The Town and Country Planning Association publishes a page of guidance and links on involving children and young people in town planning – as two large planning applications land at Greater Cambridge Share Planning Service’s desks.
You can browse through the TCPA’s resources here
One of the resources included is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This was the successor to League of Nations’ Geneva Convention on the Rights of the Child, drafted by former Cambridge resident Eglantyne Jebb in 1924.
Article 31 of the UN Convention includes The Right To Play
“States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.”
“The UK signed the convention on 19 April 1990, ratified it on 16 December 1991 and it came into force on 15 January 1992.”
UK Government Policy Paper 15 March 2010
The Cambridge Student Summit, 18 June 2026
I wrote about the announcement of the summit here. It was a mix of university and further education students that debated their issues with senior political, public policy, university, and civic figures.
“…sessions saw students engage with policy leaders on transport – how it affects students’ daily lives and how it could be developed to support greater access and mobility – and on the environment, and particularly how young people can help shape a greener, more climate-resilient future for the city.”
Above – Cambridge University Press Release 19 June 2026
I hope this becomes an annual ‘post exams’ event that enable generations of students to find the ‘spark’ to get involved in shaping the future of our city.
Wellcome Genome Campus’s new energy development
You can read the press release here. It’s not small.
“Located in Hinxton, the Campus is now expanding from 125 acres to 440 acres, delivering new world‑leading workplaces for companies to undertake research and translation, 1,500 homes, sports, health and fitness, hospitality and community spaces. This growth will be enabled by an innovative energy strategy designed to lower operating costs for occupiers, reduce carbon emissions and strengthen energy resilience.”
The part that’s of particular interest is the local grid.
“Local microgrids with photovoltatics (PVs) battery storage and intelligent controls, capable of generating, storing and dynamically managing electricity across the site. By balancing supply, demand and storage in real time, the microgrid will reduce reliance on the National Grid, optimise renewable energy use at peak times, and save occupiers money.”
It will be interesting to see if other sci-tech parks in and around Cambridge do similar given the huge energy demands from such developments in the face of the limited capacity of the local grid – despite the current upgrades being made to a trio of substations.
The Crown Estate submits applies for outline planning permission in North Cambridge
See their press release here. They also have two public events coming up:
- Thursday 9 July from 4pm – 7pm
- Saturday 11 July from 10am – 2 pm
They will be at Byron House, Cambridge Business Park, Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 0WZ. See here for more details.
This time last year I wrote about their previous public consultation event. In that post I referred to the Milton Road Garage site that along with the Cambridge Business Park that The Crown Estate wants to redevelop, sits within the North East Cambridge Area Action Plan. My idea for the garage site (mindful of the looming ban on the sale of fossil-fuelled motor vehicles) is for a new public swimming pool.
I remain of the view that the site could be used for a swimming pool and could also make use of the excess heat from the Cambridge Science Park to heat the pool water, and even provide for spa facilities too – the likes that I became familiar with on visits to Vienna in the mid-2000s. (Only their thermal baths are from natural springs!)
Either way, I think there is a huge opportunity to provide something substantial and positively life-changing for the residents of King’s Hedges, the students of Cambridge Regional College and the North Cambridge Academy, and for the people of North Cambridge more generally.
Keep an eye on the planning applications coming through in Cambridge and South Cambridge with the weekly lists from the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service via the planning portal here
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