In spring 2025 our housing development team ran the North Cambridge Framework for Change consultation, asking what local people would like to see happen in north Cambridge.
This was to help us develop our corporate vision for north Cambridge, the Framework for Change. It sets out our long-term plan for investment in Arbury, King’s Hedges and Chesterton.
An engagement report was published in October 2025 [PDF, 6MB] setting out what we heard - or you can read this summary.
We heard:
- open spaces are poorly laid out and under-used
- many older estates suffer from poor insulation and damp, and residents need better support for improvements to make their homes more energy-efficient
- residents value the services offered at Arbury Court, but would like to see a more affordable and diverse range of shops
- residents would like modernised facilities, for the library to be better used, and social venues such as cafés and pubs to create an evening economy
- there are concerns about antisocial behaviour and a lack of maintenance and accessibility, alongside a lack of provision for young people and families
- residents support regeneration, but don’t want Arbury Court to be lost, and express strong support for existing traders who should be supported through any change
- residents were also concerned about the condition of the existing estate
A subsequent engagement programme is now running (until 16 December 2025) for people to feed back on the priorities and investment recommendations set out in the draft Framework for Change.
If the Framework is adopted, planning permission would still be required for any of the proposals set out in the Framework.
