I/ST: Sustainable transport and connectivity

support- minimize the need to travel, and reduce travel distances.

We propose that a Strategic Cycle link is required between Bedford and Cambridge. This link already exists between Bedford and Sandy, and funding has been secured that the link reaches Potton (Central Beds). The proposal in Gamlingay Neighbourhood Plan (SUSTRANS report) suggests this route continues along the B1040 to Gamlingay and Waresley, and follows Waresley Road to Great Gransden-Caxton-Cambourne. There is a proposal for the Camborurne to Cambridge section already. We strongly urge you to consider including this route within the emerging plan. It will improve the connectivity between villages and access to the transport hub of Cambourne for all residents west and south of Cambourne. Gamlingay parish Council is consulting with local parish councils on the matter and Potton Town Council.

The BHS supports the proposals for enhancing the rights of way network and for increased active travel opportunities however, 'improvement' should not negatively impact on existing path users. Equestrians only have access to the bridleway network. No 'improvement' should reduce their amenity. Important to provide for carriage drivers as well. Upgrading of footpaths to bridleways should be considered. Roadside schemes which leave horses sandwiched between cyclists and vehicles are dangerous and should not be planned. Safe provision should be made for all vulnerable road users and correctly signed. Links between communities and to the PROW should be for all.

This is critical.

The danger of this policy is that it is likely to lead to tokenism on the part of developers who are charged with writing sustainable transport plans/active transport plans into their proposals. We have seen this time and again with developments in the city (brookgate, for example) where sustainable travel is ignored in favour of narrow streets, heavy congestion and as many units as possible built on the footprint. Walking and cycling are given lip service by these documents but this never translates into safer, more walkable or cycle friendly streets. Example: failure to close mill road bridge to cars

(Transport) Maybe provide reference to the CCC Transport Assessment Teams guidelines as to what development sizes need to do would be helpful. https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/business/planning-and-development/developing-new-communities

The Trumpington Residents' Association believes that the Local Plan and the Local Transport Plan need to be brought closer into alignment than they are at present. There should be a policy which limits development unless related essential transport infrastructure is planned and financed.

COMMENT

Policy I/ST: Sustainable Transport and Connectivity set out how the transport impacts of development should be managed, and how new development should be connected to the transport network. An aim of the policy is to reduce transport emissions. The preferred development strategy seeks to co-locate housing close to jobs, services, and facilities in order to reduce the need to travel and support travel by walking, cycling and public transport. This approach is consistent with Paragraphs 104 and 105 of the NPPF and is supported. However, it is considered of the aim of Policy I/ST will only be fully implemented if all available opportunities to direct development to sustainable locations are taken, including additional development being directed to Histon.

The promoted development by Mr Meadows at land off Cottenham Road in Histon is accessible by walking, cycling and public transport to the services and facilities within the village and the business park, and to the facilities and employment opportunities within Cambridge. Histon is connected to the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, there are frequent bus services, and there are existing on and off-road cycle routes within Histon and to and from neighbouring areas. As such, there are realistic alternatives to the car for travel to and from Histon. Therefore, additional development at Histon would be consistent with the aims of Policy I/ST.

Requested Change

It is requested that the promoted development by Mr Meadows at land off Cottenham Road in Histon is allocated for residential development, in order to support the aims of Policy I/ST e.g. reduce transport emissions, reduce the need to travel, and encourage the use of sustainable modes of transport.

COMMENT

Policy I/ST: Sustainable Transport and Connectivity set out how the transport impacts of development should be managed, and how new development should be connected to the transport network. An aim of the policy is to reduce transport emissions. The preferred development strategy seeks to co-locate housing close to jobs, services, and facilities in order to reduce the need to travel and support travel by walking, cycling and public transport. This approach is consistent with Paragraphs 104 and 105 of the NPPF and is supported. However, it is considered of the aim of Policy I/ST will only be fully implemented if all available opportunities to direct development to sustainable locations are taken, including additional development being directed to Great Shelford.

