Mission Statement and Activities of FeCRA
The Federation of Cambridge Residents’ Associations (FeCRA) was founded in 2007 to improve dialogue and communication between the Council and Residents’ association on planning matters and to discuss how the planning service might be continuously improved. It has developed into a vehicle of communication between Residents, Residents’ Associations, neighbourhood groups, local interest groups and the Council. It holds six-monthly forums with the Council Planning Department, and aims to keep Resident Associations informed about issues and major planning matters that could affect them. It also organises workshops to enable its membership better to respond to specific consultations, especially in the last three years to those relating to the Local Plan to 2031 in its various phases. This has also included workshops on Transport issues.
Most recently, it organised a workshop on the progress of the Local Plan in the wake of the government inspectors’ request that the Council officers look again at their assumptions. This workshop was held on 3rd October 2015 with presentations from experts and questions from delegates covering both the issues surrounding the future building growth of Cambridge, its impact on environment, its impact on communities, Green Belt issues, affordable housing, water supplies, the universities’ position. This was held before the Council decided on any amendments to the Local Plan, so as to present residents’ views before any such decision took place and hopefully inform that decision. The second part of this workshop will be a Briefing on the Public Consultation Document, on 3rd December 2015, at the Guildhall in Cambridge.
Recently, FeCRA has been very active in bringing together representatives of arterial road communities who feel concern at how the City Deal transport proposals might impact their area. FeCRA has also followed the progress of the challenge to these proposals, a bottom-up challenge which in turn triggered the Call for Evidence. The Call for Evidence was an invitation to anyone to come up with better ideas, but supported by evidence. Our reps were present to hear all 21 presentations of alternatives. The result has been to make the City Deal think again.
Affiliated RAs and neighbourhood groups who are members of FeCRA number over 80, but we have a total membership of almost 250, comprising not only RAs but also individual members who are interested to be involved.
We would like to widen our membership so that it is truly representative of Cambridge communities, so do get in touch with either our Chair or Secretary:
Wendy Blythe FeCRA Chair
Tania Elliott FeCRA secretary
Please see the documents below for more details:
FeCRA briefing paper
FeCRA Background & Aims
FeCRA Constitution
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