Author Archives: Cambridge Town Owl

Following the first two workshops in the late 2025 series of events, my next event will be an informal conversation and also slightly shorter. (Unless participants choose to continue talking as they did at the last two events!) Details: Please sign up here so I know how many copies of things to bring! For theContinue reading “The Future of Cambridge – and informing the public about ministerial powers”

An update on my blogpost (see here) from a few months ago when I went to their consultation. You can watch the presentation from CSP representatives here For those of you only interested in the Qs that your councillors asked, see here You can also browse their exhibition boards from their September events here TheContinue reading “Cambridge Science Park presents new plans to councillors”

The Planning Inspector hearing the appeal from Messrs Richer against refusal of planning permission from Cambridge City Council to demolish one of the few iconic town buildings left in our city provides a unique opportunity for Cambridge’s affluent and wealth-creating sectors to create a new joint town-gown community centre in the heart of our cityContinue reading “A reprieve for the Art Deco Hobson Street Cinema – and a new big test for Cambridge civic society”

If it sounds like local history is repeating itself to some of you, you’re right. You can read the press release from Cambridge United here The difference this time around is that unlike in previous eras, Cambridge is undergoing a period of Government-supported rapid growth (economic and population) which means there are far more optionsContinue reading “Cambridge United on search for new stadium site. Again.”

Peter Graham, Chief of Staff to the Mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority gave evidence on behalf of Mr Bristowe in a closing speech in the final week of the public inquiry hearings You can watch the speech here “The busway began as an unspecified mass rapid transit connection to a tunnel thatContinue reading “CPCA Mayor restates opposition to C2C Busway”

A 1 year progress update from the East of England’s section of the Local Government Association reflects the damage that over-centralisation does You can read: Doing such progress checks in principle means that institutions find it harder to ignore things that can easily be left on digital shelves and get forgotten about. “The report containsContinue reading “Historic underinvestment holding back East Anglia”

Cambridge’s rapid expansion is a political response to multiple crises. Image: Great Kneighton boxy buildings with expensive abstract sculpture plonked in front of it. Can we avoid repeating this too? What the city and surrounding districts are going through is the opposite of what Holford & Wright proposed for our city back in 1950, whichContinue reading “If Cambridge is to grow, let’s create a new awe-inspiring urban civic centre”

Clear? Didn’t think it was! One refers to a new station entrance we’ve been waiting 75 years for, while another is a new station on the Cambridge-Newmarket line possibly by the southern edge of the airport “As well as a new eastern entrance at Cambridge Central, set to significantly improve access to the surrounding communities,Continue reading “Ministers confirm Cambridge East Station, and Eastern Entrance for Cambridge Station”

I am of course referring to Dr Cleo Valentine’s presentation in Seoul, South Korea back in September 2025 I’ve also been wondering what the processes might be for retrofitting badly-designed facades that not only are visually intrusive on the outside, but malfunction on the inside too. Given that we have a huge amount of retrofittingContinue reading “If Cambridge is to grow, can we get the development plan to insist on visually healthier buildings?”

In a written statement to Parliament, the Housing Secretary made an announcement that will have huge implications for rural stations east of Cambridge You can read the Secretary of State’s statement here, and the joint press release with The Chancellor here. Want to talk about this in person? Sign up to my next Future ofContinue reading “Housing Secretary confirms easing restrictions on housing developments by railway stations”