Author Archives: Cambridge Town Owl

…and by that I don’t mean those who shout the loudest, people with connections, or even people like me. It’s not just to make the case for Cambridge Connect Light Rail which I wrote about in my previous blogpost (hence ‘Let’s connect’), there are a host of other issues that require various different policy &Continue reading “Cambridge City Council should invite civil servants from Whitehall’s Cambridge Strategy Unit to meet local residents”

These are my personal opinions, not those of Cambridge Connect You can read the news report from BBC Cambridgeshire here. You can also see the video below. If you like the video, get in touch with Cambridge Connect here. Above – from Cambridge Connect Light Rail For those of you who don’t want to/cannot watchContinue reading “Cambridge Connect Light Rail seeks ministerial support for feasibility study”

The recommendations date from 2013 – how do they read almost a decade later? You can read the report here. The recommendations are: Community engagement Land Infrastructure Finance Bar the European Union reference, there’s little that policy makers would disagree with. So why does it feel like the same problems are still in place overContinue reading “Applying RTPI’s recommendations to Cambridge on large scale housing”

A new report from an unfortunately-named think-tank (due to a political party/limited company with the same name) provides a template to work with You can read the report here Before I start, for those of you departing birdsite and heading over to BSky, I’m at the latter too. Achieving ‘the devolution revolution’ The publication isContinue reading “What might devolution for Great Cambridge look like?”

The tragic news of the death of a teenager just after the hottest day of the year in Cambridge comes at a time a new set of planning documents have been published by the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Authority You can see the news report from BBC Cambridgeshire here. I’m not going to comment furtherContinue reading “The dangers of wild swimming in the East Cambridge Lakes”

And does the history of the institute hint at the re-establishment of the old CCAT – The Cambridge College for Art and Technology? When I look at the course list within the bright fuchsia coloured pages of the 1950s course catalogue for CCAT’s predecessor institution, the Cambridge Technical College and School of Art, I sortContinue reading “The Bishopsgate Institute shows what a lifelong learning centre for Cambridge could be like”

Just as the feeble, underpowered, poorly-resourced and fragmented local government sector tied up in ideological red tape created by Westminster and Whitehall is in no state to create an inclusive city, neither are private institutions. But the reasons are different. Pictured: Cambridge City Council’s Cultural Strategy 2024-29 Cambridge City Council’s vision for the future ofContinue reading “Cambridge’s exclusive institutions will struggle to create an inclusive city on their own”

The existing systems of local development plan making, and county transport planning inhibit rather than enable this process – along with the weak, feeble, and over-complicated mess of governance structures created by successive governments. This is why we can’t have nice things in and around our city I was in Together Culture on Fitzroy StreetContinue reading “The City of Cambridge needs a Great Cambridge Masterplan to reach its potential”

There have been a few updates on the redevelopment titled Cambridge East. I wrote about it in 2023 here. TL/DR? Click here and start droppin’ those pins! Above – from Cambridge East There are other things to comment on too. Above – From Cambridge East on the themes of place given that this is theContinue reading “Cambridge East (Marshall’s Airport) more digital pins to drop on online maps”

This is what happens when you come up with too many ideas and you crash the system Especially when some of them come from 2-3am digital scribblings from the previous evening ***I know! All of you can fill out your ideas instead!!!*** Because the system has (quite understandably) done the equivalent of singing this songContinue reading “*You’ve submitted too many comments*”