Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020
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New searchLand to the east of the A1301, south of the A505 near Hinxton and west of the A1301, north of the A505 near Whittlesford
108.6
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Mixed - farmland, parkland and residential dwelling
N/A
A planning application was registered on 21 November 2017 ref. S/4099/17/OL. It was refused on 13 March 2018. The site is now subject to a planning appeal lodged 24 August 2018 and an inquiry is scheduled for June 2019.
Greenfield
The development of an AgriTech technology park comprising up to 112,000 sqm (gross) employment floorspace, supporting infrastructure, amenities and landscape works including publicly accessible informal open space, enhancements to parkland; vehicle and cycle parking; service areas; bus / cycle interchange on land west of the A1301 / north of A505; and infrastructure works including new vehicular accesses, highway improvement works, pedestrian and cycle links with bridge crossings over A1301 / A505 and River Cam, site re-profiling, drainage works, foul and water pumping stations and primary electricity sub station; telecommunications infrastructure and other associated works
As set out in the documentation submitted with planning application S/4099/17/OL the development will create a globally significant park for AgriTech that hosts a vibrant community of commercial companies to address agricultural productivity and sustainability challenges. Positively impacting global food security, environmental sustainability, agricultural supply chain sustainability and economic sustainability, the AgriTech Park's potential contribution to building a Britain fit for the future. AgriTech contributes £14.3bn to the UK economy and employees 500,000 people. The project will directly create 4,000 (FTE) AgriTech jobs, 1 million square feet of commercial AgriTech cluster space and around 200 jobs per year during the 10-15 year construction period with a smaller number of jobs created in off-site enabling construction works. Circa 2,145 jobs on site (of the 4,000 referred to above) are anticipated to be filled by residents of South Cambridgeshire. On site and wider job creation is estimated to increase regional GVA by around £277 million per annum by 2030, and a 7% increase in employment in the agricultural technology sector at the UK level. In summary, the proposals will deliver: • A mix of occupiers from large anchor AgriTech tenants, to start up and grow-on space for companies in a location at the heart of the agricultural industry and its direct supply chain (e.g. agricultural machinery, seed companies etc.) • A mix of offices, laboratories, workshops and field trial facilities to help companies develop, commercialise and market agricultural technologies (the precise balance of accommodation types being responsive to occupier interest, specific requirements and market conditions) • Ancillary supporting facilities such as a café, nursery and gym for use by employees located on the AgriTech Park • Access to supporting business infrastructure to help AgriTech companies grow and develop e.g. specialist consultancy, investment capital, trade and inward investment services by tapping into local expertise in the Cambridge technology community as well as national services such as the Agricultural Technology Organisation at the Department for International Trade • Network of green and blue infrastructure including a series of publicly accessible routes within and around the site for walking, cycling, running, horse riding and dog walking • Significant improvements to the highway network, along with a range of sustainable transport measures to maximise usage of other modes, including a shuttle service to Whittlesford Parkway and enhanced linkages to the station via foot and cycle, including across the A505 • The promotion of linkages between commercial and local community so that the area South of Cambridge reinforces its role as a location which is attractive to residents, those who work or invest in the area and which sustains high quality, knowledge-led jobs.
The development of an AgriTech technology park comprising up to 112,000 sqm (gross) of employment floorspace.
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There are a number of existing access points from an adopted public highway. A number of new access points and additional cycle and footpaths are proposed over the land. Please refer to the transport related documentation associated with the outline planning application S/4099/17/OL for further details. Discussions are ongoing with the County Council, highway authority, in respect to transport matters in relation to the appeal inquiry.
There are no significant physical constraints in respect to topography or ground conditions that would preclude the development of the proposed AgriTech Park at this location.
There are no significant environmental constraints in respect to flood risk, drainage, contamination, biodiversity, heritage or other matters that would constrain the proposed development. The proposals have been subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment and details of proposed mitigation are set out within the Environmental Statement and outline planning application documents (ref. S/4099/17/OL).
Through the outline planning application, key utilities providers have been consulted and it has been confirmed that the proposed development would have access to the required utilities. A new proposed on-site energy centre forms part of the Agritech Park proposals which will also benefit the wider area and support the near-capacity substation at Sawston. Please refer to the outline planning application (ref. S/4099/17/OL).
The site is immediately available and has been prepared for development as part of the application process. The land is owned primarily by the developer SmithsonHill and the owners of Hinxton Grange (Mr and Mrs Mighton). A subject-to-planning legal agreement exists between these parties to facilitate the AgriTech Park development.