The promoted development by Shelford Investments in Great Shelford is accessible by walking, cycling and public transport to the services and facilities within the village and in nearby Trumpington, and to the employment opportunities at Cambridge Biomedical Campus and within Cambridge. Great Shelford Station, the proposed Cambridge South Station, Trumpington Park & Ride, Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, the proposed Cambridge South East project, and existing bus services along Shelford Road are all available within close proximity of the promoted development off Cabbage Moor and realistic alternatives to the car are available. Therefore, additional development at Great Shelford would be consistent with the aims of Policy I/ST.

Requested Change

It is requested that the promoted development by Shelford Investments at land off Cabbage Moor in Great Shelford is allocated for residential development, in order to support the aims of Policy I/ST e.g. reduce transport emissions, reduce the need to travel, and encourage the use of sustainable modes of transport.

USS is supportive of the references to improving sustainable transport and connectivity across the area. The Clifton Road Industrial Estate is in a highly sustainable location, that is well connected to public transport and has good active travel links. The site allocation has a proposal to connect the site to Cambridge National Rail Station. Therefore, redeveloping the site will further increase its sustainability.

The Clifton Road Industrial Estate and Coldham’s Road Industrial Estate could also be appropriate locations for last mile logistic hubs, which would help improve sustainability of deliveries across Cambridge.

COMMENT

Policy I/ST: Sustainable Transport and Connectivity set out how the transport impacts of development should be managed, and how new development should be connected to the transport network. An aim of the policy is to reduce transport emissions. The preferred development strategy in emerging GCLP seeks to co-locate housing close to jobs, services, and facilities in order to reduce the need to travel, and to support travel by walking, cycling and public transport. The preferred development strategy also provides for additional residential allocations in some of the villages in the Rural Southern Cluster, including at land off Hinton Way and Mingle Lane in Great Shelford. Shelford Station is located close to the site. There are bus routes on Hinton Way, Mingle Lane, Station Road and Cambridge Road, all of which are close to the site. There are cycle routes through Stapleford and Great Shelford into Cambridge. The route for the proposed Cambridge South East Transport project by the Greater Cambridge Partnership is located to the north west of the site, and there is a proposed stop at Hinton Way that would be within close proximity of the site. Therefore, the land off Hinton Way and Mingle Lane is accessible by a range of sustainable modes of transport, and there are and will be realistic and available alternatives to the car for travel to and from the site. The decision to identify land off Hinton Way and Mingle Lane in Great Shelford as a preferred allocation in emerging GCLP is consistent with the aims of Policy I/ST.

No changes are required to Policy I/ST.

It is imperative that the finds of the Active Travel Toolkit are included within the viability assessment.

In the interests of a holistic, long term vision of growth, we recommend that a degree of flexibility be specifically applied in such cases to take into account the long term connectivity and travel projects – such as the Foxton Travel Hub – that are underway or due to come forward within the plan period or other such contextual development that may better enable long term sustainable transport opportunities in the future when considering the immediate requirements and acceptability of a proposal. The text we suggest above in respect of that policy could similarly be drafted into Policy I/ST.

Huntingdonshire District Council support a policy that delivers sustainable and inclusive communities by minimising the need to travel and reducing travel distances for people of all abilities. It is agreed that community transport and travel connections for non-motorised users should also be addressed.

The department supports the policy direction but we request that the councils recognise that some uses are justified and important despite generating trips from a wider sub-regional area. The department will comply with policy requirements regarding Transport Assessments and Travel Plans, to minimise the need to travel by car and ensure that public transport is an accessible and appealing option for all students, staff and visitors to CMS. We request that the plan makes it clear that the principle of education infrastructure will be supported, accepting that specialist and further education can draw students from a wider catchment area than local primary and secondary schools. Close proximity to suitable public transport is therefore essential to meeting the plan’s carbon reduction objectives.

Developing North East Cambridge will generate an endorse increase in traffic. Not everyone will work in the area. People will have to commute in and out of the area causing unnecessary amounts of extra traffic. The area should remain an industrial area. A better location is the airport which is spacious, has one owner and no existing infrastructure.

