A discussion on the future development of the City

with Prof Peter Landshoff and former Mayor John Durrant took place at

University of Cambridge - Festival of Ideas on 21 October 2009
- at the University Centre

A presentation setting the background, highlighting the currently planned enlargement of the City as well as further proposed growth, was given by Peter Landshoff - click here .

Best quotes of the evening:

"Perfect planning prevents pathetic performance."

"Cambridge attracts world class people who like first class and spacious housing – we do not have it!"

"We need brains – we have brains and that is why brains come here."

"We have space but no imagination."


John Durrant led the interesting debate that followed. Issues raised from the floor regarding the planning of the City are summarised as follows:

Housing + Growth

• Do we really need the high-level growth as projected by the Government?
• Need for first class housing to attract top academics and top high-tech industry staff, but need to avoid the 'American Sprawl' and learn from examples of European cities, where densification has been successful with retention of green spaces and more open countryside. If quality housing is not provided the city loses out to the international competition and thus other attractive cities. We do not need more 'Lego-land Housing' but need to look at quality-build and perhaps densification of the exciting city rather than permit further sprawl as presently planned and avoid fast increase of housing – this to better achieve good design.
• Must build places where people interact – we must preserve the magic of Cambridge!
• Cambridge must change from house dwellers to more flat users and early signs can be seen with the younger generation taking on the 'flat-living live style'.
• Cambridge has to supports its Universities as they make Cambridge special and it needs to foster the various business links and entrepreneurial spin-outs. It is vital to nurture and retain the crossings between academia and business and allow small companies to grow. Cambridge needs to retain its mingled diffuse centre and increase housing in the centre to permit ideas exchange between academia and businesses.
• How do we cope with the large transient population – tourists, Universities' students and academic and support staff changing annually or over a few years? Tourists will always come but it is difficult to accommodate more tourists – would like to welcome visitors but too many will dent the spirit of the Place – one cannot walk any more at the heart of the city.

Transport

• Need houses close by to minimise travel to work.
• Commuters – there is an adverse impact at a high level of inward commuting on a daily basis to the historic city from the surrounding villages and countryside, but one also wishes to prevent Cambridge becoming a dormitory for people working in the London area.
• Must have a further 'Cambridge Futures' session looking at land use planning and transport solutions – need to implement first of all transport improvements before expanding the city!

Environment-friendly developments

• Now is the opportune time to change and be more radical in finding solutions to tackle the various environmental pressures!
• University’s proposed NW Cambridge development site – the Independent Inspector’s binding ruling requiring above-average provision of energy efficiency / sustainability etc of the development is to be applauded but need to ensure other developers perform higher on this matter, too.
• Must look at the environmental capacity – we cannot keep on growing indefinitely – but some say that is that is a nimby-ish attitude.
• Need to persuade our Council to achieve even higher environmental targets (i.e. well above current local and government-set standards including Building Control). Must consider retrofitting of systems to have a much more sustainable built environment (e.g. water-saving fittings in existing buildings).

DIY

• We need to do more collectively and locally – i.e. we should not expect the Council or the Government to do it all for us!

We are grateful for the University of Cambridge for hosting this event.

We apologise to those affected by the inadvertent error promoting the event at a later time in our membership bulletin.

If you have any suggestions for future events, please contact us with your thoughts.

Successful picnic to raise funds for Hinxton Watermill

PICNIC POTTER PACKS THEM IN

Fundraising can be a piece of cake – if only the weather stays fine. The sun managed to shine long enough on the Picnic Potter at Hinxton Mill and £500 was raised towards a facelift for the historic building.

More than 80 picnickers and supporters of the mill paid for a plot in the garden of the mill’s neighbours, Sue and Chris Elliott at Miller’s Cottage, and visitors happily munched their way through the last open afternoon of the 2009 season.

“The weather was so unpredictable in the week before the picnic we did worry that we would be unlucky. High winds almost wrecked the garden and we had to clear away tree branches and debris after one stormy afternoon,” said Sue.

“But thanks to the generosity and efforts of a lot of people who rallied round we were thrilled to add another big contribution to the upkeep of the mill.”

The building was saved from demolition back in the mid 1980s by a campaign by villagers and Cambridge Preservation Society, which was relaunched in September as Cambridge Past, Present and Future. The working water is operated on its monthly summer open days by a team of volunteers led by Martin Fordham.