An in-depth market research exercise has been undertaken, underpinned by agents with extensive local market expertise, into the commercial attractiveness of the site and the need for the emerging AgriTech sector. This has concluded that there is a strong demand for bespoke facilities to serve the growing AgriTech sector and that this site is ideally located in respect to Cambridge and the south east Cambridge cluster of science parks. Please refer to: Environmental Statement Chapter 5 COMMUNITY, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC EFFECTS http://www.smithsonhill.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2017/11/5_Community_social_economic_effects.pdf AND TECHNICALAPPENDIX C:COMMUNITY, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC EFFECTS report http://www.smithsonhill.co.uk/wpcontent/ uploads/2017/11/Technical_appendix_C_Community_social_economic.pdf submitted with outline planning application (Ref. S/4099/17/OL).
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2020
2030
10
The need for, and cost of providing, required supporting infrastructure has been carefully considered through the outline planning application. The mechanisms for delivering the necessary infrastructure to serve the site will including undertakings and/or agreements under s106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1991 and s278 of the Highways Act 1980.
Land to the east of the A1301, south of the A505 near Hinxton and west of the A1301, north of the A505 near Whittlesford, CB10 1RG Easting 549921 Northing 246128 (Land at Hinxton) was submitted to the call for sites in March 2019. The status of this site remains the same, with it being available, deliverable and viable. The site would be an opportunity to bring nationally significant benefits to the economy and create a significant amount of jobs in the Greater Cambridge area. Please refer to the March 2019 call for sites submission. More detailed information regarding the site and the need and justification for the AgriTech Park proposal is set out within the outline planning application (SCDC reference: S/4099/17/OL). Determination of the appeal relating to the application is awaited from the Secretary of State. Notwithstanding that appeal, there is a a need to make provision for agritech, and land at Hinxton should be allocated to meet that need.
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The NPPF requires that strategic policies should have a minimum 15 year time horizon on adoption. There is considerable merit in strategic policies looking beyond this time period to 2050. The development plan system provides for policies to be reviewed every 5 years and hence if there are significant changes in circumstances that would be picked up during a review of strategic policies and trigger an updating of the plan. Planning to 2050 would provide a clear direction and base and would simply mean that in future the plan making process can focus on allocating land to meet agreed development needs, rather than revising and debating growth levels. That would greatly speed up plan making. We also consider there is a practical reason to look further ahead. The local plan will need to be adopted by March 2025 to provide a 15 year horizon to 2040. Experience suggests that such a timetable will be challenging and may not be achieved. It would be disappointing to get close to adoption only to find that there will not be a 15 year time horizon on adoption and hence further work required, delaying adoption further. We consider it would be prudent therefore to plan to 2050.
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Page 31 of the consultation document states: “Climate change adaptation means ensuring that our communities can evolve as our climate changes – to more extreme weather, a hotter climate, and a changing ecology. This includes: • Ensuring that we are safe from flood risk and extreme weather events. • Designing buildings and places so that they are easy to keep cool in a warming climate without using increasing amounts of energy for air-conditioning, and without increasing the heat island effect. • Being efficient in our use of water and ensuring that we have enough water resources to meet our needs. • Ensuring food security and the adaptation of agriculture and food growing to our changing climate. • Ensuring that trees and plants are selected to be resilient to a warmer and drier climate.” It is clear that the new Local Plan aspires to make big commitments to planning for and tackling climate change. A key focus of AgriTech is how, by using technology, agriculture can tackle the challenges to meet the global demand for a plentiful and secure supply of food and to reduce the effects of climate change moving forwards. Therefore, it is clear that the new Local Plan should recognise this important sector and plan for it, if it wants to meet its outlined climate related objectives. Currently, the UK does not have a dedicated AgriTech park that focuses on bringing innovations of this type to market. By supporting the development of a dedicated AgriTech Park, the Greater Cambridge Local Plan will be directly tackling this key challenge to the benefit of not only the region but the whole of the UK and globally. There are a number of key local, regional and national strategies that identify AgriTech as a key sector and also connects it to the issue of climate change and climate resilience. For example, The Committee on Climate Change report Reducing UK Emissions (2018) put agriculture at the centre of efforts to mitigate climate change.
