The Core Team

We are now recruiting the Core Team. This is a small, focused group of residents who will not be doing the “fieldwork” themselves, but will instead act as the architects of the plan—pulling strands together, conducting formal consultations, and sifting through the consequences of various development options.¹

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Why a Core Team?

While individual volunteers focus on specific topics, the Core Team manages the “Big Picture.” Your role is to ensure that the final document meets the “Basic Conditions” required for it to become law. This team is designed for professionals who want to apply their skills in a high-impact way without getting bogged down in the minutiae of every meeting.

The “Skills Audit”: We Need Your Expertise

We are looking for individuals to fill specific “Lead” roles within the Core Team:²

• The Policy Architect (Planning/Legal): You will navigate the statutory requirements of the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning system and the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan. Your task is to ensure our policies are legally robust and “made” to carry the same weight as the District Council’s own rules.
• The Digital Outreach Lead (Social Media/PR): You will manage our Digital Engagement Strategy.³ We need to reach the “busy middle” and youth through social media, map-based surveys (like OpusMap or Maptionnaire), and interactive platforms.
• The Green Infrastructure Lead (Environmental/Ecology): You will synthesize reports from the Melwood Conservation Group and the River Mel Restoration Group. Your focus is on “Biodiversity Net Gain” and ensuring our chalk stream is protected by statutory policy.
• The Investment Strategist (Funding/Grants): You will look at the financial consequences of our options. From identifying S106 developer contributions to finding Rural England Prosperity Fund grants for the Bowls Club or Village Hall repairs, you help make the plan “deliverable.”

The “Purposeful Contribution” Commitment

We recognize your time is limited. To ensure this is a managed and rewarding experience, the Core Team operates under a “Sprint and Sync” model:

1. Digital First: Most of the “sifting” of mini-reports is done via shared digital workspaces and document collaboration tools (like VOiCE), allowing you to contribute from home.
2. The Monthly Sync: Instead of weekly meetings, we hold one high-level strategy meeting per month to review the latest evidence and adjust the Consultation Statement—the legal record of how we’ve listened to the village.³
3. Project-Based Sprints: When we hit a major milestone (like the September 2026 public exhibition), we focus our efforts in short “sprints” to deliver the event and analyse the results.⁴

Key Milestones: 2026 and Beyond

• Spring-Autumn 2026: Sifting through incoming data from the History Group, Rail Partnership, and Meldreth Cares to identify “planning gaps.”
• Winter 2026/7: Leading the formal Whole Village Consultation—presenting credible options to residents via town halls and questionnaires.⁴
• Spring 2027: Drafting the final policies that will define Meldreth 2045.⁴

Join the Team

If you have experience in project management, social media, planning, or environmental science, you can provide the “robust leadership” needed to move beyond simple consultation to genuine collaboration. Are you ready to help build the evidence base?

Contact Roger James (07808 235873 / roger@rogerjames.net) or visit the(https://meldrethplan.org.uk) to register your interest in a Core Team role.

Works cited

Footnotes

1. . Neighbourhood Planning | The Royal Town Planning Institute, accessed April 20, 2026, https://www.rtpi.org.uk/need-planning-advice/planning-aid-england/neighbourhood-planning/ ↩

2. . Quick Guide to Neighbourhood Plans, accessed April 20, 2026, https://www.communityplanning.net/neighbourhoodplanning/pdfs/quick_guide.pdf ↩

3. . Sustainable Modes of Travel to Schools and Colleges Strategy - Central Bedfordshire Council, accessed April 20, 2026, https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/migrated_images/sustainable-modes-travel_tcm3-13388.pdf ↩ ↩²

4. . Planning a high quality primary geography curriculum - Geographical Association, accessed April 20, 2026, https://geography.org.uk/planning-a-high-quality-primary-geography-curriculum/ ↩ ↩² ↩³