Question 5

Neutral

No answer given

Mostly yes

Policy 14 mentions a community centre and a community room. An adequate communal kitchen should be specified as part of the community centre - new Clay Farm community centre suffers from having no proper kitchen provision, which has caused problems for Covid emergency food provision. Need for public drinking fountains.

Mostly not

Further comments: We see no provision for the elderly. The requirement for a performing arts hub is questionable given what already exists in Cambridge. Lack of sports facilities.

Mostly not

NEC should incorporate more cultural, recreational and sporting facilities to serve local needs and address deficiencies (e.g. a swimming pool) in north Cambridge.

Nothing chosen

No comment.

Mostly yes

No answer given

Nothing chosen

Creating a cohesive and sustainable community requires certain community uses to be provided that support local residents. The kind of community facilities that should be provided alongside residential homes include community centres, general practices, educational institutions, play space and open space. Broadly, the layout of the proposed masterplan within the NEC area appears to be appropriate, as the proposed uses appear to be close to the proposed residential units. It is crucial to the future success of this area as a community, however, that these community uses are indeed delivered, otherwise additional pressure will be placed on existing services and/or the place will lack the desired ‘sense of place’ for prospective new residents.

Nothing chosen

Please see our comments in relation to green infrastructure provision below.

Nothing chosen

While RSPB have no specific comment to the questions, there are few points of principle we would like to raise. • While each subject area sets out advanced thinking to promote sustainable travel, provide social and cultural hubs and facilities, as well as achieving the right balance and density of domestic and commercial premises, these typically generate large proportions of hard landscape, exacerbating the ‘heat island’ effect.⁵, ⁶, ⁷ • To meet the aims and objectives of climate resilience, we feel it important all flat roofed buildings, have at the very minimum a biosolar green roof, and ultimately wherever possible a biosolar blue-green roof. We would like to see the landscaped roofs manipulated to benefit biodiversity, contributing toward net gain and mitigating for loss of brownfield habitat on site.⁸, ⁹ Where appropriate, some roofs and terraces may also be used for community food growing. • We would also encourage and support the use of green walls wherever possible across all domestic and commercial properties or premises.¹⁰ • We would like to see all domestic housing fitted with solar panels, ground source heat and water butts as a core function of their sustainability design. __________________________ Qualifying points to responses: ⁵We would urge every effort is made to maximise opportunities for green space. We would like to see a reduction of ‘dead space’ in paved and hard landscaped areas and given over instead to soft landscape, including rain gardens. ⁶Where appropriate, hard landscape must double additionally as flood storage facility and be used innovatively, where appropriate, to convey water as part of any SuDS management train. Such measures will add value to climate resilience and placemaking. ⁷We would also expect all hard surfaces, from foot and cycle paths to roads, to be permeable and remove the need for costly and environmentally damaging gully pots and other traditional outdated techniques. ⁸Green roofs help alleviate heat island effect, absorb atmospheric pollutants, provide summer and winter thermo-regulation of building temperature, acoustic insulation and reduce rates of run-off. Blue-green roofs provide protracted water storage which can either be released more slowly back into the system or for other purposes that will reduce the impacts on potable water supplies. This might also include the irrigation of green wall systems. ⁹Solar panels will work more efficiently when used in conjunction with the vegetation of a green roof, helping maintain a constant ambient working temperature of around 25⁰c. ¹⁰Green walls will improve climate resilience by thermo regulating the temperatures of buildings, improve acoustic insulation, trap airborne pollutants and help cool the atmosphere. In addition, they will provide amenity value.

Nothing chosen

Education 5.1 Note the housing mix can have a significant impact on the number of children and therefore the education need. The current ask for 3 primary school sites, and reserved land for a secondary school co-located with one of the primary schools is based on early housing mix proposals. Flexibility is required because it is only when the majority of residential development has gained outline planning permission, and the number of houses and mix is fixed as part of the planning permission, the County Council can say with certainty the final education requirements. 5.2 Education supports the allocation of 3 primary schools within the site. These will include early years provision. Being located within the new community means they are accessible and promote sustainable travel. The schools require good cycle and walking links from when the schools open. 5.3 A secondary school site is safeguarded within the plans, to be co-located with one of the primary schools. This is welcomed, noting it is not possible to confirm the need for new secondary school on site until such time as there is greater certainty as to the housing quantum and detailed mix. i.e A sufficient number of homes have been granted outline planning permission. 5.4 Acknowledging the unique built environment proposed for North East Cambridge and in relation to policy 10e, the Cowley Road Neighbourhood Centre, the need to look more radically at best use of space in a high density development is noted. The last bullet point of the policy states, “Opportunities for schools to be part of a mixed use building should be explored.” It should be noted this needs to be without detriment to the quality of education provision and assurance for the securing of the building and land. 5.5 The draft AAP indicates the delivery of a secondary school, (should on-site provision be needed), will be at towards the end of the plan period. “Local secondary school provision will be kept under review throughout the plan period to determine whether a secondary school at North East Cambridge is required and when it will need to be delivered. Based on the housing trajectory for the Area Action Plan, it is anticipated that if it is required, then it is likely to be delivered towards the end of the plan period.” In the programme at the end of the Draft AAP shows the secondary school being opened in the period 2035-2040. This is at a too late a stage in development to provide the Council with the requisite flexibility to plan and deliver sufficient places. 5.6 With regard to phasing, it is assumed secondary school provision will be required early in the development, depending on demand for places across the wider area and housing mix from early stages of the development. There may be the option of providing a temporary facility off site for a duration of time before the delivery of new secondary school facilities (if required). Should a new secondary school be required on site, the delivery of such a facility could be from an early stage of development. 5.7 Policy 15 Shops and Local Services. Inclusion of full day-care (education) use should be included to enable commercial providers to set up full-day care provision (Southern Fringe demonstrates the negative impact of having a shortfall of this type of commercial opportunity) 5.8 Policy 2 states non-residential buildings are to meet BREEAM excellent. Furthermore it states. “Alternative construction methodologies, for example Passivhaus, will be supported subject to early engagement with the Councils to agree the approach. The alternative to BREEAM excellent is very welcome and the County Council supports this. BREEAM excellent is not always an appropriate measure in the delivery of schools. The County Council is looking into PassivHaus as a more effective tool.

Nothing chosen

Please see attached Letter including representations on behalf of The Crown Estate.

Mostly not

Please see letter attached Social and Community Infrastructure – Policy 14 Question 5 - Are we are planning for the right community facilities? 16. We welcome the reference to new social infrastructure (including schools) to be required to meet the needs of existing and new communities. 17. However, as drafted, it is not considered that this policy is wholly compliant with the NPPF, as it provides policy support only where there is recognised ‘local needs’. The NPPF, as set out above, gives weight to widening choice in education, which would include through the provision of specialist educational facilities. 18. We would therefore propose that the policy be extended as follows (additional wording in italics underlined): 1https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework--2 2 https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/opening-a-free-school 3 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/establishing-a-new-school-free-school-presumption and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-schools-to-support-housing-growth 4 Development proposals for new community, cultural and leisure facilities will be supported where it meets identified local needs. State funded education infrastructure which is capable of meeting wider regional needs will also be supported where this is deliverable and sustainable. 19. This will ensure that the policy is compliant with the NPPF and is positively prepared.

Nothing chosen

What legal guarantees are in place to ensure delivery of the facilities you promise?