Profile and activity for Jenna Robson | Cambridge City Council

Jenna Robson3 years ago I'd love to see a really good community cafe/bakery in the Campkin Road area, possibly on the Jenny Wren site. The only other cafe facility in the area is the Arbury Community Centre, which is only really open during school hours (so not accessible to those who work 9-5) and not the most inspiring (although it always seems busy and serves lots of purposes). Previously there was Cafe Camtown, but that has moved out of the area due to the Buchan Street development. I'd love somewhere you could get a cup of tea and a cake, a weekend breakfast, a pizza and a beer on a Friday night. It wouldn't be a pub so not somewhere people could drink to excess so I think it wouldn't have an impact in terms of anti-social behaviour if a limited number of alcoholic beverages were available for a few evening hours per day. It would be somewhere for my elderly neighbours to meet each other outside of their houses, somewhere for my mum to take my children for a hot chocolate, somewhere to pick up a fresh sandwich before getting the bus to work, somewhere for CRC students to buy lunch, tradesmen on their way to/from Screwfix could get food and drinks, somewhere for teenagers to get a milkshake, it could do catering for events etc. In that area I think it could do well. The council only ever seem to provide new community centres, which consist of empty rooms, but I feel like they need to take a different look at what community facilities are (which would be pubs back in the day). It could exhibit local art and have small acoustic gigs. It would provide part-time work in the local area. Examples of this are places like: Evolve Cafe In Waterbeach (which includes a gym - how amazing would that be?), Stir in Histon and Chesterton (which has a community room and is next to a yoga studio) Station House in Histon, the Edge Cafe on Mill Rd. Cafes like Michael house and the Cottenham Community Centre cafe also serve as churches. Relevant Records serves as a cafe and shop. The Coffee House in Wulfstan Way is in a similarly residential area. I've also seen very similar venues in places like Norwich, Southwold, Bishops Stortford etc. Currently if we want to go for a cuppa and cake or more my family drive out of Cambridge. I don't particularly want to have to, but the local facilities are lacking.

Jenna Robson3 years ago There is no bus service that links the people of Arbury and Kings Hedges to North Station. Via public transport (C1) it is still easier to get to the main station than it is to Cambridge North. I think that people in the area of wary of the congestion charge in part because we will pay it but aren't expecting to see any improvement to public transport in the area as we already have the C1 route. However, the C1 route doesn't allow us to get to our nearest station or supermarket. A route that goes through Arbury and Kings Hedges, then to North station and Milton Tesco and Milton Country park would be a huge benefit and would personally save me a lot of car journeys.

Jenna Robson3 years ago

Jenna Robson3 years ago I've lived in the area for nearly 40 years and apart from the Arbury Carnival I don't think I've set foot on the Arbury Town Park, not even as a child. A really similar place would be the recreation ground in Cottenham (which has a community centre, parking, nursery school, playing fields and a playground). Arbury Town Park is dead apart from the occasional dog walker whereas Cottenham recreation ground is busy with people hiring the community centre, playing cricket, using the playground, having a kick around, getting an ice cream or drink from the kiosk, etc. It's similar for the recreation ground in Histon (sports hall, sports pitches, parking, playground). If we think of Kings Hedges more as a village we should have a park that's properly at the heart of the community rather than just a green for a single event a year.

Jenna Robson3 years ago I feel like the Woodhead Drive play area is underused and badly maintained. The equipment includes a set of swings, a climbing frame (several rungs on the ladder are broken so it's unusable), a conceptual roundabout that is only usable by older children, a basket swing, a wobbly bench, two tyres that spin (which are usually filled with rainwater and rubbish). Given the size of the play area I think the play equipment could be more densely packed in and also maintenance and new equipment is needed to make this pleasant again. It's a playground we like as the hard surfacing means it's usable even on rainy/snowy days but we're using less and less as it has become less appealing.

