Category Archives: Uncategorized

tl/dr? We must create the discussion and learning spaces for this autumn and next spring given the scale of the Government’s proposals (and the climate emergency / water crisis that is also already here) In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) I’ve tried to summarise some key issues regarding Michael Gove’s proposals to ‘supercharge Cambridge’. AlsoContinue reading “Cambridge, Southern Cambs, and Huntingdonshire: What could our collective responses be to ‘Supercharged Cambridge’?”

TL/DR? Read the Secretary of State’s statement here. Personally I’d have gone for Captain Planet and the Planeteers given Cambridge’s pollution problems. The announcement is confirmation of the rumour of last week which I wrote about here. The same issues apply. Inevitably Michael Gove’s announcement alongside that of the Prime Minister has polarised opinion. ScrollContinue reading “Michael Gove plans *another tier* of government and sends in a ‘super squad’ of experts to make Cambridge ‘Europe’s science capital’”

TL/DR? Extend the principles of the Cambridge BID to cover all private education establishments and impose a levy on all of them to fund new activities bringing children from all backgrounds together. The problem? It would need ministers to move the necessary regulations in Parliament to establish this – reflecting our over-centralised system of government.Continue reading “How Cambridge’s private education sector could finance more free activities for young people irrespective of family incomes”

TL/DR: Developers have submitted their planning application. See Gemma Gardner’s summary in the Cambridge Independent here. Before I start, if you find any of this useful, and are also able to, feel free to help feed the Cambridge Town Owl / donate to my research costs here. Sadly long-term ill health means I am farContinue reading “You can’t have a big bookshop in the Grafton – it’s going to be sci-tech space! Scrutinising the planning application”

Only I’ve tried to find some but there aren’t any. It’s a bit like the lack of variety on books introducing children and young people to things like the law, and democracy – from their perspective. I’m from a generation (the Section 28 generation) that wasn’t taught about politics or the law at school. HenceContinue reading “What would an introduction to town planning book for children & young people be like?”

The Irish Playful City social media feed landed this one on me – and it resonated immediately but not for the most obvious reasons Coming back to that phenomenon I’ve written lots about over the years, the tweet below landed a few minutes ago. One of the sentences from the article that appears at theContinue reading “Living close to where your friends are – a simplified take on an over-complicated headline”

Doesn’t matter whether it is suburban or light rail, the number of jobs they are proposing to create on the site will overwhelm the existing local housing and transport infrastructure Me, Alex, and Cait (who wrote this) braved the elements to go to the latest Beehive Consultation in Cambridge earlier. CFS/ME meant I was alreadyContinue reading “Why the Beehive Redevelopment Plans need a rail station”

The Commission on Political Power is inviting submissions to their inquiry on improving citizen engagement with what looks like Central Government. I’m looking at the role democracy education can play in it from a local perspective, and what the existing limitations are. This stems from a post by Alexandra Hall Hall, a former diplomat stationedContinue reading “Citizen engagement with political power – democracy education”

TL/DR? Northstowe has been in the news – and their issues sound similar to Cambourne. Which indicates that the issues are structural, and risk being repeated. Again. And again. Back in 2012 I wrote a blogpost about local council buildings as civic spaces. It was in the days when I was more known for havingContinue reading “There should be an inquiry into what’s gone wrong and why in Cambourne and Northstowe. Their residents deserve better.”

TL/DR? That’s what they told me at the consultation event on 11 July. There are a few more dates here. And that’s not the only consultation happening for new developments There’s Westbrook off of Milton Road by Mitcham’s Corner Above: ***It’s Cr*p!*** You’ve got until Friday to tell them what you think of their proposalsContinue reading “Redevelopment of Cambridge Airport to start from scratch”