“I want this building please!” In July 2017, the Conservative-led County Council confirmed that the archive service was being run “at its statutory minimum”. With the whole of the council up for election on 06 May 2021, what pressure can people interested in local history put on candidates and future councillors? You can find outContinue reading “Can Cambridgeshire’s local history service become an election issue?”
Author Archives: Cambridge Town Owl
James Palmer should make the case for CAM Metro to Cambridge voters – including the 8,000+ people who voted Conservative in 2019
…and his Labour and Liberal Democrat opponents, Dr Nik Johnson & Cllr Aidan van de Weyer respectively, need to make the case for an alternative mass transit having rejected Mr Palmer’s plan for the CAM Metro. I was disappointed to read that Mr Palmer declined to take part in the Cambridge Cycling Campaign hustings. (ScheduledContinue reading “James Palmer should make the case for CAM Metro to Cambridge voters – including the 8,000+ people who voted Conservative in 2019”
The proposed Oxford-Cambridge railway consultation shows a new eastern entrance to Cambridge Station is essential
You can read the East-West Rail Consultation here. One of the things that has been raised in recent times is whether the route should approach Cambridge from the south (as is the current plan) or from the north – with a possible additional station at Northstowe – one of the new housing developments that wasContinue reading “The proposed Oxford-Cambridge railway consultation shows a new eastern entrance to Cambridge Station is essential”
Community-building in Coleridge, Cambridge – a year after the Covid19 outbreak
How does one of Cambridge’s lower-profile wards look a year after some of us gathered on a cold January evening to discuss a council survey of the ward? (Unlike today which was the warmest day of the year and saw dozens of people on Coleridge Rec enjoying the sunshine after lockdown and a bitterly coldContinue reading “Community-building in Coleridge, Cambridge – a year after the Covid19 outbreak”
Does post-Covid Cambridge require a new generation of primary schools with large open green spaces?
And if so, how does it go about acquiring such space in the expensive low-density suburbs that have little spare land going? It turns out that the call for better primary school buildings, playgrounds, and green spaces is not a new demand at all. As far as party political manifestos go, you can go backContinue reading “Does post-Covid Cambridge require a new generation of primary schools with large open green spaces?”
What are the in-depth and long term issues we can debate for the local elections?
…and where do we find these otherwise buried reports? (Because the transport emissions from village dwellers in a ‘do nothing’ scenario’ for 2030 are frightening). For me, the most useful thing non-party-political activists can do in elections is to encourage people to get in touch with the candidates standing for election where they live andContinue reading “What are the in-depth and long term issues we can debate for the local elections?”
The time for Cambridge’s new large concert hall has arrived
The announcement by the University of Cambridge that it is creating a Centre for Music Performance [see the press release here] is the perfect opportunity to deliver on a much-needed civic and municipal masterpiece that has been the subject of public debate since the 1960s. See also the petition here to the University of CambridgeContinue reading “The time for Cambridge’s new large concert hall has arrived”
“A city-wide sequenced programme of citizenship and civic action for secondary schools”
If Cambridge’s primary schools are starting to look at a co-ordinated and sequenced local history curriculum throughout the children’s time there, does this create an opportunity for secondary schools to build on this and apply some of the stories and themes to active citizenship? I’ve had a couple of enquiries coming through about my localContinue reading ““A city-wide sequenced programme of citizenship and civic action for secondary schools””
A new vision for the Cambridge Biomedical Campus – but what of the old vision?
You can have a look at their new document here. You can have a look at the original 2020 Vision document from the early 2000s here. The people behind the Cambridge Biomedical Campus must fund a proper evaluation of their original document and the aims/objectives within it. After all, there is room for improvement whenContinue reading “A new vision for the Cambridge Biomedical Campus – but what of the old vision?”
The Cambridge Market Square ‘Concept Design’
Our fountain in Market Square is looking unloved these days. In fact, it has been looking like that for decades. This was one proposal from 1995 to improve it. Recognise the artist? This week is the last week of council meetings before councillors and activists head off for the local election campaigns. One of theContinue reading “The Cambridge Market Square ‘Concept Design’”
The Cambridge Town Owl 