Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Swavesey Parish Council believes that more emphasis should be included with regard to the cumulative impact all of the proposed development in an area will have on local infrastructure. In the Swavesey area, this includes:
• Increase in volume of traffic, both HGVs, delivery vehicles and cars (employees).
• Increase in rat-running of vehicles through villages alongside the A14.
• Concerns over integrity of A14 flyovers, which are already sinking under existing traffic flows.
• HGV parking – causing issues and dangers in and around villages and the A14. Additional HGV
parking is vital for any consented development.
• Cumulative impact of increased traffic from already consented housing developments in this area, as well as proposed development including business and warehouse parks is required.

All major development sites should be requested to provide traffic and transport data on cumulative impact, not just site specific impact.

Support the policy

Traffic – Strong concerns re cumulative impact on local villages
• Increase in volume of traffic, both HGVs, delivery vehicles and cars (employees).
• Increase in rat-running of vehicles through villages alongside the A14.
• Concerns over integrity of A14 flyovers, which are already sinking under existing traffic flows.
• HGV parking – causing issues and dangers in and around villages and the A14. Additional HGV parking is vital for any consented development.
• Cumulative impact of increased traffic from already consented housing developments in this area, as well as proposed development including business and warehouse parks is required.
A1307 – Local road, concerns over cumulative increase in traffic volume
• A1307 should not be used as an access road to/from a development park. It was provided for local access, to keep local traffic off the A14 and allow a safer route for local residents.

Surface and Foul Water – Serious concerns held over increased flood risk and how this would be managed
• Water from development within the Swavesey surface water catchment area, will flow through the Swavesey drainage system to the river, potentially increasing flood risk around the village.
• Swavesey’s drainage system is at capacity now and it is not yet receiving all the water from already consented development at Cambourne, Northstowe, Bourn and other smaller development sites
• Water from large scale development flowing into the Swavesey system needs to be conditioned
for attenuation basins to hold water for up to 4 weeks when Webb’s Hole Sluice, at the river, closes at high river levels.
• Cumulative data showing the effect on the Swavesey Water system needs to be provided by any proposed development site within the Swavesey catchment area.
More developments in this area are providing large attenuation to cope with the winter high water levels, what will happen when they all release water when the Webb’s Hole Sluice gate reopens following a closure?
• All the foul water from proposed sites intending to use Uttons Drove Treatment Works, with outflow treated water into the Swavesey system and onwards to the river. This will be on top of the surface water already mentioned. Providing increased flood risk concern.

Mitigation - S106 contributions
Major developments should ensure that onsite and offsite mitigation, by way of S106 obligations, are provided and negotiated with local parishes, to ensure that local concerns relating particularly to flood risk, can be managed. Improvement works to help prevent increased flood risk and manage existing infrastructure is vital.

Support this policy in full

We support the policy specifically in relation to: Not supporting proposals for large scale warehousing or distribution centres, which for the purposes of this policy are defined as those premises generally exceeding 9,300 square metres (100,000 square feet) and which serve a wider regional or national function.

Specifically for non-residential major development sites, water reuse or recycling systems must be provided in the Sustainability Statement.
Reduction of flood risk to the surrounding area, by way of storing and re-using water, is paramount, to help reduce the impact on already at capacity surface water drainage systems.

Surface and Foul Water – Serious concerns held over increased flood risk and how this would be managed • Water from development within the Swavesey surface water catchment area, will flow through the Swavesey drainage system to the river, potentially increasing flood risk around the village. • Swavesey’s drainage system is at capacity now and it is not yet receiving all the water from already consented development at Cambourne, Northstowe, Bourn and other smaller development sites • Water from large scale development flowing into the Swavesey system needs to be conditioned for attenuation basins to hold water for up to 4 weeks when Webb’s Hole Sluice, at the river, closes at high river levels. • Cumulative data showing the effect on the Swavesey Water system needs to be provided by any proposed development site within the Swavesey catchment area. More developments in this area are providing large attenuation to cope with the winter high water levels, what will happen when they all release water when the Webb’s Hole Sluice gate reopens following a closure? • All the foul water from proposed sites intending to use Uttons Drove Treatment Works, with outflow treated water into the Swavesey system and onwards to the river. This will be on top of the surface water already mentioned. Providing increased flood risk concern. Mitigation - S106 contributions Major developments should ensure that onsite and offsite mitigation, by way of S106 obligations, are provided and negotiated with local parishes, to ensure that local concerns relating particularly to flood risk, can be managed. Improvement works to help prevent increased flood risk and manage existing infrastructure is vital.

Support of this policy in full.
Also to include, for the Swavesey catchment area, that onsite attenuation for new development needs to be able to hold water for up to 4 weeks, when the Webb's Hole sluice on the river closes, to ensure the Swavesey drainage system and flood fens are not inundated when water cannot outflow to the river.
When the water level in the River Gt Ouse drops and Webb's Hole Sluice opens, site attenuation basins need to re-open in a managed and structured way, to ensure the drainage system isn't overwhelmed.
Swavesey is particularly unique with it's drainage system, which needs careful management.
SCDC Awarded Watercourses also impact on the Swavesey system and these need to be considered as part of the overall drainage strategy.

Active Travel including horseriders - Active Travel provision in a rural area should of course include equestrian and leisure provision as well as cycling and walking for commuting/utility purposes from the outset. The same routes which will link nearby villages to and from prospective new development sites for commuting purposes will be used equally for leisure purposes. The A14 is a barrier between villages north and south of it for vulnerable non-motorised users with few existing crossing points (Swavesey, Bar Hill and Oakington only) and a lack of safe routes out of villages to these crossing points, all of which are adjacent or nearby to proposed new sites. Existing roads out of these villages are mainly 60mph with frequent traffic of all kinds and usually no pavement so are unpleasant, intimidatory and unsafe for vulnerable users having to share these roads with motorised vehicles.
The simple decision of denoting the new Active Travel links to/from these sites and between villages as Public
Bridleway will go a long way to providing much-needed connectivity and safety for all local people. Precedent is
already in place with the A1307 roadside Public Bridleway (tarmac with grass verges) and its bridges over the
A1307/A14. Any new AT routes from these developments would link into this existing provision and supply facility to
the same standard of user inclusion.