Cambridge growth: Time to think intellectually, not geographically

Proponents of more homes, offices and growth for Cambridge tell critics: ‘You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs.’ To which my response would be – ‘Change the recipe.’

Levelling-Up chief Michael Gove has certainly gone quiet over how many new homes he wants to see built in Cambridge by 2040. First he said 250,000 to create a new Silicon Valley this side of the Pond but on a recent visit to Cambridge he declined to give up-to-date figures.

All probably a tad irrelevant anyway because Gove is hardly likely to be in government in a year or so’s time if Labour wins the General Election.

Nor is this just a question of homes alone! Who builds and who funds the infrastructure that would be required to accompany such growth? How much affordable housing would be made mandatory? And how on earth does an already overstretched Cluster find the extra power, water and space in a resource-starved region?

Ah, space. There’s the rub. Cambridge colleges own around 43,000 acres between them. The whole of Cambridge covers only 40.7 square kilometres. Shrink that college footprint? Somehow I don’t think so.

Take cars off the road then, I hear a certain lobby cry. How to access Cambridge in such a scenario: By bus? By train? So convenient; so reliable and oh so prolific in frequency aren’t they? Anyway, the city council has scrapped the proposed congestion charge – and good job, too!

Throw in 20mph zones and pavement parking bans to put the buggers off driving, I hear a certain lobby howl. Strip down working hours to three or four days a week, say others.

Where do we find the extra staff we need to build our businesses and take advantage of growth opportunities in Cambridge, cry company bosses? Help us ignore the siren voices from the United States and other countries who can provide the space, the growth and the bodies we need to help us grow.

Ban the cars? Make it less attractive to drive? Steady on, old bean: Spare a thought for the dear old Treasury. You can search your own figures on the following and reach your own conclusions. I have spent hours doing so and relied on the least extreme or hysterical.

Cars bring the UK revenue of around £202 billion a year in vehicle sales, fuel costs, basic insurance and taxes. Broker in on top of that – according to the latest estimate – figures which show that £254.9m worth of fines a year were issued to motorists, the equivalent of £55,500 every day.

Now then – where to park? Local authorities in England alone generated £962.3m from parking charges in 2022-23, according to AA figures. UK drivers also pay £1.5bn a year in repairing damage suffered in car parks.

Keep the top line figure of £202bn a year in mind as you learn that the bicycle industry is estimated to be worth £7.5bn a year to the UK. That at the last count passenger revenue on local bus services in Great Britain amounted to approximately £1.4bn; and that in the last year figures were taken national rail revenue from ordinary fares accounted for £1.6bn while season tickets provided another £333m.

For whatever reason; small scale of city; essential infrastructure works; college-dominated landscape; more bodies and buildings occupying space, Cambridge certainly does not need 250,000 new homes and Silicon Valley-style quality stultification.

Time to face facts. Cambridge, thanks to the University, is a globally renowned intellectual powerhouse. That is a down to brainpower. As the University and its close partners are now demonstrating through various initiatives it is time to think intellectually not geographically. 
Utilising the space between our ears trumps trying to find physical space that probably doesn’t exist anyway. Quality not quantity needs to be the mantra.

Really need your brightest brains spending all their time in traffic jams when they could be working from home – or a kindred organisation’s space close to their home –to advance your proposition?

Really must recruit, say, 40 engineers this year to keep VCs happy – and pay record wages to get them – if you can beat competitors to get them, that is? Why not settle for 10 superior performers who might individually be more expensive to hire but cost less accumulatively and you still come out on top financially? Or why not grow organically – leverage one top customer to lure the next one and so on?

It’s time to reset the dial. Cambridge is globally renowned fo being smart. There has been enough talk. Now we need to collectively walk the walk – and stay in stride.