I have made the following submission to the Greater Cambridge City Deal board for its public question slot at its 25 January 2017 meeting:

Submission related to Item 9 – Progress Report – Upcoming Milestones

When the board next considers plans for Milton Road will it receive a report:

• collating the results of responses to the initial public consultation which ran until February 2016.
• identifying who attended the private workshop events, and the basis on which they were invited.
• addressing the 200 responses from 300 families to a Milton Road Primary School consultation on the Milton Road plans[1], and if the school representative reflected the views expressed when participating in the private workshops.
• clarifying if the report on private workshops stating: “The majority of attendees were keen to retain as much green verge and as many trees as possible”[2], is referring to the retention of the existing trees and verges?

I was surprised the public consultation responses do not appear to have been used to inform the private workshop events or the local liaison forum meetings.

I would like to take this opportunity to stress to the board that while the Milton Road Local Liaison Forum meetings took place in public they largely spent their time discussing arrangements for workshop sessions which then took place behind closed doors with selected invitees.

When the board next considers Milton Road will it formally endorse the letter dated 14 September 2016 from the board chair to the LLF and Assembly chairs[3]?

Could a Local Liaison Forum (or Cambridge City Council North Area Committee) meeting be held between publication of the next City Deal Board report on Milton Rd and its consideration by the board so recommendations get discussed locally, by the area’s councillors, before decisions are made? Such a meeting could include a detailed public presentation of, and opportunity for the public to ask questions on, the LLF endorsed “Do Optimum” plan.

1.http://www.miltonroadschool.org.uk/uploads/29/bwnhOBs0qsngtWgi.pdf
2.http://www.gccitydeal.co.uk/citydeal/download/downloads/id/423/mr_sh_report_final.pdf
3.http://www.gccitydeal.co.uk/citydeal/download/downloads/id/359/letter_from_executive_board_chair_to_milton_rd_llf_14916.pdf