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Very important – Economic growth is one of the fundamental aims of the NPPF. Paragraph 8 states “An economic objective - help build a strong, responsive and competitive economy, by ensuring that sufficient land of the right types is available in the right places and at the right time to support growth, innovation and improved productivity; and by identifying and coordinating the provision of infrastructure;”. As outlined in the Cambridge and Peterborough Local Industrial Strategy (CP LIS), The Cambridgeshire (and Peterborough) economy outperformed the UK in overall growth since 2009 and growth in employment has significantly outpaced official figures. Greater Cambridge is at the centre of economic growth in the UK. Greater Cambridge is a key driver within a number of significant growth corridors including London-Stansted-Cambridge-Corridor, the Cambridge to Oxford Arc and the Norwich Tech Corridor whilst the national industrial strategy (2017) highlights the importance of Greater Cambridge and it research clusters. These all place an importance on Greater Cambridge and support further economic development in the region, along with required housing growth. Economic growth in general is therefore extremely important, however, these documents also place great importance on growth in particular areas, one of these key areas for growth is the AgriTech sector. Page 9 of the CP LIS outlines that it is the ambition to support further growth in pioneering research and development in plant science and precision agriculture. It states that the LIS will “offer new locations to support the development of innovation ecosystems. Agri-tech is one of the area’s strategic growth sectors which does not yet have central agglomerations which will be a key ingredient in its future success”. These documents show clear desire for further economic development and especially in the provision of facilities to support the AgriTech sector. The CP LIS is a material consideration when drafting the new Local Plan. Furthermore, post Brexit, it is imperative that all opportunities to promote economic growth are taken, particularly, where this can increase the competitiveness of the UK economy and stimulate job creation and skills development in an emerging sector, where there is fierce competition globally for investment.
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It is important that there is both sufficient and the right type of business space to meet the needs of those who want to locate in the area. Currently, there is insufficient business space to meet the needs of the AgriTech sector and therefore the plan should make provision of land in a suitable location (e.g. Hinxton) to meet this deficit. Greater Cambridge has demonstrated the effectiveness of the ‘clustering’ phenomenon having three distinct and established clusters: the northern IT cluster; the central A.I. cluster and the southern life sciences cluster. The objective behind clustering is the collaboration of like-minded individuals and businesses for their mutual benefit, breaking down the traditional 9-5 ‘silo’ work place. Clusters typically refer to a collection of parks or small developments in close proximity that contain multiple occupiers carrying out similar functions. They often expand around a specific knowledge hub such as a hospital or university. The benefits have been recognised by the R&D sphere with occupiers now typically seeking occupation within close proximity with their peers. Developers have responded by delivering sector specific parks within a recognised cluster which aim to attract and retain such occupiers by providing large and flexible floor plates, ‘incubator’ and ‘follow-on’ space, staff amenities, the hosting of park activities and transport / commuter provision. Greater Cambridge’s southern cluster, contains a number of successful examples of how clustering is much more than just a theory (Granta Park, Chesterford Research Park, the BioMedical Campus and the soon to be expanded Wellcome Genome Campus). These parks are a fundamental component to the globally recognised growth and success of the Life Science and Bio Tech sectors associated with Greater Cambridge. Currently, there is no park of this type for the AgriTech sector in the UK, however, there is a clear need if the objectives set out in regional and national policy documents are to be met. Policy documents that demonstrate the need for local planning authorities to support the AgriTech sector in plan making and decision taking include: • UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies (2013) • Industrial Strategy White Paper (November 2017) • Technology and Innovation Futures 2017 • East of England Science and Innovation Audit (September 2017) – which refers to the proposal as a ‘major development in the pipeline’ • Health and Harmony: the future of food, farming and the environment in a Green Brexit (February 2018) • Initiatives to adapt to the effects of climate change and contribute towards the government’s commitment to the Paris Agreement • The Clean Growth Strategy (October 2017) • The UK Bio-economy Strategy (2018) • Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Independent Economic Review (2018) • Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Industrial Strategy (2019) On page 53 of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan – The First Conversation document states that the councils want to deliver the priorities set out within the Local Industrial Strategy, and therefore, it is imperative that the Local Plan acts to deliver these priorities and plans accordingly. Allocating the site at Hinxton for the proposed AgriTech park would be an appropriate step towards recognising and meeting these clear strategic priorities. Section 4.5.3 of the consultation document outlines that the new plan needs to consider: • “Demand for ‘start-up’, incubator, and grow-on space as a feature of Greater Cambridge’s economy is a high rate of ‘Business churn’, with large numbers of firms starting up each year. • The increasing popularity of flexible workspace and co-working hubs, providing shared facilities. • Providing for a wide range of employment opportunities. • How new business space can adapt to fast-changing working practices which will continue to evolve over time. • Demand for specialist space, such as laboratories.” We fully support these objectives which must be given considerable weight in establishing the future vision for economic growth in Greater Cambridge. A new park dedicated solely to AgriTech will meet the needs of all of the above for the AgriTech sector in the same way that the expanded Wellcome Genome Campus will meet the needs of the lifesciences. Therefore, it is considered vital that the new local plan not only recognises the importance of the AgriTech sector to Greater Cambridge, the region and the UK, but also plans proactively and positively for the development of a dedicated AgriTech focussed technology park. Not to do so would result in a Local Plan that fails to respect or deliver upon planning policy and the national and regional industrial strategies.
