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Meldreth Neighbourhood Plan

The Third Age

4 min read

Your Experience, Our Legacy: A Guide to the Meldreth for the Third Age

Meldreth is a village that prides itself on its community spirit and history. As a member of our “Third Age” community, you hold the unique perspective of having seen the village evolve over decades. The Meldreth Neighbourhood Plan (2025–2045) is currently being written, and your input is vital to ensure that village improvements support a healthy, dignified, and independent life for all residents.

The Parish Council is establishing volunteer-led groups to research and identify future options for the village. This is your opportunity to ensure the assets you care about—from the church wall to the bowls green—are protected and enhanced for the next 20 years.

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Priority 1: Accessibility, Safety, and Mobility

Building an “age-friendly” village requires infrastructure designed with diverse physical needs in mind, ensuring no resident feels marginalized or isolated.

  • Public Realm Improvements: We are auditing the location and condition of Benches & Street Furniture. Are there enough places to rest on the way to the Meldreth Station? Are the pavements safe for those using the Melbourn Greenway?.
  • Safe Streets: With traffic levels rising, your feedback on Local Highways Initiatives and the placement of Speed Cameras or Speed Indicator Devices is essential.
  • Emergency Access: The Plan should identify strategic locations for additional Defibrillators and ensure they are easily accessible to all.
  • Sustainable Travel: For those who no longer drive, the Royston & District Community Transport and the Cam Valley Community Rail Partnership are critical links. We need to protect these services within our future infrastructure policies.

Priority 2: Health, Support, and “Meldreth Cares”

A core goal of the Neighbourhood Plan is to sustain the facilities that allow residents to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible.

  • Warden & Support Schemes: The Meldreth Mobile Warden Scheme and Meldreth Cares Community Support provide essential social contact and practical help with shopping or prescriptions. The Plan can help secure funding for these volunteer networks.
  • Moorlands Court & Community Hubs: We need to consider how the Moorlands Court Day Centre and the Melbourn Hub can be better integrated into village life, offering everything from hot meals to digital skills support.
  • Essential Services: The Plan highlights upcoming challenges, such as the Burial Ground (Fenny Lane) being nearly full. We must identify land for its extension now to avoid a crisis in the coming years.

Priority 3: Social Connection and Active Living

Meldreth’s strength lies in its clubs. The Neighbourhood Plan can support these groups by improving the buildings and spaces they use.

  • Major Refurbishments: The Meldreth Bowls Club is currently undergoing a major refurbishment (2025/26) to provide fully accessible toilets and baby-change facilities—a project supported by the Parish Council to ensure the club remains inclusive.
  • Diverse Recreation: Whether it is the Tennis Club, Croquet Club, or the Meldreth Veg Club, we must ensure our Recreational Ground and Village Hall are maintained to a high standard.
  • Social Groups: Organizations like the Meldreth Evergreens, the Meldreth Hub, the Women’s Group, and the Meldreth Amateur Dramatic Society (MADS) are the heart of village social life. The Plan can protect the Village Hall as a “statutory community asset” to prevent it from ever being lost to development.

Priority 4: Heritage and Environmental Stewardship

Protecting Meldreth’s “rural charm” is a top priority for residents.1 Your knowledge of local history is a primary evidence base for this.

  • Local History & Identity: The Meldreth Local History Group is preserving oral histories and memories of the village. This data helps us identify “unlisted heritage assets” that the Neighbourhood Plan can protect from demolition.
  • Church and Conservation: Maintaining the Holy Trinity and All Saints grounds and the historic Church Wall is a legal and community priority. The Plan can help coordinate funding for these vital repairs.
  • Green Spaces: Work with the Melwood Conservation Group and the River Mel Restoration Group to protect our rare chalk stream and local nature reserve. We can designate these as “Local Green Spaces,” giving them the highest level of protection against development.

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How to Share Your Expertise

The Parish Council is currently calling for volunteers to lead and participate in small working parties.

  1. Join a Working Group: Between now and December 2026, we need residents to help write “mini-reports” on topics like housing, environment, or transport.
  2. Submit Memories and Evidence: Share your historical photos or knowledge of the Meldreth Conservation Area with the History Group to help define the village’s character.
  3. Attend the Consultation: Public meetings and questionnaires will take place in Autumn 2026 to review the draft options.

Contact for more information: Roger James – 07808 235873 | roger@rogerjames.net Website: https://meldrethplan.org.uk

Works cited

Footnotes

  1. . Local voices lead the way: Two new Neighbourhood Plans adopted in South Cambridgeshire, accessed April 20, 2026, https://www.scambs.gov.uk/news/local-voices-lead-the-way-two-new-neighbourhood-plans-adopted-in-south-cambridgeshire ↩

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