Lucy Frazer, MP for South East Cambridgeshire, visited property and professional services company, Cheffins, on Friday 13th July to discuss regeneration throughout the constituency.
With a focus on Ely, Lucy Frazer discussed the importance of infrastructure improvements and housing with the Cheffins commercial property team including; Philip Woolner, Joint Managing Partner; Michael Jones, Director of Commercial Agency and Darren Hill, Commercial Property Manager. The group considered the importance of work to the Ely Bypass, dualling of the A10 and the improvements to the Ely North rail junction. Ms Frazer has campaigned on the dualling of the A10, working closely with the Mayor James Palmer, the Combined Authority, the County Council, the District Council, the Local Enterprise Partnership and the Department of Transport, helping to ensure that the £16m provided by the Government remained committed.
Lucy Frazer said: “All of these schemes are high on the current agenda as the importance of South East Cambridgeshire is very much recognised by central Government. There has been a significant level of investment, both from domestic sources and overseas coming into East Cambridgeshire and we are keen to provide the level of infrastructure needed to support this.”
On the much-anticipated Cambridge-Milton Keynes-Oxford corridor, Cheffins and Ms Frazer discussed the progression of this ambitious project and the significant support it has within Government. As science and innovation has continued to be a key priority within successive Budgets, the importance of linking these two university cities will help to provide the centres needed for the UK to be one of the leading forces within this field. The group discussed that housing will be an essential part of the bringing this project to fruition.
Cheffins also brought to Ms Frazer’s attention the current conditions for retailing in the region, including Ely and the issues which are facing the retail market and High Streets in general. The team discussed the importance of place-making for regional towns and how to make smaller town centres an appealing destination throughout South East Cambridgeshire.
Philip Woolner, Joint Managing Partner, Cheffins comments: “We were pleased to welcome Lucy Frazer to our Cambridge offices and to hear her views on some of the most topical projects currently underway throughout the region. Following the meeting, it is clear that there is significant support for improvements to local infrastructure and transport throughout South East Cambridgeshire from Central Government and on a more local level, a desire to improve the vibrancy of High Streets and town centres throughout the region. Cambridgeshire is currently one of the most progressive areas of the UK, attracting significant inward investment and we look forward to playing a pivotal role in its growth.”