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It is important that the plan provides for a range of jobs, including supporting the knowledge-intensive sectors that are unique to Greater Cambridge. Failing to provide for the knowledge-intensive sectors may see these important people and businesses leaving the Greater Cambridge area to locate in other parts of the UK or more likely overseas. Of particular importance is the provision of support for the AgriTech sector. Investment in AgriTech is a key focus of the national and regional industrial strategies. The Industrial Strategy (2017) for the UK is focussed on increasing productivity to deliver economic growth through priority sector investments. Agriculture was identified as one of 6 priority sectors to apply artificial intelligence (AI) (one of the four Grand Challenges) and was one of the 5 identified priority sectors to apply clean growth (another of the four Grand Challenges). The strategy also states: “We will put the UK at the forefront of the global move to high efficiency agriculture. Rising global demand for food and water is increasing the need for agriculture that produces more from less. Our new ‘Transforming food production: from farm to fork’ programme will put the UK at the forefront of advanced sustainable agriculture. Over the coming years, as we replace the Common Agricultural Policy, we will increase the incentives for investment in sustainable agriculture, helping to grow the markets for innovative technologies and techniques.” The Cambridge and Peterborough Local Industrial Strategy outlines the following: “Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s ambition is to support further growth in pioneering research and development (‘R&D’) in plant science and precision agriculture, as part of a regional offer…Agri-tech is one of the area’s strategic growth sectors which does not yet have central agglomerations which will be a key ingredient in its future success.” The policy support for investment in AgriTech in the Greater Cambridge area is clear to see and this should therefore be addressed within the new Local Plan. By supporting the development of a dedicated AgriTech park at Hinxton there is the potential to generate 4,000 full time equivalent direct high-quality jobs for the long term with a number of additional multiplier jobs in the service sector also created. The park would also see up to 70 commercial businesses located on site, supporting the creation of new businesses and the growth of AgriTech related businesses from across the UK and overseas.
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Different areas of Greater Cambridge are appropriate for different types of businesses. The AgriTech sector needs a site which: o Is within one of the most dynamic and successful areas of the UK, which is home to world-leading clusters which influence and shape the innovation economy and contain some of the highest levels of entrepreneurship in the UK. • Is within the very successful Greater Cambridge Southern Cluster with opportunities for linkages and innovation between the life science and AgriTech sectors • Is dedicated to the needs of AgriTech located next to accessible agricultural land for fields trials and demonstration projects. • has excellent transport links into Cambridge but also to London and a number of international airports via both road and rail • is strategically located within London-Stansted-Cambridge-Corridor, the Cambridge to Oxford Arc and the Norwich Tech Corridor • is large enough and available now to provide all required facilities to meet the bespoke needs of AgriTech occupiers on one site An extensive review has been carried out of the availability of sites to meet the criteria required to provide a successful park of this type, meeting the needs of the AgriTech sector. It is clear that land at Hinxton can deliver on all these requirements and that there are no other sites which would meet these needs and support the AgriTech sector in a way that would allow it to thrive and produce the nationally significant benefits that a development of this type would provide.
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Yes – to assist in the provision of sustainable development, land within the Green Belt should be considered for removal. Specifically, the provision of a transport hub on Green Belt land to the east of Whittlesford Parkway Station would assist in reducing travel by car and promote sustainable travel options. This would clearly assist in the reduction of climate impacts. Whittlesford Parkway is a well-used train station assisting commuters traveling to Cambridge and London who live in the more rural areas to the South of Cambridge. The station also assists those who work at the science parks located in the Southern Cluster, including the Wellcome Trust. The provision of a transport hub on land to the east of Whittlesford Parkway would assist in providing enhanced sustainable transport options that will serve the AgriTech Park at Hinxton. By allowing the development of travel hubs in green belt locations such as this, businesses will be supported whilst reducing the reliance on private cars and reducing overall climate impacts.
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Policy E/9 of the adopted South Cambridgeshire Local Plan (2018) supports the provision of existing and new emerging clusters. The policy explicitly recognises the need for flexibility to accommodate future opportunities and positively anticipates and provides for new unforeseen clusters emerging. It is considered that this is an important policy as it supports potential new clusters that may emerge during the plans lifetime that could not have reasonably been anticipated at the time of its preparation. This policy has supported the expansion to the unallocated Wellcome Trust expansion and also supports the proposals that have come forward relating to the AgriTech Park. By supporting the provision of new clusters, this policy is compliant with the NPPF and helps support a strong and diverse economy. The policy supports existing and new businesses and the benefits this can bring to both local and national economies. We consider that a policy that adopts a continued flexible approach such as this should be incorporated in the new local plan.
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