Jenna Robson3 years ago There is some lovely green space outside the maisonettes that has a small amount of play equipment and is visible to so many households so feels very safe - it's great for a small game of football or sledging in the winter. I'd love to see a little more play equipment that's in keeping with the 'natural' feel (e.g. wooden trim trail or climbing frame under the trees) of the area and to see this area protected from development as these green areas are becoming rarer and rarer in the area.Developing play equipment on one of the green spaces along this side of Hawkins Road would balance out the difference in formal play facilities between the north and south sides of Kings Hedges.

Jenna Robson3 years ago

Jenna Robson3 years ago Approximate cost: £5000There was a small play park on Hawkins Road that was lost some years ago and never replaced - there is still a sign on the wall that says equipment is not to be used by children over 8. This would be a convenient place for my children to play but it has been lost.Based on prices for playground equipment published by another council I estimate replacing the swings and climbing frame that were there previously would cost £5000.

Jenna Robson3 years ago The unmaintained paths and roads in the area are a barrier to people walking and cycling. I've attached a photo from Kent Way, which I walk through every day (Jackson Road is also the same). The path is more plants than paths as there are so many potholes and grass and weeds are growing within them. When I'm walking with my two children we often have to walk single file as people's garden hedges are overgrown and the path is increasingly narrow due to plant growth on the path. It's the same on the roads - large cracks and potholes are allowing plants to grow in the road. It also just looks messy and unkempt.

Jenna Robson3 years ago I have looked at what S106 contributions from developers have been spent on in the King's Hedges area. This tells me that 1.75 million pounds was spent building new housing in Kings Hedges. My understanding of S106 contributions is that they are to "mitigate the impact of new homes and other buildings, which create extra demands on local facilities." I fail to understand how adding housing in the area mitigates the impact of new homes, other than it mitigates more affluent areas, where people might complain, from having new houses built on their doorstep.

Jenna Robson3 years ago There are four sculpture trails in Cambridge and none of them go further north than near the Grafton Centre. We do have a little public art (Arbury Court, North Station, George Nuttall Close) but very little compared to the rest of the city.£72k of developer contributions were spent on the Snowy Farr statue - where is the contribution to making the north of the city more beautiful and inspiring?For example, the area in front of the Campkin Road shops looks a mess - the planted areas are overgrown with bits of litter stick in the bushes. The area could be a prime location for a piece of multipurpose sculpture that acts as a seating area and play structure e.g. https://www.outdoordesign.com.au/news-info/rethink-public-spaces-with-moveart/8780.htm#:~:text=Playsculptures%20by%20moveART%20dissolve%20the,more%20important%20now%20than%20ever.http://moveart.swiss/en/vision/?utm_source=outdoordesign&utm_medium=outdoordesign_medium&utm_campaign=outdoordesign_campaign

Jenna Robson3 years ago As you walk from Nuns Way to Tesco Express there are several pathways that people have taken across the grass, rather than taking the provided paths. In one case there is a path but it clearly isn't wide enough as a path of equal width has been walked and cycled into the grassed area next to it. In this particular case people are forced to use the grass as the adjacent bushes are overgrown and this is also a popular route for walking and cycling. I think in these cases people will continue to take the most convenient path for them so I think we should formalise these paths to keep them neat.

