Has *anyone* visualised what Cambridge might look like once all this building work is done? And has anyone visualised what it might be like if all of the projects go ahead with no co-ordination as seems to have been the case over the past decade?
Before I start, a quick reminder I’m on Bsky – Cambridge people! Where are you?
The East West Rail Consultation covering the Bedford-Cambridge Section is now out
At the same time, people are also expected to:
- Submit objections to the Cambourne-Cambridge Busway application
- Do similar for CSET (South East Cambridge busway which I moaned about here) and the Waterbeach Busway here
- Pretend that the existing road network can handle all of the new buses that the busways will be funnelling into the city (Even though the GCP’s own independent auditors called them out on this back in 2021)
- Maintain scrutiny on the emerging local plan for Greater Cambridge
- Try and scrutinise what Ministers are proposing for Cambridge beyond the emerging local plan (which is why I think councillors should commence a programme of inviting civil servants based outside Cambridge working on the policy to visit our city regularly to meet the residents, not just the business and university communities)
- Keep campaigning on water stress issues and the need for new electricity substations while keeping track on the Chatteris Reservoir development
- Demand a better structure and system of local government that involves the governance of Cambridge by a democratically-accountable institution that has more powers than the current city council which is little more than what is needed for a market town.
- Demand a better future public transport network to ensure the investment heading towards Cambridge (in particular private sector investment) gets spread out over a much wider geographical area via strategic and planned rail infrastructure improvements as Rail Future East and Cambridge Connect demonstrate.
What is East West Rail saying?
They are delivering Government Policy – here’s the Department for Transport
Above – Transport Secretary Lou Haigh re-posting the publicity from her department on the new consultation.
“Which bits are we interested in?”
Take your pick – but for Cambridge residents it’s the section from Cambourne to Cambridge that are particularly interesting. To summarise:
- Cambourne’s further growth is all but confirmed – I hope ministers impose a huge land value uplift levy on the landowners!
- Proposed new tunnels have been included as a means of dealing with the concerns from the Cambridge Approaches group.
- Long Road will be getting a new bridge because the 1930s-era one is no longer wide enough – the old Varsity Line track being taken over by the guided busway.
- There will be significant works at Cambridge Station, some alterations to Cambridge South (why didn’t they work together to design it in properly earlier?!?!) – and at Cherry Hinton too
“More Cambridge Station developments?”
The document says:
“At Cambridge station, we are planning a new platform, platform extensions, bridges, building upgrades and railway systems modifications – all to give passengers the best possible experience.”
EWR (2024) p109 pdf
Spot the glaring omission.
Above – p111 pdf
****Where’s the new eastern entrance damn you?!?!?!***
Asking for the Coleridge Dragon – nothing that back in 2021 I wrote that an eastern entrance was essential.
Above – the Coleridge Dragon Slide at Coleridge Rec – it’s ten years old next summer!
More to the point, just up the road from the dragon slide is the junction of Rustat Road and Davy Road. You can see the geographical context below
Above – from GMaps here, I can foresee property acquisitions clearing some of the warehouses of the firms on the Clifton Road estate to create a turning circle for buses, and a large cycle park for commuters.
Note this was where Messrs Holford and Wright suggested a new eastern entrance to Cambridge Railway Station should be built. They wrote that in 1950. We’re still waiting.
Above – from p8 of Vol2 of the Cambridge Development Plan 1950 by Holford & Wright, which I’ve digitised here.
The second half of this blogpost makes the case for the new Eastern Entrance to Cambridge Railway Station’s main station. Essentially it would remove at a stroke most of the passenger traffic coming in from East Cambridge that otherwise get to the station by car, cycle, or on foot. Furthermore, it creates a new opportunity for additional bus services to serve some of the east Cambridge sci-tech developments in the absence of railway stations along the Cambridge-Newmarket line.
“Why didn’t they incorporate plans for an Eastern Entrance?”
Oversight or ‘value-engineering’ as a means to reduce costs/persuade the Combined Authority or other part of the state to pay for it.
Cherry Hinton turnaround sidings
It looks like they are proposing using the tiny slither of land where the old Cherry Hinton Station was as their proposed turnaround track.
The proposals also state:
“To provide a new train turnback facility (providing additional capacity for trains to change direction) east of Cambridge station, we are proposing to lay an additional track to the existing section of the Newmarket Line from Coldham’s Lane junction to the turnback locations. This would reduce the time trains need to remain at Cambridge station.”
Um….why not upgrade the entire line from Cambridge-Newmarket as Rail Future East propose?
They say it’s outside the scope of this section – which nominally it is, but for me this is where a new, empowered ‘Great Cambridge Council’ would be able to tax the wealth generated in and around the city to help fund the upgrades given the new sci-tech developments proposed and approved.
- Project Newton / Cherry Hinton Innovation / Land South of Coldham’s Lane
- The Beehive Centre redevelopment near where junction improvements are proposed by East West Rail (just build a new station while you’re there!!!)
- Capital Park, Fulbourn
This does not mean the East West Rail Company have to do this if they don’t have the capacity. But those responsible for the future of Cambridge should ensure that the planning and preparation is done rather than waiting for the further eastern sections to the East Coast.
Anyway, that’s my fivepenceworth. Have your say by 24th January 2025
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:
- Follow me on BSky <- A critical mass of public policy people seem to have moved here (and we could do with more local Cambridge/Cambs people on there!)
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- Consider a small donation to help fund my continued research and reporting on local democracy in and around Cambridge.
Saturday 7th December 2024 – Cambridge at 14:00
The Signal Box Community Centre, Glenalmond Avenue, Cambridge CB2 8DB
The Cambridge Town Owl 