Author Archives: Cambridge Town Owl

…amongst other things in a published report that really should have been published as a written ministerial statement to Parliament by the Minister for Water You can see the publications list by the water regulator OfWat here. Note the two items published 12 January 2026 mentioning: Note Anglian Water have been opposing large planning applicationsContinue reading “Chatteris reservoir delayed due to lack of detail on how to fill it with water”

You can see the list from the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service here I’ve also organised two public events in Cambridge: For convenience, I’ve listed the remaining ones below: Above – I’ve also put in bold the events within Cambridge’s city boundary More big maps Above – turns out the GCSP Service also created aContinue reading “Final fortnight of public events on Cambridge’s Future – the draft local plan 2024-45”

*I like big maps and I cannot lie, you other brothers can’t deny…* But when the only place the public can find it is tucked away in the Cambridgeshire Collection, I wonder why councillors did not insist that copies were distributed and pinned up in community centres and public transport hubs. (You should be ableContinue reading “Greater Cambridge Shared Planning produces huge A0 Map of Cambridge 2045”

That also means getting rid of academies and the multi-academy trusts, and moving away from inflexible systems of commissioning and contract management. Before I start – quick note about new workshops scheduled. Image from the Trials of Democracy This is the position of the National Education Union, the largest teaching union in the country andContinue reading “If ministers are serious about devolution, they will put schools back under local government oversight”

The Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service have launched a series of competitions. (See here – scroll down) For the Lego one, you’re not allowed to go to LegoLand and get your photo taken behind one of the nice buildings and claim that it’s yours. If you’re not familiar with the ‘draft local plan’ and whatContinue reading “Greater Cambridge Local Plan drawing and Lego competition for Under-18s”

Jane Hutchins, the director of Cambridge Science Park was filmed for an interview with BBC Look East on 07 Jan 2026 …and quoted in this piece for BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. “[Jane] Hutchins accepts that growth can cause conflict with local communities adding “we as a sector need to be better at telling people about theContinue reading “Growth can cause conflict with local communities, says Cambridge Science Park director”

The Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster Board published a report called The Economic Power of the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor. The report calls an overhauled, simplified governance structure The top-three recommendations are: Above – Report preamble page I wrote about the lack of governance structures and institutions a month ago I wrote this following the recent skills conference atContinue reading “It’s like the Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster read my blog!”

A superb piece by the founder of the Ninety-Three Percent Club who has put into a single blogpost what I spent over 15 years failing to do in hundreds of my own Image: The Tackling Loneliness Hub The title Life on a piece of paper comes from something I wrote during my final year ofContinue reading “Sophie Pender’s riposte to Life on a Piece of Paper”

EF applies for Change of Use for historic house that previously it used for corporate language courses. In the meantime, will there be a new proposal for the Romsey Labour Club? “The applicant added that it would “help meet the growing demand for resident facilities” for the school’s growing student numbers. It would also provideContinue reading “Romsey House opposite Romsey Labour Club to become student accommodation”

The Local Government Information Unit published a report on the future of local government in England – looking into the longer term over the next quarter of a century. See: Ministers cannot have a meaningful conversation about local government without having a comprehensive overhaul of the taxation and spending powers of local councils and anyContinue reading “The governance of England in 2050”