Support

Draft North East Cambridge Area Action Plan

Representation ID: 54439

Received: 05/10/2020

Respondent: Orchard Street Investment Management

Agent: Turley

Representation Summary:

The proposal to ensure that there is not a net loss of either Class B2 or Class B8 uses is supported. Further, the intention to increase this provision is a positive response to the needs of the Cambridge economy ensuring that a mix of uses can be provided across the wider site, allowing the retention and provision of jobs for a wide mix of residents with a variety of skill sets. This is a key location for employment floorspace in industry, storage and distribution in Cambridge. This should be protected and where demand exists expansion should be facilitated for the long term.

In adopting this approach there should be recognition that where a mix of uses are proposed to be consolidated, including residential, that this does not restrict or prejudice the delivery of much needed Class B2 and Class B8 provision. This is supported by the findings of the G L Hearn study, Mixed Use Development: Overcoming barriers to delivery at North East Cambridge, which emphasised the importance of the ‘agent of change’ principle introduced through the NPPF 2018 which places responsibility on new development to take responsibility for mitigating the impacts of existing uses and particularly cites the relationship between residential development and existing industrial units.

Full text:

The proposal to ensure that there is not a net loss of either Class B2 or Class B8 uses is supported. Further, the intention to increase this provision is a positive response to the needs of the Cambridge economy ensuring that a mix of uses can be provided across the wider site, allowing the retention and provision of jobs for a wide mix of residents with a variety of skill sets. This is a key location for employment floorspace in industry, storage and distribution in Cambridge. This should be protected and where demand exists expansion should be facilitated for the long term.

In adopting this approach there should be recognition that where a mix of uses are proposed to be consolidated, including residential, that this does not restrict or prejudice the delivery of much needed Class B2 and Class B8 provision. This is supported by the findings of the G L Hearn study, Mixed Use Development: Overcoming barriers to delivery at North East Cambridge, which emphasised the importance of the ‘agent of change’ principle introduced through the NPPF 2018 which places responsibility on new development to take responsibility for mitigating the impacts of existing uses and particularly cites the relationship between residential development and existing industrial units.