Volunteer experts fighting threat to Cambridge's Green Belt

Behind closed doors, a small platoon of volunteers are dedicating their free time to help retain the heritage of historic Cambridge and to protect the surrounding environment.

Local charity Cambridge Past, Present and Future is often thought of as the independent custodian of some of the city’s remaining countryside – Wandlebury Country Park, Coton Countryside Reserve and the mills at Hinxton and Bourne – but as the city seeks to capitalise on the increasing velocity of local enterprise, the charity and its volunteers are taking on the stream of developers seeking to stake a claim in the city’s environs.

The concern is a relatively recent change to planning laws, introduced by central government, allowing developers to speculate on areas of the city’s Green Belt if they can show that the area does not have enough land available to provide for housing demand over the next five years.

“There’s a great threat that if that happens around Cambridge we will lose the Green Belt,” said Cambridge PPF chief executive James Littlewood.

“It’s a challenge for us. When you look at the resources we can commit to the planning side of things, we’ve got one part-time officer, and that’s it. Everyone else is a volunteer.

“We have an amazing team of volunteers, about 15-20 in total, some of whom are putting in three or four days a week.”

Right now, volunteers are attending public hearings with the Local Plan inspector, aiming to establish a document that will help protect the Green Belt and influence positive open space design for future developments.

Mr Littlewood continued: “Apart from developers and the local authorities, we’re the only organisation attending these hearings with the inspector, and the person that is attending for us is a volunteer.

“Hours of work goes on behind the scenes. We’re doing a hell of a lot of work with dedicated volunteers and limited budget.”

All the volunteers, some retired, are experts with vast experience. The hearings can run from 10am to 5pm for several consecutive days and have been ongoing for well over a year now.

Mr Littlewood, who joined Cambridge PPF from Newcastle in December, said the public hearings for the Local Plan there lasted around four weeks.

“Ultimately the Local Plan is informed by the local authority,” said Mr Littlewood. “Our charity sit outside that democratic process but we try to influence it to make sure we don’t destroy the setting of Cambridge and the surrounding villages. We’re trying to protect the quality of life and the quality of the built environment.”

Cambridge PPF is always looking for support, both financially and from skilled people who would like to join the team.

“The danger for the people of Cambridge is if the inspector can’t agree the plan,” said Mr Littlewood. This is when developments in the Green Belt could start being approved by central government.

“The Green Belt isn’t just a planning tool but something that is of real value to quality of life in Cambridge,” said Mr Littlewood. “Most towns and cities around the UK don’t have Green Belts. If there wasn’t one in Cambridge there may have already been development out to the M11 and over the southern fields to Wandlebury. What makes Cambridge Cambridge – the Grantchester Meadows, the historic setting – could have been very different.”

To support its work, visit cambridgeppf.org/get-involved.