Works in the northeast quadrant (Fendon Road – A1307, Babraham Road) are now complete, and pedestrian access through this section has been reopened.  Pedestrian access between Hills Road and Fendon Road remains closed, with a clearly marked diversion in place, while works continue in this area. As mentioned in last week’s update carriageway preparation is […]

Civic Quarter This has been a topic of debate at both Scrutiny and Cabinet last month. The City Council have put together 3 very different projects that are all located together in the centre of the city and have put forward proposals for rejuvenation. Market square The square is currently a magnet for anti-social behaviour […]

Local Government Reorganisation The three options being considered by council leaders for the shape of future councils in Cambridgeshire have now expanded to five, or maybe four – with two new three-council options added to the mix. Peterborough City Council is now working on the option proposed by its two MPs, which has a ‘Greater […]

The new street names for the development at Newbury Farm (south of Worts Causeway) have been announced. They were taken from names submitted by the public and they are: SPARROW STREETFORT CLOSE GOLDFINCH STREETEMSON ROAD  BARRETT ROAD    WODEN WAY

With just over a month of construction to go, improvements continue at Addenbrooke’s roundabout. Works to install ducting for fibre network cables are progressing and will go through the bus station entrance. To minimise disruption and in agreement with Cambridgeshire County Council, works here will be carried out after the final bus service each night. Carriageway […]

The further improvements planned for this week include: While works are ongoing, some temporary traffic management measures may remain in place. We will continue to monitor traffic flows and minimise disruption wherever possible.

During this last week, the team have been working on: • Kerb line works: Excavation and installation of the new kerb line, following the removal of the existing kerb line. • Crossing point improvements: Installation of a new crossing point at the Fendon Road junction, including installing a new traffic signal pole and tactile paving. […]

Progress to date includes removing the Fendon Road traffic island, where a new island has been installed to allow vehicles to continue to use the road in both directions. Works have also commenced on the Hills Road arm of the roundabout heading out of the city, with a trench for the new kerb line already cut […]

Local government reorganisation It has been revealed that the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government failed to undertake its own analysis of the financial implications of the ongoing local government reorganisation, relying instead on analysis by consultants PwC. Fresh analysis of those figures shows that replacing the two-tier system with 58 new unitary councils […]

There were only 2 meetings in the month of August, both regarding planning matters. 14 August Planning: Pre-application developer presentations Hannover Court and Princess Court There was a presentation on the redevelopment of Hannover Court and Princess Court which are very close to the Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and English Martyrs […]

Improvements at the roundabout are continuing to progress this week, with all scheduled tactile paving, drainage, kerb and edging works now completed. The team have also installed the permanent pedestrian signal poles but these will be bagged until they are activated at the end of the works. Pedestrian access between Hills Road and Fendon Road […]

Summary of Situation A burst water main has occurred on the A1307 Hill Road at the junction with Red Cross Lane and Nightingale Avenue. The incident has resulted in a significant carriageway failure requiring emergency closure of the road to allow safe repair and reinstatement. UPDATE 28 Aug: They have now completed the investigations on the road [...]

Here is the latest update on our safety improvement works at Addenbrooke’s roundabout. Over the past week the team have completed excavations between Fendon Road and Hills Road, marking an important milestone in this phase of work. Tactile paving installation is underway, and drainage and gully installations are progressing, while kerb and edging works are […]

We have continued to excavate the section of the roundabout between Fendon Road and Hills Road which is now around 70% complete. The path in this area is still closed and the pedestrian diversion remains in place whilst the site team continues to install drainage and gully systems, kerbs and ducting. The temporary traffic signals […]

In this update: Councillor allowances, new scrutiny committee, folk festival, council housing status, finance outturn and look at next year, pre-application planning presentations by AstraZeneca and Cambridge South, planning applications approved. 30 June Civic affairs There were two items on the agenda of Civic Affairs: amendment of the members allowances, and an update on the […]

LOCAL GOVERNMENT REORGANISATION Work by councils on the Government’s reorganisation of local government continues to take much time and money. Business cases are being developed for the three options formally on the table. There is a fourth option being promoted by the two MPs representing areas of Peterborough, but it is unlikely to attract support, […]

Over the last week, there’s been significant progress at the section of the roundabout between the Fendon Road arm and the Hills Road arm leading into the city, vegetation is being cleared and kerbs are being removed in this area. The temporary traffic signals remain in place so traffic flows during this stage of the […]

Here is the latest update. Last week, the Fendon Road island was resurfaced and the pedestrian diversion was put in place, while temporary traffic signals were repositioned for the work on the island without affecting the existing temporary signal system, which will remain in place throughout phase 2. Traffic management remains in place overnight to […]

This is the latest update. The site team has successfully completed phase 1 by resurfacing the widened inner lane of the roundabout and putting barriers around it for safety purposes. The central island has been landscaped and there have been no issues with the temporary signals, which will remain to manage traffic flow during the […]

Since a slot opened up on the roads, phase 2 will now follow on directly from phase 1, without a break. Last week, the team completed resurfacing the widened inner lane of the roundabout so traffic can use it whilst the second phase of work is underway. The temporary traffic signals remain in place to […]

