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Robin Pellew, Chairman of Cambridge Past, Present & Future, considers some solutions to challenges Cambridge could face, as it continues to grow and evolve apace
Cambridge is reaping the whirlwind of its own success. A once sleepy university town is being transformed into one of the fastest growing high-tech cities in Europe. This success is driving an ever-increasing demand for space to expand, which in turn is changing the character of the city. We need foresight, intelligence and creativity if change is to be well managed. What makes Cambridge so successful is not just the scientific spin-off from both its universities, but the ability of its high-tech sector to evolve. Whereas other European cities may dazzle then fade, Cambridge re‑invents itself – first computer electronics and software design, then biomedical and now clean tech: Cambridge always seems to catch the crest of the wave.
But this success is under threat. Lack of land for expansion, unaffordable housing and traffic congestion – collectively these could derail Cambridge’s future prosperity. So are we killing the goose that lays the golden egg?
The approach of our local authorities seems to vacillate, depending on their political complexion. The ‘compact city’ was the mantra until the millennium, then the release of substantial chunks of green belt for development in the 2006 plan and now back to compact with the 2014 draft plans. The additional 35,000 homes for the Greater Cambridge area are to be located first in the sites around the city fringe that have not yet been developed and then in new satellite settlements beyond the green belt in South Cambs – Cambourne, Northstowe, Bourn Airfield and Waterbeach Barracks.
This strategy is largely influenced by the Council’s desire to protect the green belt and the setting of the city. A noble and, I believe, an essential objective, but it still has to be asked whether in the current context the green belt has outlived its usefulness. Does it continue to play a valuable role in preventing urban sprawl, or is it now an impediment to essential growth? Do we want Cambridge to spread out into an expanding urban metropolis with a sanitised heritage centre?
The Council’s response of creating new settlements outside the green belt raises fundamental sustainability issues that the inspectors are now questioning. Is building a settlement in the middle of the countryside a sustainable form of development? Commercial developers have been arguing that creating more urban extensions in the city fringe is cheaper, quicker and easier, but we need to consider how realistic this is. While new settlements will need major investment in new infrastructure, especially public transport, it is pernicious to argue that expansion around the fringe can simply piggyback on existing facilities without overloading the infrastructure.
This article originally appeared in issue 70 of Cambridge Architecture Gazette. (Click on the above image.) You can read more of the digital magazine online at www.cambridgearchitects.org
This is what I think should be done to address Cambridge’s growth problems:
1. If Cambridge has one thing in abundance, it’s brains. Surely we can mobilise this cerebral resource to encourage fresh, innovative and exciting new thinking about the future of our city? Cambridge Futures and more recently the CambridgePPF 2030 Vision show the way.
2. We need a new approach that addresses the imbalance between the demand by road users and the capacity of the road system. Demand can best be reduced through the provision of a high-quality, public transport alternative, and the way to subsidise such a service is through a congestion charge. What about a new body – Transport for Cambridge – modelled on the London example?
3. A review of the green belt is needed, looking not only at its landscape value and its role in protecting the setting of the city, but also its potential contribution to improving the quality of life of local people. Green belt should be the last resort once all brownfield sites and areas suitable for regeneration have been exhausted.
4. Because Cambridge pulls in people from such a wide area, its spatial planning needs to be addressed at a sub-regional scale. Planning authorities have a statutory duty to cooperate but the degree of practical cooperation varies. 2019 will see the creation of a Combined Authority for spatial planning and transport – rather than this awkward hybrid beast, why not go the whole hog and set up a Unitary Authority for Greater Cambridge?
We need to face up to the new realities so that Cambridge can keep its lead, but civic, like academic leadership requires creativity and political courage.
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. For CambridgePPF’s position, please visit www.cambridgeppf.org/planning
