Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

Agree

The adopted 2018 Local Plans for the City and South Cambridgeshire cover the period from 2011 to 2031 and incorporate important strategic policy directions for growth particularly in the large scale developments such as Northstowe, north of Waterbeach and the new village at Bourn Airfield. The nature of such development will mean that their delivery times will extend beyond the current plan period set out in these Local Plans. It necessarily follows that any new plan for the Greater Cambridge area (incorporating both the City Council and South Cambridgeshire’s administrative areas) should continue to support such development plan commitments which also ensuring that the appropriate policy measures are put in place to address any new growth targets for housing and employment applicable to the area. Such a policy framework will necessarily have to reflect the growing climate change agenda and the priorities for the Local Planning Authorities to demonstrate a sustainable and deliverable approach to development and planning control over the plan period. Whilst it is noted that the proposed plan period is only up to 2040, it is the case that the Combined Authorities timescale for their non-spatial strategy is 2050. Whilst we acknowledge that there is some merit in aligning the two plan periods (i.e. the Greater Cambridge Local Plan and the Non-Spatial Strategy) it is our view that a 30 year timescale is covering an extremely long period of time where policies, processes and politics as well as many other national and international factors will affect any planning strategy. It is certainly the case that even with the 2018 Local Plans that have been adopted, these now appear out of step with other emerging planning policies consequently having a longer plan period up to 2050 would potentially magnify those issues. Accordingly we have suggested that a plan period up to 2040 is appropriate and which would carry through existing large scale strategic commitments whilst ensuring a new policy framework and proposal are put in place to address all of the salient planning matters.

Agree

From the outset, the approach to planning in the local area which combines the City Council’s administrative area and South Cambridgeshire administrative area is the correct one. There have been discussions over many years about setting a policy framework across both administrative areas and it is entirely appropriate that a new Greater Cambridge Local Plan is now in train to ensure that there a coherent strategic plan covering both authorities. On a more strategic scale, it is the case that the Greater Cambridge Local Plan should be developed in partnership with the neighbouring authorities having regard to the potential for the economic growth of the region to impact increasingly in a ring of market towns including Ely, Newmarket, Mildenhall, Haverhill, Saffron Walden, Royston, St. Neots, Huntingdon and indeed any other emerging locations within transport and infrastructure corridors leading into and out of Cambridge. The duty to co-operate remains a key matter in the formulation of plans and the evidence base for development plans needs to firmly establish that such cooperation is in place in the event of the plan moving towards adoption.

Disagree

It is essential that the Plan gives appropriate weight to supporting Cambridge and the region’s economic growth. The region’s superior growth underpins its future prospects and the Plan should seek to support this. Balancing the support of economic growth with the acceleration of improved sustainability is the crucial challenge for the Plan to answer by moving away from an unsustainable “dispersal” strategy for new build housing and offering viable alternatives to car transport to enable people to get to work. We therefore wish to see support of economic growth included as a key theme.

From a land-use planning point of view, the development strategy being put in place within the local plan affects where people will choose to live and work and visit. Consequently it will need to come forward having regard to a host of influencing factors including accessibility, landscape as well as existing policy considerations such as the trade-off between sustainable locations for low carbon transport and development versus Green Belt considerations. At a practical level, the design of buildings and the materials incorporated into the fabric of buildings will drive their carbon footprint. Within Cambridge and in a number of villages, there are key heritage assets owned by the Colleges which may require a programme of refurbishment and redevelopment. The historic fabric and setting of those buildings is a key issue and the planning authorities need to ensure there is an appropriate balance between sustaining and maintaining the historic fabric and quality of a building and measures seeking to reduce energy. There has certainly been a tension in the past where conservation issues have led to much more weight being placed on heritage issues rather than other important factors such as reduction of energy consumption and the consequent impacts on design. We consider that new proposals coming forward on the Colleges’ historic and heritage assets need to be considered with a stronger weighting on the collective aspiration to be as sustainable as possible, and hope this aligns with the Big Themes outlined above.

The Bursars’ Sub-Committee has made comments to Question 8 within the Issues and Options documents on the same matter which raises issues about priorities in terms of protecting the historic development whilst addressing other key matters such as energy provision and requirements and the climate change agenda. This is particularly relevant since Cambridge has an historic city centre of national and international significance. Whilst there has been significant growth over the past 30 years in and around the Cambridge area, the historic and heritage assets of the City remain intact both in terms of the character and setting of the buildings. New development need not compromise the historic fabric of the buildings, nor the historic setting of the city and we consider that the application of well-considered planning policies will necessarily strike the appropriate balance.

Very important

The ongoing success of the Cambridge economy is clearly of national importance and it is one of a number of vital growth centres within the UK which must continue to be a focus for investment. Since the early 1970’s, the Cambridge economy has been synonymous with high technology growth together with research and development activities in a wide range of sectors. It is essential that any new development plan covering the Greater Cambridge area reflects the needs of both the local population and those who wish to move into the area. Whilst the science and technology sectors are hugely important to the Cambridge and national economy, the plan must not lose sight of the variety of other jobs that exist for local people. The Cambridge Colleges employ significant numbers of people across a wide range of employment sectors. Planning policies should reflect and support the full variety of employment opportunities within Greater Cambridge including but not limited to education, retail, leisure and tourism, all of which employ large numbers of local people. Sustainable economic growth will be best supported by building more affordable homes in sustainable locations with good transport links into employment centres that do not require car use for people to get to work. Within the lifetime of a new Local Plan up to 2040, it is essential the policies and proposals are flexible enough to deal with changes within the economy. Perhaps the most recent changes have been experienced within the retail sector and in such a context it remains important for planning policies to be sufficiently flexible to adapt to change whilst protecting the wide variety of jobs and sectors that are evident within the greater Cambridge area. Without growth the City and surrounding area will face significant challenges and consequently any new plan must seek to maintain and enhance economic opportunities, investment and growth over the plan period.