STRATEGY RESOURCES & PERFORMANCE End of year sees smaller overspend than predicted The council ended 2024/25 with a revenue overspend of £4.45M. While no overspend would be preferred, it is less than predicted, and Cambridgeshire County Council remains in a healthier financial position than many other authorities. Cuts from national government are biting everywhere. Capital […]

This is the latest update. Our programme of work at Addenbrooke’s roundabout continues to progress well, with the first phase due to be completed in early July as planned. Over the last week, the team has finished construction of the kerb and completed the installation of the ducting for Light Blue Fibre as part of […]

Keeping Queen Edith’s Moving – Even During Roadworks I know that many of you have been concerned about the recent and ongoing roadworks affecting our area. From Mowbray Road to Long Road, it can feel like the diggers and cones are everywhere. I want to thank you for your patience—and to share some insight into […]

There is a burst water main on the Addenbrookes roundabout. Update: NOW FIXED. This will delay the existing roadworks there but it is hard to say for how long. Otherwise work is progressing well. See further details below. Fendon Road exiting Addenbrookes roundabout northbound is closed and Hills Road southbound has a lane closure in place on […]

The government is spreading a common governance structure across the country which means that the councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are having to reform into unitary councils i.e. the district and county functions will merge. We will retain the Combined Authority Mayor. The councils in Cambridgeshire have issued a press release outlining the 3 options […]

This is the latest update on the roadworks. Work continues to progress well with further excavation taking place to allow for the carriageway to be widened, while drainage installation has also continued.  Temporary traffic signals around the roundabout were commissioned last week, with ducting and permanent signal poles due to be installed this week. The […]

Work is continuing to improve safety for all road users at Addenbrooke’s roundabout. Last week, the site team worked specifically on two tasks. They prepared for the installation and commissioning of upgraded traffic signals which involved the fitting of new ducts and sockets while they continued to widen the carriageway by shrinking the central island. […]

The government has stated that in order to promote growth, it wishes to increase housebuilding in this country. It has now issued its response to the consultation on the proposed amendments to the National Planning Policy Framework and made some changes. Measures for Councils and local plans Mandatory housing targets will be reinstated using a […]

A reminder that the works take place between 8pm and 6am with the noisier work happening before midnight. This is the update I have received: Last week, the site team undertook a range of works to the roundabout, including taking core samples to look at the road’s layers and removing the existing road markings in […]

I have received some anxious requests for information about the roadworks on Addenbrookes roundabout which will start in earnest on 19 May next week. Timing An application was made to Streetworks, the agency that controls when roadworks happen,  to carry out the changes to the roundabout, but this was initially refused due the level of […]

I am delighted to say that the LibDems have won control of the County Council with 31 seats. As part of that, I have won the election for the Queen Edith’s division. The results for Queen Edith’s were: Karen Young Lib Dem 1258 Labour 633 Green 482 Conservative 472 Reform 315. There were also two […]

Last week, I attended a Strategy and Resources Committee meeting where we had a much-anticipated update on the Cambridge Growth Company, presented by our Head of Planning. For some time now, it’s been difficult to get clarity on what this new entity is doing, so I was pleased to see it finally being given proper […]

The council finalised its budget last Monday 24 February 2025 at a special meeting of the Full Council and so I thought I would talk a bit about the Council finances. The council spends money on services to the public that are funded by: The overall budget for this year ending 31 March 2025 is: […]

John Meed has surveyed the wildlife in the fields outside the city for a for the last 13 years. This is his latest report which you can also find on his website https://johnmeed.net/ecology/nine-wells/

A draft of a new ‘Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for the Biomedical Campus (CBC) has been published. I have notified you of the consultation previously. The deadline is 24 January and the link to respond is here: https://oc2.greatercambridgeplanning.org/document/1316 The document summarises the position of the CBC from a planning perspective and then outlines the 6 […]

The Liberal Democrats believe strongly that decisions should be taken at the lowest possible level of government so that the local issues are solved locally by people who know what they are talking about. So, the idea behind this White Paper is very welcome although in practice I think this will not achieve what it […]

I set out the high level basics of where we are in the process with EWR without much comment and then outline what the effects in Queen Edith’s might be. I would encourage you to take part in the consultation process and make your views known. There is clearly going to be a lot of [...]

Many will have seen the cranes lifting the pods into place during construction. I attended the opening ceremony on Friday and had a chance to look around. Here are some photos of the inside. I am very impressed. They are very well designed and look fabulous. It Takes a City the homelessness charity who organised […]

Civic Quarter Developments The new proposals for what is being called the ‘Civic Quarter’ were presented at the Strategy and Resources Committee on 21 November and came to Full Council on 28 November. These cover the: Although these were presented together, they represent three quite separate projects with different drivers and financial aims. Guildhall This […]

After much deliberation I have decided to start posting on what is happening in local Cambridge politics. I have been elected for 18 months and in that time have had the opportunity to see how the council operates and get a grasp of the issues affecting residents. I hope this is informative and helpful. I […]