Marleigh & Me

My name is Hilary Bannerman and I began working at the new community of Marleigh, in Cambridge, UK in December 2021. 

Having studied geography at the University of Cambridge, I left a 24-year professional planning career to join the Land Trust, a charity based in Warrington, Cheshire, near to where I grew up. My new job was Estate and Facilities Officer in Cambridge. 

My responsibilities included managing the community centre and overseeing the maintenance and animation of the outdoor spaces. I carried out these duties to an award-winning standard, committed to supporting a community designed to help people thrive in nature. The role suited me well, and for two years I was genuinely happy and deeply connected to the community. 

I worked alone at Marleigh as the on-site representative of the Land Trust's client, the Marleigh Estate Management Company (MEMCL)  MEMCL is overseen by senior executives from the housebuilder Hill and the landowner Marshall. 

However, over time, issues began to mount. As I worked to resolve them, it became clear that although roles and responsibilities were clearly defined in the contract, my employer had not fully understood or implemented them, leading to an increasingly dissatisfied client and heightened concerns about the safety and effectiveness of site operations for both me and the community.

Losing all connection to Marleigh has been incredibly painful, but stepping away has been necessary for the community to move on.