Jenna Robson3 years ago Nuns Way is one of the main playgrounds in the area but it's one we never visit as we've got small children and much of the small children's playground is sand, which isn't suitable to use for much of the year (not to mention unhygienic due to animal poo and rubbish). If you take a small child there they'll want to play in the sand and you have to say no, leaving very little for them to play on. This is one of the larger playgrounds but compared to facilities in local villages it's very poor. It also lacks a defining feature/theme like other parks in Cambridge such as those know as the 'dragon park' and 'pirate park' or the 'fire engine park' in Milton.We visited today and noticed:- the weed barrier under the sand is all broken and laying in clumps-sand is everywhere in the non-sand parts of the playground and on a windy day sand blows in your eyes- weeds are growing through the rubberised flooring- - part of the trim trail has been removed- there is a large piece of equipment in the older children's playground that just has chains hanging where something has broken and hasn't been replaced- another piece of equipment is so tall my six foot husband struggled to use it- the metal 'digger' in the sand pit is too heavy and difficult to use for a small child- gates are missing so there are holes in the fencing- there is conceptual play equipment in the sand area that my 4 year old son asked 'what do you do with it?'- the small wooden house in the sand area is rotting- the small slide is dirty, mossy and covered in graffiti- the skate park is covered in bad graffiti and would look much better with some decent, artistic graffiti- when we were there there were two men in the bushes inside the play area. I think they were foraging, but it didn't exactly make me feel comfortable to be there.In an ideal world I think we'd have playgrounds that are well designed and inspirational, like in Scandinavian countries.

Jenna Robson3 years ago The only good way to get to Milton Tesco from Arbury and Kings Hedges is by driving. Given that the congestion charge is going to be introduced I'd like to see a regular, reliable, cheap bus service to our nearest large supermarket. I have family members who are reliant on the bus who get the C1 route all the way to Fulborn Tesco, which then drops them outside, which seems crazy to me when we have a large Tesco just down the road. The food shopping options within Arbury and Kinga Hedges don't have the most competitive prices, meaning that people are paying more for food than those that have the option to drive.

Jenna Robson3 years ago Looking at the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities 2021 data, there are several key area where the north of the city performs poorly. Kings Hedges is significantly worse than the national rate on:- income deprivation- child poverty- poverty in older people- overcrowded houses- hospital admissions for COPD- hospital admissions for self-harm- hospital admissions for alcohol attributable conditions- life expectancy for males and females- death rate from all causes- death from all causes under 75 yearsArbury is significantly worse than the national rate on:- poverty in older people- overcrowded houses- hospital admissions for COPD- hospital admissions for self-harm- hospital admissions for alcohol attributable conditionsMany of the health conditions in the area could be aided by more physical activity and improved mental health (so that people don't turn to alcohol, cigarettes, food and self-harm). These health conditions disproportionately impact the older population, who are often traditional working class people who moved to the area in the 1960s and have lived here ever since. Many also have children who have had to move out of the area due to house/rent prices. We are doing very little in the area to support this population, who have limited opportunity to leave the area and who are often living alone. The design of the area we live needs to support our older residents to get out and about, live independent lives and to socialise and meet people.To quote a report on mental health and design by the RTPI "The quality of the wider built environment is [also] a determining factor for mental health, with noise, pollution levels, quality of greenspace, access to services and even ‘beauty’ all playing a part. Town planning decisions can therefore impact on mental health." and "More than 20% of the population have a disability: a physical, mobility, sensory or cognitive impairment. Many conditions co-exist, particularly in older people, and they place individuals at increased risk of developing mental health conditions. Creating an accessible, inclusive built environment that enables everyone to play an equal role in society is important in protecting and enhancing everyone’s well-being and mental health." and "Where someone lives is another risk factor. People living in the most deprived areas of England were twice as likely to be referred to psychological therapies services as those living in the least deprived areas in 2017/18. They also have lower rates of recovery."The Report Impact of the Built Environment and the Neighborhood in Promoting the Physical Activity and the Healthy Aging in Older People: An Umbrella Review says the following elements of urban design impact the physical health of older people:"The elements positively associated with physical activity in older adults were: walkability; residential density/urbanization; street connectivity; land-use mix-destination diversity; overall access to facilities, destinations and services; pedestrian-friendly infrastructures; greenery and aesthetically pleasing scenery; high environmental quality; street lighting; crime-related safety; traffic-related safety. The elements that were negatively associated with physical activity were: poor pedestrian access to shopping centers; poor pedestrian-friendly infrastructure and footpath quality; barriers to walking/cycling; lack of aesthetically pleasing scenery; crime-related unsafety; unattended dogs; inadequate street lighting and upkeep; traffic; littering, vandalism, decay; pollution; noise."A lot of this supports other points that have been raised during the consultation for the area to become greener, more beautiful, more easily walkable, safer, better served by services such as shops and cafes and more social.