General Support – however a far more ambitious approach to GCP in partnership with Combined Authority providing innovative and sustainable transport to the wider community including Market Towns to enable sustainable commuting into Greater Cambridge is recommended. Large developments next to places of work in such a small area as Cambridge will have environmental and health and well- being costs to existing communities and may in itself prove an ill-advised strategy in the longer term for Greater Cambridge. The Ox-Cam Arc project , new transport systems home working etc., within this plan period could provide less high risk  solutions to the benefit of the economy of our Market Towns and should be pursued more creatively and robustly , Cambridge growing economy to the benefit of the wider region.   The policy to reduce CO2 emissions by principally putting very high numbers of people at unprecedented levels next to work areas given the small scale of Greater Cambridge/Cambridge City lacks in the period to 2041 is not fulfilling or making use of the promise of large scale public funding for transport infrastructure to support the commitment made by joint councils to these unprecedented high levels of growth. What makes Cambridge attractive and in part what drives the economy is at risk (CPIER 2018)

General Support – however a far more ambitious approach to GCP in partnership with Combined Authority providing innovative and sustainable transport to the wider community including Market Towns to enable sustainable commuting into Greater Cambridge is recommended.

Since it is not economically feasible to provide all facilities locally, some travel will always be necessary. Infrastructure needs to facilitate sustainable travel rather than hinder it. Design to avoid rat-runs through villages. Policy needs to recognize travel to market towns just outside South Cambs e.g. Royston, Haverhill

There is a great need for a strategic cycle link from Gamlingay through Waresley to Great Gransden and from there to Cambourne. This could be part of a greater project to link Bedford to Cambridge by cycle. The Bedford to Sandy station section is in place, as is funding for Sandy to Potton and Potton to Gamlingay is under discussion. The Cambourne to Cambridge cycleway is also a priority.
As traffic increases along the B1040, cycling along it has become increasingly dangerous. In earlier years cycling between our local villages was routine, but now it is not an option for normal cyclists. The proposed link would be of huge benefit to local residents and would in the wider context supply leisure facilities for the much larger population between Cambridge and Bedford.
This scheme is strongly supported by Waresley-cum-Tetworth Parish Council.

In close proximity to to Cambridge there needs to be an emphasis on preserving green spaces and value for money. For almost 8 years the GCP has perused a policy of spending upwards of £175m on an off-road busway between Cambourne and Cambridge which has a shockingly low BCR and where existing infrastructure with capacity exists. The off-road Cambourne to Cambridge busway scheme cannot be described as either responding to climate change or protecting the environment and should not be supported. If there is to be an EWRail stop at Cambourne this would further weaken the business case for C2C

We support the development of dedicated cycling and walking infrastructure. There is, however, a need for segregation between the two. Shared pavement solutions are only viable where there is very limited usage. Where there are higher volumes of either pedestrian or cycle traffic or both there is a need to separate these forms of traffic. Mobility as a Service, which is currently being trialled in Cambridge and electric scooters raise issues about dangerous and anti-social usage which do need addressing.

The plan should take a realistic view on the high hurdle required to achieve a modal shift away from private car use. A large investment is required in active travel routes and public transport alternatives before they become desirable to use by the majority of people. Just limiting parking on new estates only causes problems and tension amongst residents rather than forcing them to give up their second cars. Safe and permeable cycle infrastructure and joined up public transport is required.

Policies in the Local Plan must protect existing walking and cycle routes from being harmed by development, both during construction and after completion of the development. Where works to the highway cut through an active travel route and degrade its quality or accessibility, it must be fixed. Landowners, leaseholders or statutory undertakers must not be allowed to install barriers or obstacles into cycle routes such as fences, poles or electric charging infrastructure.
The cycling network is just as strategic as the public highway network and must be protected in the same way. Transport Assessments and Travel Plans should include commitments to clean, clear, de-ice and maintain the safety, usability and accessibility of walking and cycling routes.

The transport requirements for the new developments seem adequate. However, there is no statement on how the current infrastructure in the neighbouring places of the new developments and wider region would change to integrate innovative transport solutions proposed by developers.

COMMENT

Policy I/ST: Sustainable Transport and Connectivity set out how the transport impacts of development should be managed, and how new development should be connected to the transport network. An aim of the policy is to reduce transport emissions. The preferred development strategy seeks to co-locate housing close to jobs, services and facilities in order to reduce the need to travel and support travel by walking, cycling and public transport. This approach is consistent with Paragraphs 104 and 105 of the NPPF and is supported. However, it is considered of the aim of Policy I/ST will only be fully implemented if all available opportunities to direct development to sustainable locations are taken, including additional development being directed to Sawston.

