Cambourne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cambourne Rocks | |
|---|---|
| OS Grid Reference: | TL318598 |
| Population: | ??? (2001 Census) |
| Dwellings: | ??? (2001 Census) |
| Formal status: | Parish |
| Administration | |
| County: | Cambridgeshire |
| Region: | East of England |
| Nation: | England |
| Post Office and Telephone | |
| Post town: | Cambridge |
| Postcode: | CB3 6 |
| Dialling Code: | 01954 |
  Map sources for Cambourne at grid reference TL318598
|
Cambourne is a new settlement in Cambridgeshire, England. It lies about nine miles (14 km) west of Cambridge, England, in the district of South Cambridgeshire and the county of Cambridgeshire, on the A428 road between Cambridge to the east and St Neots and Bedford to the west. It comprises three villages: Great Cambourne, Lower Cambourne and Upper Cambourne. The name of the community was created from the names of Cambridge, the nearest city, and Bourn, a nearby village. Cambourne was initially going to be named Monkfield after the name of the original farm, which is commemorated by a Monkfield Lane in Great Cambourne. The area is close to an airfield, and photographs of aeroplanes that flew in the area during World War 2 can be viewed inside the villages' supermarket. Construction of the community began in 1998 on what was previously farmland, and the final population is expected to be around 10,000. The area became a civil parish on April 1, 2004.
Contents |
[edit] Amenities
The settlement of Cambourne is seen as one of the solutions to the government's plan to build thousands of new homes in the south-east of England. It is a planned community, placing strong emphasis on sustainability, the environment and providing high-quality housing for all.
In its efforts to become a self-sufficient community, there have been developments to prevent the need for residents to travel out of the village, including:
- The building of a Morrisons supermarket and fuelling station. This means that the residents no longer have to travel out of the village to do their shopping and fuel the car.
- Two primary schools open. The younger children of Cambourne can get a good education within the villages up to the age of eleven.
- Monkfield Medical Practice with a constantly growing medical staff.
- Cambourne Business Park, located to the north of Lower Cambourne. The aim is for residents to work as well as live in Cambourne, although only 6% of those living in Cambourne work at the business park.
- Allotments. Residents can grow their own vegetables and fruit - a welcome alternative to the local supermarket.
- Restaurants. Indian restaurant, fish and chip shop.
- Pub. The first pub opened on 11th September. Named "The Monkfield Arms", it is owned by Patherfinder Pubs and is also a restaurant. It was ramraided within a week of opening.
[edit] Environment
In order to protect the environment and provide a more pleasant environment to live in, the developers were compelled by the planning process to exercise special care in developing a settlement 'in harmony with the environment.' Here are some examples:
- An Eco Park, which is home to a huge variation of plant, bird and mammal life; it is also serves to educate.
- A Country Park covering 80 acres (32 hectares), partially opened in 2001, situated between Lower and Great Cambourne.
[edit] Sport
Cambourne is developing a thriving sporting culture. It already has football, rugby, tennis, netball and cricket clubs, with their own pitches. In particular, Cambourne cricket club has won promotion in its first season this year, and is running an expanding junior section.
[edit] The future
Cambourne already has over 1,500 occupied homes, but there are still another 1,500 or so more to go; and work on building Upper Cambourne is about to commence. The estimated date of completion is between 2008 and 2010. Work on a high street in Cambourne is under way, with a new chemist, a fish and chip shop, a number of estate agents, a bookmaker's, a building society, a dry cleaners and an Indian restaurant. Other businesses expected are two more food take-away restaurants and a public house. The transport network for the area is being improved as a result of Cambourne's construction, with the dualling of the A428 from here to the start of the existing dual-carriageway section bypassing Cambridge. A regular bus service operates between Cambourne and Cambridge, but it is much less frequent towards St Neots. The nearest railway station is located at St Neots and as a result some congestion is being caused by commuters from Cambourne travelling here along the as-yet unimproved road.
