Katie Thornburrow

As the City Councillor for Petersfield, an area that covers half of Mill Road, I’ve been closely following the discussions around the new bus gate and spoke out about it before it was introduced in March.

We’ve just heard that over 4600 fines for using the gate have been issued to drivers, as only buses, emergency services, taxis and blue badge holders’ registered vehicles are allowed to use the bridge. The number of fines has raised questions about the adequacy of signage and general understanding of what a bus gate means. I was pleased to have a chance to discuss this with Dotty Mcleod on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire this morning (around 08:15).

The new Combined Authority Mayor has also weighed in, following up his campaign pledge to work to open up the bridge, alithough he acknowledges he currently lacks the authority to make such changes, and in my view he should be focusing on the more strategic transport issues that fall within his authority

My primary focus, however, is on how we can move forward together. When the order was put in, I argued for a six-month review of its impact and effectiveness. I still believe a one-year review would be more beneficial than the planned two-year timeframe. as it would allow us to assess the impact across a full cycle of school terms and holidays and allow for changes to be made. I also question whether a 24/7 closure is absolutely necessary, or if a more nuanced approach could achieve the policy goals without such a blanket restriction for local people.

Continue reading “What next for Mill Road?”

On Friday May 15 I was at Great St Mary’s Church in Cambridge to hear Peter Freeman talk about his work as chair of the Cambridge Growth Company

You can see the recording on YouTube and the slides on the GCP website, while Anthony Carpen has his usual excellent write up.

The event was called ‘Making Cambridge a Happy City’ and had been organised by the Federation of Cambridge Residents’ Associations to give Peter, appointed by the government to be chair of the Cambridge Growth Company, a chance to talk about his vision on issues like water, housing and infrastructure.

I was there to listen, not speak, because as a councillor responsible for the planning service I have many opportunities to make my voice heard.

It was really useful to be there and hear from Peter, but even more helpful to get a sense of the issues that concern people as they asked questions.

We want to work with the Cambridge Growth Company, and Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency, to deliver a shared future vision for Greater Cambridge.

As we move forward to finalise the emerging local plan I know that meetings like this, and the wider public consultations we have planned, will be very important.

Imagine purchasing a new home, only to find that you are significantly restricted in how you can use your garden at night, or that you cannot alter windows for better ventilation.  Plans to protect light-sensitive bats would have put residents of a new home proposed for Adams Road in Cambridge in this situation, and so the planning inspector dismissed an appeal against the Planning Committee’s refusal of the application.

Last week I heard that an appeal against a planning decision made by the Cambridge Planning Committee had been dismissed, and I want to explain why I think this was the correct decision and why it might help us preserve wildlife in future.

The story is a bit complicated, as there have been two planning applications, two refusals at the planning committee, and two appeals which were dismissed, but the essence of the issue is that an application was made to build a house close to the Adams Road Sanctuary, which is a County Wildlife Site and haven for birds, bats and amphibians.

Continue reading “Shining A Light on Planning Issues”

I will be sad to see Mike Davey step down as leader of the city council, and will greatly miss Alice Gilderdale and Sam Carling as they leave the council at the end of April.

Politics is about constant change, and I’m sure we’ll get excellent Labour city councillors to replace Alice and Sam after the by-elections on May 1, and I know that within the Labour group we will find the right people to replace Mike as leader and Alice as deputy leader.

But while they are all still here, I want to thank all three of them for being such great colleagues, such strong advocates for the people of Cambridge (and in Sam’s case, for his constituents in North West Cambridgeshire since his election to Parliament last July as part of Labour’s landslide), and such effective leaders.

I could not have achieved what I have without the support they have given my in my role as ward councillor and executive for planning, building control, and infrastructure, or on the many bodies that accumulate around a councillor’s role such as chairing the East West Rail Partnership and attending the Greater Cambridge Partnership.

I wish Alice all the best as she moves to London, will be watching Sam achieve great things in the House of Commons, and trust Mike gets to see victory after victory in the Habbin end of the Abbey stadium.

Yesterday I spent six hours in Cambridge Guildhall with fellow members of the City Council planning committee discussing the application to redevelop the Beehive and make my decision on whether it should be approved.

However the shape of our discussion changed at the beginning of the meeting when a case officer told us that the application had been called in by the Secretary of State who will make the final decision.

It was explained that therefore the committee would not be able to make a decision but that we would listen to evidence, discuss the scheme and come to a ‘minded to’ decision, which means we get to tell the government that if it was up to us, this is what we’d decide.

We were also told that the evidence presented and debate we were taking part in were very important as they would part of the evidence presented during the call in process. The process itself could take several months.

At the end of our debate there was unanimous support for the ‘minded to’ recommendation to refuse the application, which supported the recommendation to refuse made by the case officer.

So at the moment we wait for a decision. In the meantime the application has not been approved and Railpen cannot proceed with the redevelopment. We hope that our detailed assessment of the evidence, our extensive discussion, and the final decision we made will have significant weight with the Secretary of State.

Links

The Planning Application

The Committee meeting (on YouTube)

What happens next -though it does start with ‘The content of this document is guidance only with no statutory status.’

Listen to a discussion with local residents on Dotty McLeod’s show on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, starting at 07:47



[Update, 4 Sept: you may have seen the article in the Cambridge Independent today saying that I have asked for the TRO plan to be ‘halted until evidence can be shown of the impact on residents, businesss and active travel.’ I have not asked this, but do want to see data on the likely impact of the proposed TRO and for the County Council to consider it. This is not about halting the process but making sure we get the right outcome for everyone.]

A County Council decision in March 2023 to put a bus gate on Mill Road bridge under a Traffic Regulation Order was reversed after the Friends of Mill Road Bridge challenged the way that it had been processed, and instead of appealing that decision the council decided to start consultation about a new order.

The consultation is now open, and people have until Friday 13 September to make comments on the plan to close the bridge to all vehicles except buses, bicycles, emergency services, taxis, and blue badge holders. The details are online.

To me as a local city councillor and Petersfield resident this is a very important move, and one that could change the way Mill Road works as a centre of the life of Petersfield and Romsey wards.  The City Council doesn’t get to make the decision here, but as a ward councillor I will always represent the views of residents and work to make sure that the steps the county council takes are the right ones.

I’ve had four different homes within Petersfield over the 38 years that I have been in Cambridge, and it’s a great place to live. But the ways we experience our neighbourhoods are significantly affected by how we choose to move around the streets, and as I walk, cycle and drive, I’m aware of the problems we face and the complex choices we must make as we try to improve our streets and open spaces.

Continue reading “New proposed Mill Road Bridge Traffic Regulation Order (TRO)”