Additionally, the Mill Lane Site is owned by Northwest Biotherapeutics (NW Bio), a biotechnology company developing novel immune therapies to treat cancer. NW Bio’s DCVax®-L immune therapy for Glioblastoma brain cancer is in the NIHR's Priority Portfolio, and was the first product to receive PIM designation as a Promising Innovative Medicine from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MRHA). NW Bio currently has offices in London and is developing an advanced manufacturing and technology development facility in Sawston, where they are working together with Advent BioServices to develop the Vision Centre on the former Spicers site. Advent is one of only a small number of companies in the world that specializes in technology/process development and advanced manufacturing for cell and tissue therapies for cancer and other diseases.

Since our previous submission, significant progress has been made in the physical development of the Vison Centre. Most importantly, it is expected within the next week or two that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will be granting certification of Phase One of the production facility to ramp-up production to 45 self paying patients per month under their Specials/Compassionate Treatment Program. This milestone approval represents 7 months of testing and MHRA reviews and inspections involving all of the now 39 staff and growing. In turn, this major event for the entire area has been facilitated by the following developments at the plant itself over since our previous submission of representatives, including the following:

• Significant upgrade to two clean room suites to enable these to be Medicines and Healthcare product Regulatory Agency (MHRA) compliant
• Warehouse incorporating Goods in/quarantine and a temperature controlled store
• Two process development laboratories
• Quality control laboratory
• Freezer facility incorporating room for 60 x -80C freezers (currently 30 freezers in place)
• Construction of further office to support freezer facility
• State-of the-art Ultra cold Liquid Nitrogen facility with the capacity to store up to 3,000,000 samples at -196C for third party clients
• Installation of a nitrogen generator which removes and liquifies N2 from the atmosphere – removes the need for weekly deliveries of gas to site
• Cell therapy product goods in/out rooms
• Data management centre containing 3 towers loaded with processers and other essential IT equipment
• Installation of lift shafts and stairs to upper floor
• Fitting out of additional office space
• Creation of corridors for materials, staff and waste

The following infrastructure also has now been put in place to serve the Vision Centre:

• Installation of emergency generator, boiler, uninterrupted power supply, air handling units
• Installation of BT fibre network
• Installation of environmental monitoring equipment and software – monitors temperatures, pressures, air changes, humidity 24/7
• Installation and implementation of a quality management system and the writing of over 1000 regulatory documents
• Installation of electricity supply to futureproof the building and remove the VC from the larger site network
• Implementation of a laboratory information management system
• Development of website
• Awarded licences from the Human Tissue Authority for cell storage
• Underwent inspection from MHRA -awaiting licence to manufacture advanced therapy products for UK Specials programme and for clinical trials

The Vision Centre is located just across the A1301, a 5 or 10-minute walk from the proposed residential site on Mill Lane. The Vision Centre is an advanced manufacturing facility that will produce cell therapy products for the UK and for export to the European Union and other geographies. The development of the Vision Centre will involve the creation of up to 450 new high-value jobs across a wide range of skill levels in phases over the next few years.

Recruitment has also taken place since the submission of previous representations and the total number of employees at the Vision Centre is now 40. These include manufacturing scientists, QA and QC staff, facilities management, IT, clinical coordinator, administration, validation experts, HR and finance personnel. This also includes the recruitment of three apprentices as part of the national network ATAC scheme in cell and gene therapy, with a fourth apprentice to be taken on shortly.

Some of the staff that have been taken on to date are from the local area but other are from elsewhere in UK including London, Stevenage, Bedfordshire, Kent, Berkshire, and Suffolk. It is not possible for all staff to be recruited from the local area as a result of the need to recruit Qualified persons (for regulatory purposes).

A key factor which will affect the pace at which personnel can be hired for these jobs will be the availability of housing nearby to the Vision Centre. A proportion of Vision Centre employees will have to live close to the site because producing and managing living cell products requires unpredictable and varied hours (e.g., when tissues are received from hospitals for processing at any time of the day or evening). The jobs at the Vision Centre are and will continue to be for a range of employees, from school leavers through to PhD level. This will result in increased employment and learning opportunities within Sawston and South Cambridgeshire as a whole, which will have benefits for social inclusion.

