People City Planet Festival comes to North East Cambridge

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Residents of the Cambridge area are invited to the People City Planet Festival at Shirley Community Primary School on September 17.

This event is being organised by U+I and TOWN, the developers bringing forward the Core Site in North East Cambridge on behalf of Anglian Water and Cambridge City Council. The festival will give people of all ages an opportunity to help shape the proposals for the Core Site. Alongside a range of fun and interactive activities, there will be talks and workshops led by industry experts and an exhibition of the current proposals.

An exciting and innovative festival programme is being put together with the following highlights already confirmed:

• The Climate Magician, Megan Swann, President of the Magic Circle, will be performing her magic show that combines her expertise in sustainability and wildlife conservation, with her experience as a professional magician.
• Florence Wilkinson, author of Wild City, Encounters with Urban Wildlife will be taking the main stage to talk about her book which has been described as a compelling manifesto for city wildlife.
• Cambridge-based Outspoken Cycles will be on-site with several activities, including Scalextric pedal bike racing, an electric- and cargo-bike testing course, and free mobile bike servicing.
• Start-up Trilvee will bring their summonable micro electric vehicle for visitors (who have their driving licences with them) to try out.
• Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination will be exploring what makes a place through the medium of art and discussion for younger audiences.
• A ‘Neighbourhood Square’ will offer a space to relax with local food, drink, and music from local bands.

The festival starts at 11am on Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18 at Shirley Community Primary School, Nuffield Road, Cambridge, CB4 1TF. It ends at 7pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday.

It forms part of the engagement process for the Core Site project. Located in the North East Cambridge Area Action Plan Area, the vision for the Core Site is for 5,600 new homes, shops, workplaces, education, community and leisure facilities, and open spaces forming a new urban quarter that will support the health, happiness and wellbeing of local people, play an integral role in the future of Cambridge, and be an exemplar for sustainable 21st century development.

Ben Cartwright, development director at U+I, said: “The People City Planet Festival is the first real chance for the community in Cambridge to come together and help shape the future of the Core Site in what should be a creative, fun, and innovative weekend. This is not a traditional consultation event, in that we will be combining discussions about the Core Site with a host of fun activities, and some local food and drink for all to enjoy.

“The Core Site is the largest remaining regeneration opportunity left in the city. Many of the challenges of designing a new community are relevant to the whole city, so we are working with local partners and a team of experts on design, sustainability and transport to create a fun and vibrant event that allows us to explore them collaboratively with pens out around the table.

“Our message to Cambridge is clear. Come along to the festival, help us shape the future of the Core Site and join us in having some fun along the way!”

Jonny Anstead, director, TOWN said: “TOWN aims to work collaboratively to create places people will love, and that is what we want to do for the Core Site with U+I. At Marmalade Lane we worked in partnership with future residents to establish Cambridge’s first cohousing community and the festival is a fantastic opportunity for us to do so on a larger scale.”

A spokesperson for the joint landowners said: “We welcome the chance to be able to meet people face to face and engage with the Cambridge community to really help shape the future direction of this project.

“We have said from the start that this is a project for the people of Cambridge, and we are really excited to launch this part of the engagement programme.

“We have a fantastic schedule of events, designed to engage with people across the Greater Cambridge area, and we would encourage as many people as possible to come along and give their views on this exciting project.”

Further programme announcements will be made in the coming weeks. Visit peoplecityplanet.com for more detailed information and to register for events and updates. In the run-up to the festival there are additional activities, including tours of the Core Site, that can be booked through the festival’s website.