Artful Codger - Cambridge can boost us
The prospect of half-hourly train services from Lynn down to boom city Cambridge in the near future could open up even more job opportunities for the residents of West Norfolk.
While the rest of the country may have been suffering economic stagnation during the recession, Cambridge has been surging ahead over the past few years, with the promise of much, much more to come in the immediate future.
On the northern side of the city – the part of Cambridge nearest to Lynn – work will be starting on a new township very soon, while further housing expansion looks set for the former Army camp at Waterbeach, and this end of the city will also be getting a new railway station within the next two years.
The new rail stop, at Chesterton Sidings, will give much better access to the adjoining science and business parks which house the flagship technology industries that this world-renowned university city now plays such a key role in.
Admittedly, the hi-tech jobs may be out of reach of many folk from West Norfolk, but they in turn tend to spawn a whole host of back-up roles taken on by other companies in the city, creating opportunities for everyone living in the wider surrounding area.
Which brings me back to West Norfolk, with Lynn and Downham both well placed to access the new station in the north of the city, and the work opportunities in the business and industrial companies located in this part of Cambridge. It could also give a boost to the housing market in both Lynn and Downham, with people working in the north of Cambridge perhaps looking for homes in our area.
While there will be new housing built around Cambridge, the potential expansion of hi-tech industries in and around the city could easily create a demand for homes that may ripple outwards as far as West Norfolk.
Certainly, Cambridge must already be having an impact on Lynn and Downham in terms of shopping.
You have only to take the 50-minute train journey down to the city on a Saturday to note the number of shoppers heading to this attractive regional centre.
How does one know they are shoppers? If you take a train back from Cambridge to Lynn in mid or late afternoon the same day, you will see them returning home laden with bags of goodies.
Then, of course, you can hardly blame anyone for falling for the shopping temptations of Cambridge. The city’s Primark store is many times the size of its Lynn counterpart and that’s just for starters – from bargains to luxury, you are talking about a different league.
But let’s not dwell on the negatives. West Norfolk’s proximity to Cambridge, and the ever-improving rail links, should be seen as an opportunity for locals to make the most of.
It’s a pity that there are not fast, direct rail links from Lynn to Peterborough and Norwich. Plenty of people from West Norfolk work in Peterborough, in particular, and a speedy rail service between Lynn, perhaps calling at Wisbech, could only enhance job prospects for young people in our town.
Then, of course, better roads would also help - but that’s another story...
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Weather for King's Lynn
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 4 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: North west