The ability of other employees of the Vision Centre to live in close proximity to the site will also have clear benefits for their mental health and well-being, by avoiding the need for significant commuting and promoting opportunities for active forms of travel, such as walking and cycling. The residential development of the Mill Lane Site, Sawston would also provide additional housing that is much needed for nearby surrounding employment sites, including existing sites to the east and north of Sawston; Huawei’s emerging business and research campus at the former Spicers site; Granta Park; Cambridge Biomedical Campus; and the expanding Wellcome Genome Campus.

The Mill Lane Site is also in a location with extensive existing transport access by walking, cycling, bus and train and the Site has good accessibility (a 15 minute or so walk or a short cycle ride) to existing services and facilities within Sawston including nurseries, schools, doctors, dentists, pharmacy, opticians, sports centre, pubs, convenience stores, hairdressers and beauticians. Having all of these services and facilities within close proximity of the Site will allow future occupants to access these services using sustainable travel modes, thus reducing emissions associated with use of the private car, and will assist the development, and its occupants, in integrating into the wider Sawston community. New residents at this site, and the associated increased spending power of the village and potential employees, could also encourage the creation of new businesses with Sawston.

The nearest bus stops are located on Cambridge Road within an acceptable walking distance of the site via the existing footways on Mill Lane and New Road, and provide access to Bus Services Citi 7 and 7A, and are likely to be used by future residents of the site to access existing services and facilities in Sawston and beyond. The nearest railway station is Whittlesford Parkway Railway Station which can easily be reached by private car and bus, and is within an acceptable cycling distance of the site, and likely to be used by future residents of the site to access existing services and facilities in Cambridge and the wider area surrounding the site.

The promoted development by NW Bio in Sawston is accessible by walking, cycling and public transport to the services and facilities within the village and to existing employment opportunities. The development of the Mill Lane Site would also be beneficial to the pace at which new employment opportunities generated by the Vision Centre can be brought forward. Therefore, additional development at Sawston would be consistent with the aims of Policy I/ST.

Requested Change

It is requested that the promoted development by NW Bio at the Mill Lane Site, Sawston is allocated for residential development, in order to support the aims of Policy I/ST e.g. reduce transport emissions, reduce the need to travel, and encourage the use of sustainable modes of transport.

Policy I/ST: Sustainable Transport and Connectivity set out how the transport impacts of development should be managed, and how new development should be connected to the transport network. An aim of the policy is to reduce transport emissions. The preferred development strategy seeks to co-locate housing close to jobs, services, and facilities in order to reduce the need to travel and support travel by walking, cycling and public transport. This approach is consistent with Paragraphs 104 and 105 of the NPPF and is supported. However, it is considered of the aim of Policy I/ST will only be fully implemented if all available opportunities to direct development to sustainable locations are taken, including additional development being directed to Linton.

The promoted development by Bloor Homes Eastern at land west of Linton is accessible by walking, cycling and public transport to the services and facilities within the village and to employment at Granta Park and Babraham Research Centre. The site would be well-related to the transport infrastructure improvements proposed in the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Cambridge South East Transport project, which includes a new public transport route into Cambridge, a greenway/cycle route through Linton to Granta Park and Babraham Research Campus, and a rural travel hub at Linton. The Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Making Connections project also proposes a more frequent bus service for Linton. As such, there will be realistic alternatives to the car for travel to and from Linton once the Cambridge South East Transport project and Making Connections project have been delivered. Therefore, additional development at Linton would be consistent with the aims of Policy I/ST.
Requested Change

It is requested that the promoted development by Bloor Homes Eastern at land west of Linton is allocated for residential development, in order to support the aims of Policy I/ST e.g. reduce transport emissions, reduce the need to travel, and encourage the use of sustainable modes of transport.

COMMENT

Policy I/ST: Sustainable Transport and Connectivity set out how the transport impacts of development should be managed, and how new development should be connected to the transport network. An aim of the policy is to reduce transport emissions. The preferred development strategy seeks to co-locate housing close to jobs, services and facilities in order to reduce the need to travel and support travel by walking, cycling and public transport. This approach is consistent with Paragraphs 104 and 105 of the NPPF and is supported. However, it is considered of the aim of Policy I/ST will only be fully implemented if all available opportunities to direct development to sustainable locations are taken, including additional employment development being directed to the A428 corridor close to Cambourne edge of Cambridge.

