Author Archives: Cambridge Town Owl

Set up by Dean Perryman in Essex after the untimely death of a close friend, the Empty Chairs grassroots movement has spread across the country. And it started from an empty chair, an orange t-shirt, and a website For a crash course, see https://emptychairs.org.uk/ and scroll down to see the list of dates and venues.Continue reading “Loneliness is structural – as the 234 upcoming Empty Chairs events reflect”

“Cambridge’s skyline is a distinctive and highly valued aspect of the city’s character” says the main strategy update by Urban Initiatives and CBA Studios The documents are the only ones in the main committee document pack here under the heading Great Places. “How will city planners use the findings?” “The study will provide the CouncilContinue reading “Draft Gtr Cambridge Local Plan: 4) Skyline and Tall Buildings”

You can add transport planning, and town planning, and landscaping/ecology to that list in the hope that at some stage one decision-making institution will take on the competency for lifelong learning provision Image: Public places, urban spaces 3rd ed. (2021) Carmona. – I found it in a charity shop! I mentioned in an earlier blogpostContinue reading “The architecture and urban design of lifelong learning in growing Cambridge”

You may have seen the news that one of Stevenage’s largest employers of skilled workers is moving from its historic site south of the railway station on the GNER line to Cambridge Biomedical Campus. ‘Cambridge Delight’ “We are delighted to welcome the expansion of their presence here in Cambridge, and excited to see the impactContinue reading “How is the Cambridge sci-tech community going to help Stevenage following GSK’s relocation to the CBC?”

Back in November 2025 I asked “Ministers could save time and money by legalising and regulating e-scooters. So why won’t they?” Now the BBC has published an in-depth report on the Government’s e-scooters policies Image: Economic impact of light rail (2004) summarised here “But six years since the trials started around England, there’s still no conclusion…SoContinue reading “BBC News asks ‘Why the UK is dithering over what to do about e-scooters’ – plus more on light rail”

The Cambridge Independent featured a petition about how Cambridge is changing. This post looks at the content of the responses in the context of the Minister for Housing and Planning’s statement to Parliament about ‘exemplary engagement structures’ that the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation will have to establish. “‘I feel a growing sense of sadness watchingContinue reading “Comments on the ‘Cambridge is being changed’ petition of summer 2026”

When a book from the olden days produced for children asks some very awkward questions of adults – and the ministers responsible for education in recent decades. The publication is called ‘Local Studies for Schools’ and is an exercise book aimed at late primary / early secondary school children going by the content of theContinue reading “How well do you know your district/town/city?”

The House of Lords gave its approval on 22nd July 2026, while the House of Commons gave its approval a couple of weeks earlier Image – detail of the Order creating the development corporation. Read the full Order here. You can read the transcripts of the debates: House of Commons debate – the Minister’s caseContinue reading “Parliament approves creation of The Greater Cambridge Development Corporation”

The development is for 240 co-living residential units as part of the major property developments in North West Cambridge. Could these developments help reduce the frequency of family homes being converted into awkwardly-converted Houses of Multiple Occupation that they were never designed for? …Having lived in such a property in my university days in BrightonContinue reading “New co-living development in NW Cambridge, in response to HMOs pressures”

That’s not to say Cambridge isn’t getting any money, but policy-wise what little is recycled back through Whitehall’s algorithms is (understandably) being spent on ‘cold spots’ across the county. Image – Sutton College – Cambridgeshire doesn’t even have an adult education service logo! (It has two words in a font, the words indicating a muchContinue reading “London Borough of Sutton to get splendid new lifelong learning centre – why can’t Cambridge have one too?”