At least £3,000 will be needed to repaint the exterior of the wooden mill, several rotten timbers have to be treated and replaced and the bridge wall in front of the mill was badly damaged by last winter’s harsh frosts. The money raised by the picnic will be added to a fund which has been growing steady over the last two years. It is hoped enough will be raised so that work can be done next spring, in time for the next opening season beginning in May.

“We thought of holding a picnic fundraiser because there aren’t many places on this stretch of the river where you can sit and have a relaxing afternoon. All of the £10 fees for a picnic space went straight into the repainting fund and the rest was raised from selling pots and pots of tea and encouraging people to eats lots of cake. We also had some very welcome donations,” said Sue.

“I’m really grateful to everyone who provided for the cake stall - we had lots of delicious things to sell on the day, some people even got up at unearthly times that morning to cook for us and others helped us set everything out despite the threatening early clouds. But as the sun came out so did the visitors and we couldn’t have managed without Ali Williams who slaved all afternoon over a steaming teapot.”

For more information about Hinxton Watermill go to Our Attractions page or ring the office on 01223 243830 to learn about more ways you can help fund the work on the mill and support the organisation.

Orchard Day 3rd October

Cambridge Past, Present & Future offers truly tasty day out
Local charity set for spectacular Orchard Day
Wandlebury Country Park, Saturday 3rd October 2009 from 10am to 3:30pm

Families looking to enjoy the best of Cambridgeshire’s countryside and the autumn sunshine should head to Wandlebury this weekend where local charity, Cambridge Past, Present & Future (CambridgePPF), is celebrating everything that is amazing about orchards.

On Saturday 3rd October from 10am to 3:30pm the team responsible for maintaining Wandlebury and protecting other green spaces in and around the city is holding its very own Orchard Day – an event dedicated to woodland wonders including apples, pears, nuts and other forest fruits.

This fun, educational day held in the tranquil surroundings of the Gog Magog Hills promises something for everyone. Budding fruit growers can watch demonstrations that will improve their pruning techniques. They can also bring apples along from their garden for experts to identify and provide detailed information on the species, origin and heritage.

Children can take part in den building and other craft activities. And food enthusiasts will be able to meet a local cook and food historian while delighting in the vast array of culinary treats on offer including apple juice, cider, muffins and honey produced locally and learn about orchards and beehives. There will also be a community apple press for people to see in use and a human fruit machine!

Commenting Carolin Gohler, CEO of CambridgePPF said: “Apples have been grown in this country since the Roman occupation and are considered a quintessential part of the English landscape. In the East of England alone there are numerous varieties of local fruit but unfortunately, like many other green spaces, orchards are now in serious decline and being lost to new housing and infrastructure developments.”

“The East of England Apples and Orchards Project estimate that the area of orchards in Cambridgeshire is now just 20 per cent of what it was in the 1950s – a devastating statistic when you consider these are invaluable habitats for many different wildlife species. Our Orchard Day celebrates everything that is important about this vital part of the English countryside. It is intended to be a fun, educational day out that drives home the value of conserving orchards and protecting traditional apple varieties for future generations to enjoy.”

Apple aficionados and lovers of fruit interested in attending the Orchard Day should head to Wandlebury Country Park at 10am to get in on the action. No booking is required. Entry costs £2.00 per adult or just £1.00 for CambridgePPF members. Children can attend free of charge. For more information call the CambridgePPF team on 01223 243830 or 07902915241and go to: www.cambridgeppf.org for further details and directions to Wandlebury.

(ends)



Background information
Originally founded as Cambridge Preservation Society in 1928, CambridgePPF was originally a campaigning body to protect the character, setting and amenity of Cambridge. Its diverse property portfolio includes Wandlebury Countryside Park and its Iron Age Ring; Coton Countryside Reserve – a new public green space just west of Cambridge; Barnwell Leper Chapel; Bourn Windmill plus a variety of other wildlife sites and historic buildings. Notable achievements include protecting sites such as Grantchester Meadows, the Gog Magog Hills and Wandlebury Estate from development and helping to establish the Cambridge Green Belt in the 1960s.

CambridgePPF currently has over 1000 members, a number that it is aiming to grow significantly. Headquartered at Wandlebury, the Society has six full-time and five part-time staff. Chief Executive is Carolin Göhler and Nigel Brown OBE is President. It is run by a Board of Trustees, with Robin Pellew OBE as Chair plus Advisory Committees staffed by dedicated volunteers.

Contact for more information, expert comment or photography
CambridgePPF welcomes any opportunity to provide informed and topical comment related to development in and around Cambridge and can forward a range of expert speakers.