There are a number of transport infrastructure projects already planned at an in the vicinity of Cambourne that will improve accessibility along the A428 corridor in South Cambridgeshire. Those transport projects are the proposed A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet Improvements project, the preferred routes for the East West Rail project including the proposed station at Cambourne, and the Cambourne to Cambridge Better Public Transport project. Therefore, in due course Cambourne and the promoted development at Caxton Gibbet will be very well connected by road, rail and bus.

The pedestrian and cycle access to the promoted development would be provided by the new bridge over the A428 (connection to proposed Cambourne West development) and via the existing bridge over the A428 at Cambourne Road/St Neots Road (connection to existing Cambourne). All of this infrastructure will be delivered through the A428 improvement works. Connections into and any required improvements to these footways and cycleways would be provided both to Cambourne and Papworth Everard from the promoted development.

Therefore, walking, cycling and public transport options would be available once the proposed and planned projects in the A428 corridor are delivered, providing realistic options for sustainable travel to and from the promoted development. The promoted development provides an excellent opportunity to provide employment generating development that capitalises on infrastructure investment and that has a significantly enhance opportunity to drive a shift to commuting by sustainable modes, reducing the reliance on the private car and reducing commuting into Cambridge.

An additional allocations on the edge of Cambourne, including at the promoted development at land at Caxton Gibbet, would be consistent with the aims of Policy I/ST.

Requested Change

It is requested that the promoted development by Endurance Estates at land at Caxton Gibbet is allocated for employment development, in order to support the aims of Policy I/ST e.g. reduce transport emissions, reduce the need to travel, and encourage the use of sustainable modes of transport.

As set out in the NPPF, the supply of large numbers of new homes can often be best achieved through planning for large scale development, provided that this development is supported by the necessary infrastructure. In order to ensure there is a genuine switch from car use towards sustainable modes of transport, new development must be supported by convenient, regular and affordable public transport, as well as safe and accessible pedestrian / cycle links.

Marshall supports the principles of sustainable transport and the aims of this policy which “seek to deliver sustainable and inclusive communities by minimising the need to travel and reducing travel distances, whilst ensuring there is effective and sufficient sustainable transport mode choice and improved connectivity for everyone of any ability. It will require development to be located and designed to reduce the need to travel, particularly by car, and promote sustainable travel appropriate to its location.” (Page 304, ‘First Proposals’ consultation document)

By locating growth in the most sustainable locations, that are well-connected to transport links and a short distance from key services and facilities, this delivers the tools to start generating a modal shift towards the use of sustainable travel methods. Marshall recognises this and have been developing a transport strategy, in collaboration with the County Council, GCP and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, that supports the level of growth that Cambridge East is allocated for within the ‘First Proposals’ document, but that also considers and explores what could be achieved if the scale of the opportunity at Cambridge East is maximised. The Site represents a significant opportunity to integrate and provide cross-city connectivity with the wider Greater Cambridge transport network and thus can interact with the city as a whole.

The transport evidence base documents are clear that Cambridge East is one of the best performing locations in transport terms. The site reduces the need to travel by car and generally contributes less to congestion in the peak periods than sites in other broad locations. Cambridge East would also achieve low mode shares of car use even without mitigation, linked to the proximity of the site to the city and the ability to access jobs and services on the site itself and nearby via non-car modes. This helps to establish good sustainable transport characteristics for the site. The use of active modes and public transport combined at Cambridge East can be a fundamental component of the transport strategy. The level of Park & Ride trips modelled indicates there may be scope to refine the assessment of the Cambridge Eastern Access scheme to achieve a higher proportion of trips from the site that use direct Public Transport services rather than drive to a Park & Ride site.

Cambridge East is a catalyst for growth that can unlock the sustainable movement strategy for east Cambridge and contribute significantly towards a holistic solution for the city as a whole. It is only through intelligent growth, rather than a restricted approach to development, which can change the unsatisfactory status quo and bring transformational change in line with the Local Plan objectives.

Please see attached representation