Northstowe and the associated A14 upgrades will inevitably become increasingly hot local news topics during 2008 with the target date for outline planning permission set for the end of this year, and building work on the first houses potentially starting in the Summer of 2009. It will be interesting to see how 9,500 homes might fit in the area currently outlined.

If you have access to the Internet you can download 150 or so PDF documents on the SCDC website and join in the ‘Predict Northstowe’ game. Will it be a dangerous ghetto as parts of Cambourn are rumoured to be? Will it, and us, disappear in a flash flood if 50% of the residents flush the loo at the same time? Who knows? Whatever the new town is destined to become one thing is certain, the residents of Oakington, Longstanton and other nearby villages will be living with a giant building site on their doorsteps for 15 years or more and the management of the development process will feature in all our lives whether we’re in favour of it or not.