Draft North East Cambridge Area Action Plan

Strongly disagree

It all sounds good, but the figures just don't add up: The Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire Local Plans set aside land for 33,500 new homes to be built between 2011 and 2031 to support a forecast growth in employment of 44,100 jobs over the same two decades. 15,400 jobs have already been added since 2011 (based on ONS data, but not taking into account recent, hopefully temporary, job losses due to COVID-19). A back-of-the-envelope calculation of the employment space currently under development or planned at Cambridge Biomedical Campus, North West Cambridge, West Cambridge, Wellcome Genome Campus, Babraham Institute, Granta Park, Peterhouse Technology Park, 104–112 Hills Rd, Northstowe and Waterbeach New Town implies a further growth in jobs of 34,000. Add another 20,000 at North East Cambridge, and the total comes close to 70,000 jobs. The housing requirement for that number of jobs is approximately 20,000 more than the 33,500 homes current Local Plans provide.

Mostly not

The mooted wetland nature reserve in Chesterton Fen is essential. Why not make the access to Chesterton Fen into a road bridge. and replace the Fen Rd level crossing with a cycle/footway underpass? So many of the projects look good on paper, but the reality is different. Look at the scruffy concrete planters that replaced the grass verges on Hills Road (which were supposed to be retained), and for which there is no maintenance budget.

Neutral

I do not know the answer to this question, but the 'local shops' for the Nine Wells development involve using the hospital shops, which is not encouraging.

Not at all

The Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire Local Plans set aside land for 33,500 new homes to be built between 2011 and 2031 to support a forecast growth in employment of 44,100 jobs over the same two decades. 15,400 jobs have already been added since 2011 (based on ONS data, but not taking into account recent, hopefully temporary, job losses due to COVID-19). A back-of-the-envelope calculation of the employment space currently under development or planned at Cambridge Biomedical Campus, North West Cambridge, West Cambridge, Wellcome Genome Campus, Babraham Institute, Granta Park, Peterhouse Technology Park, 104–112 Hills Rd, Northstowe and Waterbeach New Town implies a further growth in jobs of 34,000. Add another 20,000 at North East Cambridge, and the total comes close to 70,000 jobs. The housing requirement for that number of jobs is approximately 20,000 more than the 33,500 homes current Local Plans provide.

Not at all

You 'expect development to provide health facilities, a library, cultural facilities and a community centre', but you do not require it? Evidence from the Nine Wells development shows that such amenities are an afterthought at best, being added after residents try to start their new lives and causing disruption as they live in an ongoing building site.

Not at all

13 storeys? In Cambridge? If the aim is really to help people rely on cars less, please improve and subsidise the public transport system, make the interchanges and the payment system more user friendly. It is unlikely that both partners in a family will be able to work close to home, so it must be assumed that at least one may have to commute to work. Implement the city wide residents' parking schemes that were promised years ago.

Not at all

Human encroachment is destroying habitat and putting pressure on other species. Past record in protection is not reassuring. You say 'We will ask development to contribute', not require them to fund.

Not at all

One obvious way to do this is by establishing the city-wide residents' parking schemes already promised, but surely the aim should be to ENCOURAGE shifts to other forms of transport? Such as improved, subsidised public transport.

Not at all

You may be aiming to mitigate the impact, but the weak tools you have to make developers play their part in all these intentions mean this is unconvincing.