CambridgePPF rallies Newnham residents

Local charity encourages Cambridge communities to have their say on the future of the City

The residents of Newnham turned out in force on Monday 8th March to a public meeting held by local charity, Cambridge Past, Present & Future (CambridgePPF). More than 60 people came along to learn more about the work of the organisation and it’s role in seeking to ameliorate the speed and scale of development planned for Cambridge between now and 2031 and discuss the threats and pressures that confront many communities in the City and surrounding villages.

As part of a plan to increase CambridgePPF’s direct engagement with local communities, the charity’s Chairman, Mr Robin Pellew OBE briefed local residents on projections for up to 40,000 new homes in Cambridge by 2021; outlining areas of the city where development is most likely to occur.

Together with Chief Executive, Carolin Göhler, he also spoke about the previous successes of the organisation, including
• Saving Grantchester Meadows from development
• Setting up Cambridge’s first Country Park at Wandlebury
• Saving the Gog Magog Hills from development
• Aiding the establishment of the Cambridge Green Belt
• Creating the new Coton Countryside Reserve

In support, Carolin Göhler also explained about the various other activities, events and educational programmes run by CambridgePPF at Wandlebury and Coton Countryside Reserve, as well as caring for a number of historic buildings.

The CambridgePPF team then called on the audience to get involved in the ongoing debate about the future of Cambridge and help CambridgePPF exert greater influence. Robin Pellew said;

“Cambridge is the leading high-tech city in the UK but this imposes enormous pressure for expansion. We need to ensure that this growth can be sustained by the local infrastructure and is of a quality that ensures Cambridge retains its special character and ambience. Local people can and should be having a real say in the local growth agenda”.

Contributions from the floor covered numerous topics including the role of planners and developers to create vibrant communities, the sustainability of the proposed new developments including carbon emissions and water supply, and the ability of hospitals and schools to cope with the numbers of new residents expected to move into the area over the next decade. Several audience members also expressed concern about transport related issues when congestion is already so bad in the city.

Following on from the recent CambridgePPF joint seminar with Cambridgeshire Horizons, the RSA, University, City Council and FeCRA there was also further discussion about the appropriateness and siting of tall buildings in Cambridge.

Chairman, Robin Pellew closed by emphasising that it was only by working together that the people of Cambridge could exert real influence over the future of their city. Cambridge Past, Present & Future could provide a platform to present people’s aspirations but greater leverage could be exerted if more people became involved. He stressed that by joining CambridgePPF

“your voice can be heard and we can make a difference to the shape of the city, now and for future generations.”

Tall Buildings In Cambridge - Workshop for local people.

A seminar on the issue of ‘Tall Buildings in Cambridge’ was held on 3rd March 2010 at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences in Wilberforce Road, Cambridge. There were a number of short talks, followed by workshops, at which over 140 local people contributed their views and took part in lively debate on an issue which will affect all who live and work in or around Cambridge.

The workshops generally agreed that ‘Tall Buildings’ was a relative term and that it was better to talk about ‘taller buildings’ in the city. While there seemed little support for taller buildings within the historic city core, there was a variety of views on taller buildings at other locations in the city.

There was general agreement that any new taller buildings must be sympathetic to their context and position, that they should have a ‘sense of place’ and be of high quality both in their design and materials. They must also be sustainable, environmentally-friendly and connected to sufficient established infrastructure; particularly public transport. It was also felt that any proposals must enhance their locality sufficiently to be able to attract widespread community support.

The seminar was organised in response to Cambridge City Council’s announcement that they are preparing a Tall Buildings Strategy, known as a Supplementary Planning Document, in 2010 and are interested in the views of residents on this subject. The strategy will have to consider key questions such as what is special about the Cambridge skyline, what in fact is "tall", where should tall buildings be located and what are the relevant design considerations of tall buildings. A draft of the strategy is expected to be available for formal public comment in 2011 before being finalised.

The event was organised and supported by: Cambridgeshire Horizons, Cambridge City Council, Cambridge Past, Present & Future, RSA, University of Cambridge and the Federation of Cambridge Residents’ Associations (FeCRA).