A resident stood before councillors at a Parish Council meeting this week and challenged their plans to spend £3.8m on upgrading the Rec.
The Council’s Recreation Development Group presented their planned future vision for the site to the meeting of the Full Council on Monday (16 March) – the last before May’s elections.
The plans include converting the former groundsman’s accommodation at 12 New Road into council offices, extending the pavilion to create a meeting space and creating a bar area in the Community Room
While the proposals would improve car parking and provide a dedicated space for the village Guides and Brownies, the Rec could potentially lose a tennis court to accommodate the changes.
Suggested pause
Liz Hill, of Histon, urged councillors to halt further spending on the project for the time being, arguing it has lacked sufficient public consultation, transparency and proper evaluation of alternative options.
She questioned whether residents would support the proposed £3.2 million specifically earmarked for building work, or whether the money would be better invested in other community initiatives such as improved sports, recreation and wellbeing facilities.
Liz told the meeting: “The report says funding options ‘could possibly include’ various sources.
“As this proposal will limit how the Council can respond to community needs for years to come, the public need to know roughly how much it will cost them. Councillors also need an initial income and expenditure budget and cashflow projections to understand the financial implications.”
She added: “There is no evidence of anyone having evaluated a range of alternatives using a consistent set of criteria to ensure this proposal is the most financially viable and sustainable way to achieve the best outcome for the community.”
As an example, Liz suggested that if more office space is required for staff, the Council could consider relocating to “purpose-built” office facilities at Vision Park. Rental income from 12 New Road could then cover the costs, she said, while also avoiding the estimated £530,000 required to convert the former groundsman’s accommodation.
Lengthy debate
Councillors debated the proposals for more than an hour.
Some councillors also agreed the project should be paused, specifically until there is more clarity on the future of Cambridge Science Park North and whether parish boundaries and the land available for the village will be affected by initiatives such as Local Government Reorganisation.
Concerns were raised about the investment required and the possibility of increasing the Council Tax precept to cover the costs. The exclusion of a pump track from the latest proposals and potential additional expenses involved in making 12 New Road a publicly accessible building were also raised.
Decision
So far, £17,000 has been spent on the project, including two reports produced in 2024 by consultants Wilby and Burnett. Those reports explored options including a pump track and a 3G pitch but were later shelved. New consultants Northmores have since been instructed not to consider a pump track.
Councillor Neil Davies, chair of the Recreation Development Group, presented the latest proposals at Monday’s meeting and requested a further £4,680 in professional fees for Northmores to continue their work.
The motion approved by councillors states the funding will “facilitate an initial public project consultation and provide visuals”.
However, the more detailed report presented to councillors says the fees only refer to the cost of producing visuals for the current proposals. It does not set out any details of how the consultation would be carried out.
HI HUB contacted the Parish Council for clarification on Tuesday (17 March) – but it was unable to respond within the 24-hour deadline requested.
During the debate, an amendment was also passed that will ensure any form of public consultation will be presented at full council before being officially launched.
All but three councillors voted in favour for the funds to be released for work to continue on the project. It is hoped the visuals outlining the proposals will be ready to present to the community at the Rec’s centenary celebrations towards the end of June.
READ MORE: £3.8 million Rec upgrades to be unveiled, Rec to be assessed as a pump track site, Parish Council working party requests more funds for Rec project
25/3 Update. The Parish Council has now clarified the agreed funds of £4,680 are for Northmore’s to prepare visual materials to illustrate the proposals. The Recreation Development Group will work with Northmore’s to define the scope of the public consultation which will be presented to full council this summer.
Thank you for the article and for highlighting this. There is something wrong here with the amounts of money being spent on consultations and visuals; plus the huge amount of money being proposed for building work. None of this seems to be value for our money.
A £3.8m proposal and still no proper consideration of a pump track on the recreation ground? This deserves methodical and rigorous public scrutiny and an understanding of how the parish council are addressing the alternatives.
@Liz Hill, please feel free to reach out. There are lots of residents who have a very active interest in this
Liz, I can see your logic, but on the other hand, if we don’t see the visuals and understand clearly and in details what is proposed, we would not only never find out what we already spent money on but also wouldn’t see which part of the proposal can be used and approved, even if other parts weren’t. Also, some local groups who were already consulted by the REC working group were there so it’s difficult to claim the community wasn’t consulted. Obviously the wider consultation the better provided people know exactly what they are consulted about.
Note: This is written in a personal capacity, not on behalf of the Parish Council.
Thank you to Liz for coming to the Histon & Impington Parish Council meeting to speak to such an important possibility for our villages. Her questions were thoughtful, detailed and constructive. She highlighted the financial risks, the gaps in evaluation, and the need to understand alternatives before anyone can judge whether the ideas being explored have the potential to bring real benefit. For me, her contribution strengthened the conversation.
Thank you also to Neil for bringing forward the need for the community to see something tangible before any further step is taken. The decision before councillors was not about committing £3.8m. It was about whether to spend £4,680 to create clear visuals and information so residents can understand what is being proposed and respond from an informed position. That clarity is essential for any project of this scale — or indeed any project.
Together, I believe Liz and Neil helped raise the quality of debate around this project in our villages. Their contributions brought two essential parts of good decision‑making into the same space: strong questions and clear information. Other councillors also stepped forward in response to that discussion, recognising the need for better data, clearer options and wider community involvement. This included the need for more clarity around Biodiversity Net Gain requirements and the importance of considering the results of the Pump Track survey, also included on this month’s agenda. That shared focus is what will help us reach the right outcome.
The motion on the March agenda was about whether to spend £4,680 to create the information needed for a meaningful community conversation. The HI Hub article and the Council paper naturally explored the broader ideas, but the decision required on the night was far narrower.
For me, this was an example of how constructive challenge and clear information can work alongside each other to reveal what had been missing and what must guide the next steps: transparency, alternatives, and genuine community involvement before any long‑term commitments are made.
Note: Shared in a personal capacity.
Thank you Yvonne. Just for clarification, my request to councillors was to pause spending £4,680 of residents’ money to pay consultants for a set visual images, because the proposed scheme has emerged from a council working party without consulting the community. It may ‘only’ be £4,680, but if residents don’t even like the idea that £3.2 million of the £3.8 million project would add no additional sports and leisure facilities – especially when there is clear demand for other options, such as a pump track – then it is money wasted.
Hi Liz, yes understood and the request to increase openness and transparency of Working parties is important to take into account and improve.
In addition the opportunity for residents to be co-opted to working groups and committees is there and I hoped used more often going forward.
Note: Shared in a personal capacity.
Well said Liz!
I would love to see funding prioritised for sports facilities for teens at the Rec or in the village. My kids have to go out of the village for lots of sports. This funding would go a long way towards some great new facilities maybe a tennis wall, paddel courts, pump track, all weather tennis courts, cycling facilities and if anything could be done to support or fund the scouts or guides etc that would be brilliant. Wasn’t there a report done by the parish council that identified this need for teen sports facilities?
Puzzling that ‘New consultants Northmores have since been instructed not to consider a pump track’. Why not?
Well done Liz !
Full and open public consultation is essential