The local plans, investments and decisions worth following.
4 selected records checked against official sources. A plan is not a completed project; each record shows the stage its source establishes.
The Old Gaol, Market Street
Ely Museum: long-term lease
A longer lease gives the museum a firmer basis for seeking grants and improving its historic building.
Lease extended to support future investment · evidence dated 2026-09-28
Responsible body: East Cambridgeshire District Council and Ely Museum
What the source says: The council confirms the museum lease has been extended to March 2125. The decision supports grant applications; no specific funded refurbishment is confirmed.
Next thing to establish: What is the approved cost, including ongoing maintenance?
Progress, funding and source
- Cost
- Not established by the evidence checked.
- Funding
- Not established by the evidence checked.
- Area covered
- Unmapped: a verified current ward boundary or council ward statement is still needed.
No verified ward footprint is assigned.
Ely Museum lease extended to support future investment →
Source checked 2026-10-17. A plan or announcement is not proof of completion.
Questions for the next progress report
- Which funding is committed, and what remains conditional?
- Which neighbourhoods are covered by an official project plan, and which benefits still need testing?
- What is the next published milestone, and what evidence will show residents benefit?
Use the museum’s longer lease to plan for the future →
Connect local skills to local opportunities →
Target support where disadvantages overlap →
How to track delivery →Arbour Square, Ely
Arbour Square affordable homes
Funding will convert homes intended for sale into social rented homes, making the whole third phase affordable.
Council grant approved · evidence dated 2026-10-02
Responsible body: East Cambs Trading Company and East Cambridgeshire District Council
What the source says: The council approved £405,000 to change nine homes to social rent, making all 13 homes in phase three affordable. The separate Mepal energy project is outside Ely and is excluded.
Next thing to establish: What is the approved cost, including ongoing maintenance?
Progress, funding and source
- Cost
- Not established by the evidence checked.
- Funding
- £405,000 grant from the Growth and Infrastructure Fund; not the total housing construction cost.
- Area covered
- Unmapped: a verified current ward boundary or council ward statement is still needed.
No verified ward footprint is assigned.
East Cambs invests in affordable homes and greener future for residents →
Source checked 2026-10-17. A plan or announcement is not proof of completion.
Questions for the next progress report
- Which neighbourhoods are covered by an official project plan, and which benefits still need testing?
- What is the next published milestone, and what evidence will show residents benefit?
Follow Arbour Square’s grant through to social rented homes →
Keep affordable-housing funding tied to homes people can occupy →
Make room for homes people can afford →
Target support where disadvantages overlap →
How to track delivery →Ely–Soham corridor, with proposed links to the wider cycle network
Ely to Soham walking, wheeling and cycling route
A new route is in the county’s funded programme, with construction expected to finish by March 2030. That is a target, not an open route.
Funding programme approved; construction completion targeted for March 2030 · evidence dated 2026-10-06
Responsible body: Cambridgeshire County Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council and the Walk, Wheel, Cycle Trust
What the source says: The October decision includes Ely–Soham among 16 schemes. The route would connect to the National Cycle Network and proposed Soham–Wicken Greenway. No completed route is claimed.
Next thing to establish: What is the approved cost, including ongoing maintenance?
Progress, funding and source
- Cost
- Not established by the evidence checked.
- Funding
- More than £14 million is allocated across the county’s four-year active-travel programme. The reviewed announcement does not state an Ely–Soham-only allocation.
- Area covered
- No verified current ward footprint is assigned. The named site or council-wide remit is not proof of benefits to every ward.
No verified ward footprint is assigned.
Active-travel funding approved, 6 October 2026 →
Source checked 2026-10-17. A plan or announcement is not proof of completion.
Questions for the next progress report
- Which neighbourhoods are covered by an official project plan, and which benefits still need testing?
- What is the next published milestone, and what evidence will show residents benefit?
Make Ely’s new routes work as complete journeys →
Close the gap between a funded route and a usable journey →
Target support where disadvantages overlap →
How to track delivery →