Levelling Up in Cambridge

The political impetus to ‘level up’ at a national level has shed light on the economic disparity that exists across the north/south divide and the need for regeneration in the North and Midlands. But the reality is that all towns and cities, including the most prosperous, are in need of ‘levelling up’.

Cambridge is undoubtedly a prosperous city. In the Centre for Cities Outlook it consistently ranks among the least deprived – for everything from buoyancy on the high street and in employment markets, to high educational achievement and house prices. But the prosperity of the city overall can mask – and even contribute to – more localised pockets of economic inactivity.

Levelling up: East Barnwell Regeneration

East Barnwell, a large neighbourhood to the northeast of the city, has been widely recognised as being in need of regeneration, specifically in relation to connectivity, new and better homes, community facilities and the public realm.

The East Barnwell area is characterised mainly by suburban housing and the wide east-west and north-south routes that bisect it. Key features include the Cambridge United football ground, Coldham’s Common, Cambridge City Cemetery, the Abbey Leisure Complex and various light industrial areas. 

Its demographics contrast sharply with Cambridge as a whole: only 41% of homes are owned, whereas 20% are privately rented and 28% are rented from the Council. Foodbank use for Abbey Ward is the second highest in the city and only 54% of its residents are in full time employment. In fact, three wards within East Barnwell are among the 30% most deprived in England. 

Preparing the East Barnwell Framework for Change, funded by the Government’s One Public Estate programme, involved working closely with council officers, ward members, local residents and local stakeholders. It included two comprehensive consultation exercises in addition to ongoing engagement with local people and businesses. 

Together with the Council, we set some specific aims: to identify key sites for the construction of a large number of new council homes; to bring people together by creating a new community heart at Newmarket Road and Barnwell – one which will support future growth and improve the lives of existing residents; to improve the quality of open spaces and the connections between them, allowing increased community use of green spaces; and to encourage active travel by improving the pedestrian and cycle links both within East Barnwell and beyond.

Open Spaces

Open spaces were of fundamental importance in addressing each of these objectives. While Abbey Ward has no less than 116.39ha of protected open space, it could be made more efficient and tailored to local need. Half of the open space is provided at either Coldham’s Common or Ditton Meadows which are located on the periphery of the ward and while valuable, don’t benefit the potential for active transport or connectivity. The remaining open spaces are located within the built-up areas and are of mixed quality, with challenges including car parking, tall fencing and the backs of houses creating hostile boundaries and a lack of passive surveillance.

Carter Jonas’ work to date can be summarised in various stages. The first stage was defining the project timeline, engagement approach and key deliverables; reviewing the main opportunity areas and identifying constraints and issues. Then we moved onto Stage 2: land use proposals and design development options. To achieve this, we reviewed local economic, social and environmental baseline indicators and previous study area surveys, enabling us to identify the key issues for the first stage of community engagement (Stage 3). We then went on to draft the masterplan and framework for change, which included preparing opportunity area strategies. A second stakeholder and community engagement took place in 2020. This engaged on more specific proposals including strategies for new homes and community infrastructure. Finally, we prepared the masterplan and report summarising the opportunity area strategies, which was approved in September 2022.

The focus of the resulting vision is everyone having access to high-quality open spaces. The Framework for Change envisions that leisure opportunities and all necessary community facilities are within easy walking distance, with the newly regenerated local centre positioned centrally, with cafes and community uses intended to create a thriving and active heart, both day and night. Sustainable development is a key theme, specifically the principles of the 15-minute neighbourhood and the ‘greening’ of pedestrian routes. 

The next steps in the delivery of the masterplan include the preparation of delivery plans for key sites, as well as identifying leads and partners, and confirming budgets and programmes. Planning applications for key sites will be submitted. The following two years will focus on the delivery of housing and infrastructure, including recreation, public realm improvements and community uses. In 2027-30, additional housing and further public realm improvements will be delivered.

Joint working is of fundamental importance in projects such as East Barnwell.  For example, the County Council, through projects led by the Greater Cambridge Partnership, leads on transport and public realm improvements.  Community groups and leaders, sport groups and voluntary organisations are all key to getting new facilities up and running successfully.  And the Cambridge Investment Partnership (CIP), which involves a partnership between Cambridge City Council and Hill Investment Partnerships, is driving the delivery of new homes.

Having competed the masterplan, Carter Jonas continues to support Cambridge City Council through its work with the Cambridge Investment Partnership (CIP) in planning for the new homes on key sites identified both in the Framework and elsewhere in the city.