Cambridge residents resisting demolition of homes and loss of green space at Montreal Square
by Stephen Hewitt | Published 4 August 2018

In the afternoon of Saturday 28 July 2018 residents of Montreal Square Cambridge were standing in nearby Mill Road collecting signatures for a petition against the demolition of their homes, in which they have lived for up to forty years.
Together with other sympathetic Cambridge residents, three households from Montreal Square were represented, who told me they have lived there for 16 years, nearly 19 years and 40 years respectively.
Andy Smith, interim chair of Montreal Square Residents Association, wearing a T shirt with a picture of the square and the caption “save Montreal Square” , said that they had campaigned in Mill Road every Saturday for the last eight weeks, collecting around 80 signatures each time. So far they had around 800 in total. A separate, online petition had around 1,300.

Cambridge Housing Society Limited, a community benefit society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, proposed the demolitions. According to a letter signed by its chief executive Nigel Howlett the advantages of redevelopment would be “mainly extra affordable housing”.
“We love our wildlife” said Andy's wife Cheryl and described seeing hedgehogs, blue tits, greater spotted woodpeckers, squirrels and at night, bats flying over.
Related
- Cambridge demolishing council homes December 2017 (mentions: CIP, Cambridge Investment Partnership, Hill Investment Partnerships Ltd)
- Letter in Cambridge News: Move driven by finance alone Clare Blair, Cambridge News, 5 December 2012 (Water Lane, demolished 2015)
- Cambridge News article: Green light to demolish and rebuild homes Chris Havergal, Cambridge News, 5 December 2013 (Water Lane, demolished 2015)
- Grenfell bereaved asking for signatures on inquiry petition to parliament 14 December 2017, Notting Hill, London
- Celebration of Haringey's decision to drop HDV 20 September 2018, party in Tottenham pub
- “Save our tree-lined avenues” on a banner in residential Cambridge, 2017 September 2017 photographs in Milton Road
- Photo: Trees in new leaf in Cambridge in the spring 10 May 2019, Petersfield, off Mill Road
External links
- Cambridge Independent article: Residents opposing demolition of their Montreal Square homes in Cambridge plead to be left in peace Gemma Gardner, Cambridge Independent, 12 August 2018