Petersfield Area
Community Trust

• PACT:
• Homepage
• Events!
• Join us...
• Board of Trustees
• Newsletters
• Contact us
• Tour Petersfield
• Meet your neighbours
• Local Links
• Supporters
• Internet Access
• PACT in the papers
• Photo Gallery
• PACT ISSUES:
• Community Centre
• Planning Issues
• Local Amenities
• Millennium Project
• Traffic
• Local Shopping
• Homelessness
• Vandalism & Crime
• The Cemetery
• Youth Activites
• Older People

"A Voice for Petersfield"

The Petersfield Area Community Trust was founded in 1997 and aims to organise supportive structures to foster local community spirit in the Petersfield area of Cambridge. We are a forum which seeks to further the interests of residents and to fulfil community needs. We campaign in areas such as transport, public open place, youth and community facilities, vandalism and planning. We also hold public meetings and parties in order to promote better communication within the community and between the community and other bodies. PACT is a registered charity, number 1118762

To get a better idea of the kind of activities we do, have a look at the chair's report for 2010, or the minutes of the 2010 AGM. We also publish a newsletter called ImPACT each year. Alternatively, the following is a list of some of our activities St Matthew's Piece Campaign PACT has recently attracted a lot of media attention with its campaign to demolish the former Howard Mallett Centre and return the area back to green open space. Petersfield Social Gatherings There are several social gatherings coming up soon: a chance to get to know your neighbours! Planning Over the past few years Petersfield ward has experienced a large number of planning applications for both commercial and residential redevelopments. We are pleased to say that local residents have been consulted on various applications and, in some cases, concerns expressed have been addressed by the local authority, the planning committee and developers alike. It is important for the consultation process between planners and the local community that local residents take an interest in their environment and are pro-active in voicing their concerns. Contact Glenys on [email protected] for advice or assistance. You can find more information on Planning in Cambridge on the City council website. Community Centre With the demise of the Howard Mallett Centre, Petersfield lost its community centre. The lack of one is clearly felt (see above). PACT is therefore committed to this cause, and is eager to participate in its management. From the survey, we received hundreds of suggestions for facilities which such a community centre might provide, ranging from trampolining and steel drums to a socialising alternative to shopping and pub-crawls. The Survey! Basically, rather than PACT simply assuming that the community wanted certain things, we actually went out and asked them. A Survey of needs was performed in 1999 and the results clearly showed a perceived need for a community centre, with 72% of respondents endorsing this view, and requesting facilities ranging from trampolining and steel drums to a socialising alternative to shopping and pub-crawls. Vandalism and Graffiti The problems of vandalism in particular in Mill Road cemetery. Crime, vandalism & safety has been a key issue over the last year. As a direct consequence of this, the Cemetery has featured in the national press, and Friends of Mill Road Cemetery (FoMRC) has been successfully launched. There has also been a car vandalism survey, which was been drawn up in co-operation with the police. It sought to discover what might otherwise be unreported vandalism to local residents' parked cars Traffic Petersfield Traffic Purgatory... This too is a major concern of Petersfield residents, and, therefore, of PACT. There is much to do, but already we have begun exploring the possibility of establishing a pedestrian/cycle-friendly traffic scheme (20 mph limit) in Petersfield residential streets Homeless shelters The homeless situation in Cambridge is a dire one, with the homeless vastly outnumbering the beds available. It is a problem which will not disappear if we pretend that it doesn't exist. A temporary solution is, unfortunately, no real solution. Partly because of this, PACT has resisted the idea of creating a temporary nightshelter in the Red Studio/Howard Mallett Centre. Although the community does have a responsibility to the homeless, it also has a responsibility to young people, both to keep them safe and to provide facilities. Thus, although the needs of the community are diverse, it is felt that the HMC/Red Studio should be for young people rather than for the homeless. The question is: what role can PACT play? So far, we have welcomed Jimmy's Nightshelter as an affiliated member of PACT, but a proper solution is still being sought. We look forward to seeing you in Petersfield! For queries about this website, email the PACT web-weavers These PACT web-pages are located on Cambridge Online City at "http://www.colc.co.uk/cambridge/forum/pact/" The site is regularly updated.

Petersfield Gwydir Street Sculling on the Cam St Matthew's Church Kingston Street