Author Archives: Cambridge Town Owl

This was in 1994 and were the feelings of former Perse School headmaster Martin Stephen in an interview with the Cambridge Evening News shortly before his departure for Manchester. “I think there is more loneliness in Cambridge than any other city I have ever known” Martin Stephens in the Cambridge Evening News 21 July 1994,Continue reading “Former headteacher described Cambridge as having ‘more loneliness than any city he had ever known’”

In June 2021 the House of Commons Library published this briefing on loneliness in society. Nearly five years later how far have we come? Image – Tackling loneliness hub which is being funded by the Government (which includes this blogpost by the Minister) I’m writing this in the context of my own experiences past andContinue reading “Loneliness in society 2026”

Another report in the consultation annexes on the future of Cambridge / Greater Cambridge Emerging Local Plan for you to look at It’s in the document library – scroll down until you get to the Infrastructure subheading as below. Above – it’ll be the document just below the bottom row illustrated here. (And if theContinue reading “North East Cambridge – what infrastructure does it need?”

Alongside their inclusion in the Combined Authority Mayor’s Local Growth Plan, might we be getting somewhere with this after 65 years of trying? Also, what does contemporary history tell us about new facilities and amenities for Cambridge? I wanted to come back to this issue that I wrote about in my extended previous blogpost whichContinue reading “Concert hall and conference centre included at Cambridge East in new local plan”

Applying the conclusions of recent national reports to East Cambridge – where Abbey Ward is one of the most economically-deprived in Cambridgeshire ICYMI – see the Cambridge Civic Quarter planning applications here Only I missed them and will probably spend between now and the New Year going through them! Only the deadline for comments isContinue reading “Using new large civic projects to design out poverty”

And can their county councillors intervene to pull the application, change the architects and commission someone different to come up with a better design? Turns out it’s Essex County Council (or more specifically their pension fund) that is the applicant according to Bidwells. Above – confirmation from Bidwells 18 Dec 2025 to Cambridge City CouncilContinue reading “Why does Essex County Council want to impose an ugly carbuncle on Cambridge?”

Over the years I’ve tried to avoid commenting on the internal issues of the University of Cambridge – preferring to focus on the past, present, and future of ‘town’ which I’m much more familiar with. But this issue goes to the heart of what the University both is, what it thinks it is, and whatContinue reading “Cambridge Vet School’s future goes to the heart of what the University is”

In an extended statement to Parliament, the Minister for Housing Matthew Pennycook outlined twelve new changes he’s proposing to national planning policies You can read more in the consultation document here The headlines of the 12 changes: One legal firm says this represents a radical change to Government Policy There are some things which representContinue reading “Housing Minister consults on new developments at rural railway stations”

I’ve been waiting a couple of years for this so you can imagine my disappointment when there’s no mention of a new large concert hall within it. Which is inconsistent with the Combined Authority Mayor’s Growth Plan (and thus the strategy should have been refreshed in the light of his election). Click on the libraryContinue reading “The Greater Cambridge Cultural Infrastructure Strategy – is that it?!?”

This follows on from my previous post on the draft Infrastructure Delivery Plan – which is probably why it’s still a draft and why the consultants need the wider public to scrutinise it TL/DR: Have a look at the tables on proposed new sports pitches, then ask about provision by things like gender, age, mobilityContinue reading “Consultants may need to rethink assumptions on women’s sports facilities”