Future Takeover

Future Takeover was an event held in St Neots in January 2019 that offered evening and daytime activities and asked residents to think about how creativity, data and emerging technology could support the growth of the town.

The event explored the vision for the expansion of St Neots and its creative sector, considering the town’s long-term future and how citizens can help to drive this change.

The event, organised by Cambridge-based arts and technology company Collusion, looked at the role technology can play in creating a smart market town, and the impact it could have on issues such as air quality, the future of transport, public services and market town life. The sessions also considered the importance of the cultural and creative industries in creating a thriving community.

It follows the launch of the St Neots Smart Places Initiative in November, which brought more than 250 responses from residents who took the opportunity to share their views on key challenges facing the town.

The Smart Places team on behalf of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority were keen to continue working with local people to discover how smart solutions could encourage the continuing development of this thriving market town.

The Smart St Neots project is being funded by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, in collaboration with Huntingdonshire District Council, St Neots Town Council and local community group the Neotists, and aims to address some of the challenges identified in the St Neots Master Plan and the Neighbourhood Plan.

Feedback from these events will help to highlight the key issues for St Neots, and areas where smart projects may be able to assist with issues concerning the community. The next step will see the Smart St Neots team look to create funding proposals for the Combined Authority to consider alongside on-going and planned masterplan works for St Neots.