Author Archives: Cambridge Town Owl

A longstanding controversial topic that has become more acute as higher education institutions expanded their student numbers faster than the accommodation they could provide for. I’ve written about this before As I wrote in 2023: Most of you will be familiar with my repeated references to Parliamentary reports on unsustainable council finances (Commons LUHC 2021)Continue reading “Draft Gtr Cambridge Local Plan: 8) Student accommodation and ARU’s expansion”

The article “Cambridge widow left feeling ‘isolated and alone’ as more HMOs pop up on estate” by Local Democracy Reporter for Greater Cambridge Eoin McCaul highlights broken economic structures and enfeebled local government not just in Cambridge but nationwide IMAGE: Loneliness Strategy 2018 from Theresa May’s Government. “A widow in her 80s said the spreadContinue reading “Economic and policy drivers of loneliness – going beyond individuals”

I was tipped off by the Cambridge Bus Users for this blogpost – there are a host of assumptions that local residents living near the proposed new large development sites may want to scrutinise You can read the FB update from the Cambridge Bus Users here (because it’s too long to copy and paste!) ThereContinue reading “Draft Gtr Cambridge Local Plan: 7) Transport Mitigation Measures for New Strategic Sites”

I wasn’t the only person who was visually discomforted by the Pattern Glare Test that Dr Cleo Valentine introduced to the webinar. Plus some comparisons with Brighton and Hove (where I lived during my uni days). “The what test?” The Pattern Glare Test “The Pattern Glare Test (PGT) is a widely used tool for assessingContinue reading “Draft Gtr Cambridge Local Plan: 6) Creating Places for Wellbeing – what building and wall patterns to avoid”

And now we have an official map showing us where it is. And in Cambridge, lots of it is ‘deemed inaccessible’ The map on p63 of the document titled “Green Infrastructure and Open Spaces Standards Framework Final Report” in the big list of planning documents shows how much. Above – Green Spaces – much ofContinue reading “Draft Gtr Cambridge Local Plan: 5) Green space – but how much is accessible?”

“Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council are working jointly to prepare a new Minerals and Waste Local Plan for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. This will replace the current plan which was adopted in July 2021.” …says the consultation 2026 landing page from Cambridgeshire County Council here. Image: Detail from the current minerals extraction sites inContinue reading “What to do with all that construction waste – the minerals and waste consultation”

The Cambridge Growth Company has published a landing page for the new Greater Cambridge Development Corporation ***following approval by Parliament*** of the Minister for Housing’s motion to establish the institution You can browse through the pages and the FAQs here The list of members of the interim board so far include: Name Role/Background Peter FreemanContinue reading “Greater Cambridge Development Corporation publishes interim board membership”

This is the last chance to have your say before the documents are sent to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government – at which point ministers will direct the Planning Inspectorate to open a public inquiry with public cross-examinations (mainly from developers and their representatives!) Get thee down to a publicContinue reading “Final public events for Greater Cambridge Local Plan 2024-45”

Set up by Dean Perryman in Essex after the untimely death of a close friend, the Empty Chairs grassroots movement has spread across the country. And it started from an empty chair, an orange t-shirt, and a website For a crash course, see https://emptychairs.org.uk/ and scroll down to see the list of dates and venues.Continue reading “Loneliness is structural – as the 234 upcoming Empty Chairs events reflect”

“Cambridge’s skyline is a distinctive and highly valued aspect of the city’s character” says the main strategy update by Urban Initiatives and CBA Studios The documents are the only ones in the main committee document pack here under the heading Great Places. “How will city planners use the findings?” “The study will provide the CouncilContinue reading “Draft Gtr Cambridge Local Plan: 4) Skyline and Tall Buildings”