Yes, strongly agree

There are significant infrastructure requirements being imposed on new developments in the outlying Cambridge area and consequently the viability of schemes to deliver all of the relevant obligations (especially relating to proportions of affordable housing) is challenging. It is envisaged that any new Local Plan is going to continue to seek appropriate financial contributions in the context of the current legislation. With affordable dwellings generally coming forward as a result of meeting policy requirements as part of the approach to market housing, it follows that a commitment to providing more homes in terms of overall numbers, provides the opportunity to secure more affordable homes. In an area with an acute affordable housing shortage, it is imperative that affordability remains integral to planning policy over the plan period, not only as an important contribution to meet local needs but as part of a sector that needs to meet the demand of an expanding economy.

We believe that the construction of student accommodation to allow the University to fulfil its growth objectives can be an important driver of a flourishing future for the region. The policy of permissive development on the main residential sites of Colleges is an important catalyst in delivering modern, sustainable student accommodation with good access to the educational, social, sporting and welfare facilities which Colleges provide. As such, the location of growth in student accommodation on existing College sites is an important contributor to student welfare, as well as releasing outlying sites for other residential development. A working group comprising representatives from both the University and the Colleges is currently reviewing plans for the future size and shape of the Collegiate University and their findings will be fed into the planning process as soon as they are available. In terms of other accommodation, the Colleges, as major local employers, believe that the lack of affordable housing in sustainable transport locations is a major planning issue which could impact the future prosperity of the City if it continues not to be addressed. We would therefore wish to see more affordable housing built in areas accessible to the City centre via public transport, cycling or walking.

There is no doubt that a new Local Plan must have at its heart a series of clear and realistic objectives which seek to achieve net zero carbon together with mitigation and adaptation measures required through developments. A critical part of such a challenge is to influence the way people move around within the plan area whether this be to and from work or study, or to and from retail, leisure and tourism centres. The measures that seek to meet such an objective are likely to be a combination of a “carrot and stick” approach that aim to encourage the shift away from car use and towards more sustainable modes of transport. Within the Greater Cambridge area we have seen a number of important policy initiatives to encourage people out of cars and onto more sustainable modes of transport which in turn changes the patterns of movement. Whilst the process continues to be slow, the proposed measures being put forward by bodies such the Greater Cambridge Partnership and the Mayor to date, suggest significant investment in infrastructure matters to encourage new corridors of sustainable transport which aim to improve the balance between those using the private motor vehicle and other more sustainable modes of transport. The Cambridge Colleges have a significant interest in improvements in both accessibility and affordability. Many College employees have been priced out of the City Centre due to inadequate construction of affordable homes and now live in locations where the only realistic mode of travel into the City and to their place of work is by private motor car. Whilst the new bus-only routes, cycle greenways, the Cam Metro and other significant infrastructure projects are helpful and important, the key test will not only be their delivery within the plan period but also the day to day affordability of those projects. Viable alternative modes of transport must be made available which provide a convincing and affordable alternative to the private car.

No choices made

Whilst traditionally the Greater Cambridge area has been an historic city surrounded by the Green Belt with some 101 surrounding villages and a number of market towns on its fringe, the pattern of development has changed more recently . Successive Local Plans and Structure Plans have seen strategic areas of Green Belt being built upon on the edge of Cambridge. That pattern is set to continue with the potential of Marshalls relocating to an alternative location from the east of Cambridge together with the future redevelopment of the Anglian Water Waste Water Treatment Works at North-East Cambridge. Development should continue to be considered on the edge of Cambridge not least because it is one of the most sustainable locations for new growth. If properly managed such growth can still enable the City to retain its historic urban environment and countryside setting. Any development strategy serving the Greater Cambridge area must also look at the sustainability credentials of larger villages within the plan area which have a suitable level of services and facilities as well as those settlements which have the potential (or are currently forming part) of the new sustainable transport corridors which feed in and out of the City. Cambridge will still be a significant magnet for many of College employees living in rural area and any strategy which ignores the importance of the villages and their potential for growth fails to understand the complexity and value of such locations as well as the aspirations of people who wish to live in those locations (and indeed those who are forced to move to those locations as a result of affordability). In summary, it is our view that a blended development strategy which looks at i) increasing densities on appropriates sites within the urban area, ii) extensions on the edge of Cambridge, iii) development on the edge of sustainable villages identified either by size and scale or by location within a transport corridor and iv) extensions to existing new settlements will serve the community best. It remains the case that no single element of the development strategy provides the answer to the location of new development - any strategy that is adopted must have different elements within it to secure the most appropriate sustainable pattern of development within the next plan period.