While welcoming the creation of a joint city fringe document by Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC), the charity that campaigns to keep the city special has:
- Expressed frustration that the county’s transport strategy was not part of the process
- Called for more joined up planning at a sub-regional level to include local market towns
- Reiterated its position on the green belt, opposing the release of further land for housing
- Suggested that local planners should, where possible, retain commercial sites in the city (earmarked for redevelopment) for employment opportunities – not more accommodation.
Transport and new housing: CambridgePPF believes that transport is a fundamental consideration when it comes to creating a well thought out spatial plan for the Cambridge sub-region. Yet a strategy for delivering reliable, affordable infrastructure links between centres of employment and new proposed residential developments is lacking. In the absence of this information, CambridgePPF suggests locating new housing along existing transport corridors such as the Guided Busway, the railway, or major roads where a decent bus / Park & Ride system would be feasible.
Joined up area planning: Cambridge is the main focus for residential, employment, retail and recreational use across the sub-region. CambridgePPF therefore believes that plans from the three main local authorities should be linked with those from neighbouring district and town councils. The logic being that what is proposed for market towns such as Royston, St Neots, St Ives, Huntingdon and Newmarket, will impact on Cambridge – and vice versa.
No house building in the green belt: CambridgePPF remains opposed to the release of land in the green belt for the purposes of housing building, both around the city fringe and within the three surrounding villages where development is proposed – Comberton, Histon & Impington and Sawston. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes it clear that green belt should only be released under ‘very special circumstances’. Using green belt to respond to the pressure for more houses does not constitute very special circumstances, especially when other alternative sites with good public transport are available. The city fringe document makes no compelling case for further release other than the contested claim that the quality of the land in three proposed Green Belt sites in the city is poor and will not detract from the protection of Cambridge. Yet the NPPF makes no differentiation on the basis of Green Belt quality.
CambridgePPF does not regard the green belt as being sacrosanct and acknowledges that on rare occasions the ‘very special circumstances’ required by the NPPF may be met. In the case of the two proposed employment sites (GB4 and GB5 - South of Fulbourn Road), CambridgePPF will be asking the City and SCDC to make their case for the release of this green belt land. Until such justification has been produced, CambridgePPF reserves its position on these sites.
Employment priority in the city: Where existing commercial or industrial sites are earmarked for redevelopment, CambridgePPF believes the focus should be on creating job opportunities rather than building more houses. Businesses want to be located among other businesses near the city centre, and the charity is concerned that by converting commercial land to residential use, employment will be pushed out to the edge of the city. CambridgePPF would prefer to see vibrant local communities based on mixed uses rather than have employment pushed to the periphery of town.
Robin Pellew, Chairman of CambridgePPF, said: “The second phase of the Local Plan has been rigorously examined by our Planning Committee, enabling the charity to develop its position on some complex and controversial issues. The production of a joint document by the City and SCDC for the city fringe is to be welcomed but the ability to present a forward-looking comprehensive plan for the whole Cambridge area has been lost because of the lack of a transport strategy from the County. Transport is fundamental to strategic planning linking housing with jobs and shops, so the omission of such a key element compromises the process.”
“Our position on the green belt remains unchanged. We are opposed to the release of Green Belt land for more housing when other alternative sites with good transport links are available – and we aren’t alone in this feeling. A number of local resident action groups have started to emerge that are now engaged in the consultation process and actively championing protection of the green belt, who we will do our best to assist. Their commitment shows that the green belt is important to a great many people and that there is genuine concern about urban sprawl and the absorption of existing rural fringe communities into the city. Now it’s time for local authorities to sit up and take note.”
As part of its response, CambridgePPF has also reinforced its call for the urgent delivery of a masterplan for the Northern Fringe East, bounded by Cowley Road, the A14, Green End Road and the River Cam. Served by the new Chesterton railway station, the charity believes this area should be used to create a major new centre for employment. The Guided Busway and railway provide transport opportunities to link residential developments to the north of the city, negating the need for flats on site, which would inevitably be bought by foreign investors or London commuters.
About Cambridge Past, Present and Future (CambridgePPF)
Founded as Cambridge Preservation Society in 1928, CambridgePPF is a registered charity campaigning to keep Cambridge and its surroundings special by positively influencing planning developments, delivering environmental education and managing the green spaces and historic buildings in its care. Its diverse property portfolio includes Wandlebury Country Park and its Iron Age Ring; Coton Countryside Reserve; Barnwell Leper Chapel; Bourn Windmill plus various wildlife sites and historic buildings. Key achievements include protecting sites such as Grantchester Meadows, the Gog Magog Hills and Wandlebury Estate from development and helping to establish the Cambridge Green Belt in the 1960s. CambridgePPF has a growing membership, which makes a vital contribution to the cost of conserving, managing and developing its sites. With its HQ at Wandlebury, the charity has a mix of busy full and part-time staff and is run by a Board of Trustees together with Advisory Committees staffed by dedicated volunteers. For more information about the charity and benefits of membership: www.cambridgeppf.org
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