Jenna Robson3 years ago In the area of Kings Hedges where houses are arranged in 'courts' and there are few main roads and lots of passageways there are bike restrictors used to stop people cycling through the area. However, these restrictors are quite narrow and also don't allow larger buggies (such as the twin buggy I used), wheelchairs or even larger bodied people to pass.I'd suggest replacing these with a different measure to stop bikes that also allow buggies, wheelchairs and walkers through.

Jenna Robson3 years ago

Jenna Robson3 years ago I really want to say something positive about Arbury Court, but I'm really struggling to. Despite the investment in the area just a few years ago this is such as grey, depressing a d unwelcoming area. All of the shops are set back so look dark and uninviting. Many of the shops close early and are only open for limited amounts of time at the weekend, so when I can go there all I see is shops with their shutters down. Perhaps it's very vibrant on a Monday lunchtime, but whenever I go there it's dead apart from a few people going to Budgens (which is much worse than it was before its makeover). It's so much more appealing to jump in the car than it is to go there and I really don't want to feel like that. I want to support the local shops but I find fewer and fewer reasons to go there, plus opening times don't fit in my schedule.The whole area is now 65 years old and I think we have to question whether it is still working as well as it should - back in the day it would have been a bustling area during the week as there were a lot more stay at home mums doing the shopping during the week. That just isn't life now. The generation that first moved to the area in the early 60s (including my family) are almost gone.

Jenna Robson3 years ago The construction industry is responsible for 42% of the UK's carbon footprint. The most environmentally sustainable building is one that already exists. I believe that more can be done to existing housing stock (and community buildings) to modernise it, make it more energy efficient and improve its appearance. For example these blocks of flats in Bath were refurbished rather than rebuilt:https://developer-update.co.uk/2021/10/04/transformation-of-three-1960s-blocks-of-flats-in-bath-for-modern-family-living-bdp_com-curo_group-midasgroupuk/

Jenna Robson3 years ago Colleges Nursery is an outstanding nursery at the heart of the community. It has stood on Campkin Road for 50 years this year and has served the community fantastically in that time. However, the nursery would benefit from some investment in its facilities as there is no money in the education sector and most small schools are suffering. The nursery serves an area of deprivation and excellent facilities can make a huge impact to children in the local area, keeping them physically active and providing learning opportunities.

Jenna Robson3 years ago

Jenna Robson3 years ago We often walk through what was known as 'the track' to go to Milton Road or the playground on Woodhead Drive. I've lived in Kings Hedges for nearly forty years and this area has always been grotty - dark with dumped furniture, rubbish, etc. It's very hard to navigate around the tree in the middle of the pedestrian path when it's pitch black. This is a popular route for walking or cycling to town and should be improved to encourage both modes of transport. How about a linear park with decent lighting?

Jenna Robson

All input submitted by this participant

Cafe space

Bus to Cambridge North

Green space on Hawkins Road / Wilson Close

Arbury Town Park

Woodhead Drive play area

Green space on Hawkins Road / Larkin Close

Running track for north Cambridge

Lost playground facilities

Unmaintained roads and paths

Misspent S106 money in Kings Hedges

More public art for Kings Hedges

Paths from Nuns Way to Tesco Express

Nuns Way playground

Bus route to Milton Tesco

Design for the physical and mental health of older people

Removal or change of bike restrictors in 'courts'

Lost play space

Campkin Road shops / Lawrence Way

Spring bulb planting

Arbury Court

Refurbish rather than rebuild

Improvement of Colleges Nursery facilities

Atkins close play area

Downhams Lane cut through