions to all of the above. We need to be informed and ready to talk about it – as there are a number of big gaps in the draft.

These are being debated at Cambridge City Council’s Planning and Transport Scrutiny Committee

***If you want to ask a public question at the meeting, see the city council’s guidance here***

There are a number of huge issues lined up for debate this meeting

Again, browse through the agenda

  • The bus franchising consultation (corporate view of the city council)
  • Greater Cambridge Emerging Local Plan – the new timetable before the 2031-40 plans get to the dreaded Examination in Public stage
  • Planning Obligations – the SPD (which is what this blogpost is mainly about)
  • Health Impact Assessment SPD for the existing local plan – being brought in due to changes in national government policy, esp prevention
  • Cambridge Biomedical Campus draft SPD discussed in earlier blogposts (on CSET & water crisis here, and the wider changes here)
  • Neighbourhood Plans – how do get what South Newnham are close to signing off (Item 11g)
  • How many homes we are building, at what rate, and what land there is (Item 11d)
“Heavy reading”

Which is why when things go out to consultation there is some sort of co-ordinated response from civic society organisations that enables people to focus on the things they are most interested in/passionate about, knowing that someone else as got the other issues covered. I’ve tried the hard way to cover everything and it’s not possible. You burn out. Furthermore, there are a host of background documents referenced that are relevant even if they have been forgotten about.

The Cambridge Room, Together Culture, and TeaCambs

The first two of these are venues and collectives, the last of these was a concept from ages ago.

The first two links to The Cambridge Room and to Together Culture are self-explanatory of which my involvement has been one of curious interest more than anything. (I can’t take credit for the actual achievements they’ve made – nor would I want to. That’s bad form). The third one has Puffles’ paw prints all over it but eventually austerity and new jobs took out too many of the core group to keep it going.

“Should we revive the old monthly TeaCambs meetings?”

I discussed this in the second half of this blogpost. Comments on a metaphorical postcard please.

In the grand scheme of things I don’t want to be facilitating yet another ‘talking shop’ – or what could be dismissed as one. Rather I’d like them to be about learning, connection, co-operation, and collaboration – and even a fair amount of disagreement too.

Learning from recent history: – why didn’t we get some of the really important things that were listed in previous documents?

All of these things were written into formal documents and signed off by the important persons responsible for signing things off in the past. So why hasn’t for example the University of Cambridge built the long-promised swimming pool? (I put this Q to the October NW Cambridge Community Forum covering Eddington and you can hear the response from the University of Cambridge’s representative. Make of it what you will).

Actually, bear in mind what the representative of the University of Cambridge stated earlier this month (October 2024) with what the University published on 25 July 2006 in this press release.

“Well…that’s awkward!”

It gets more interesting.

“Priorities for major sports facilities include a 50m swimming pool at West Cambridge which would form part of the University Sports Centre, an ice rink, a community football stadium and a multi-lane rowing facility. The strategy was launched at The Pavilion, University of Cambridge Sports Ground. Rt. Hon. Richard Caborn MP [Then the Minister for Sport in Tony Blair’s Government] attended to formally launch the strategy and set it in context with the national sports agenda.”

“So they told a Minister of the Crown and one of Her Late Britannic Majesty’s Privy Councillors that the Swimming Pool was a priority? In a public forum?!?!”

Something like that.

You can read the report from July 2006 here. Note the commitments.

Above – Via a blogpost on Cambridge needing a masterplan. At least Northstowe got their bowls club but crikey that building is drab and ugly!

Above – feed the designers to the dragons. The people of Northstowe deserve better than this grey bleakness.

“For a number of years the University has opened many of its sports facilities for community use and we welcome the confirmation of the University as a key player in the provision of sub-regional facilities. We look forward to working with all the partners and playing a full part in the region’s development.””

Tony Lemons, Director of Physical Education for the University of Cambridge, July 2006.

I can only guess that some in the University have lost their moral compasses and failed to follow through on on the direction that Tony Lemons set out 18 years ago. To get back to the much-needed civic-minded leadership provided by the likes of Former Vice Chancellor Sir Ivor Jennings QC in the early 1960s will require a new generation of Cambridge students and university members – and an equal response from town and our surrounding villages too. Because as this is about the future of our city, this involves us all.

Food for thought?

If you are interested in the longer term future of Cambridge, and on what happens at the local democracy meetings where decisions are made, feel free to: