Evidence Base

Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan 2018-2026

Evidence Base

October 2018 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan 2018-2026

Evidence Base – October 2018 Submission version of the Neighbourhood Plan in accordance with Regulation 14 of Neighbourhood Planning Regulations 2012

Produced by the Neighbourhood Plan Sub-Committee on behalf of Huntingdon Town Council:

2017/18 Councillor Tom Sanderson (Chairman) Councillor Ann Blackwell Councillor Jay Dyne Councillor Tanya Forster Councillor Leedo George Councillor Stuart Hassell Councillor Patrick Kadewere Councillor Ben Manning

2018/19 Councillor Tom Sanderson (Chairman) Councillor Ann Blackwell Councillor Peter Brown Councillor Veronica Hufford Councillor Patrick Kadewere Councillor Phil Pearce Councillor Alice Sedgwick

Co-opted Members: Celia Barden James Fell Richard Groome Angela Owen-Smith Jill Watkin-Tavener Robert Winter

The Neighbourhood Plan Sub-Committee has been supported by Hayley Burns from Huntingdon Town Council.

The Town Council received professional planning support from NEIGHBOURHOOD-PLAN.CO.UK and marketing support from during the production of this Neighbourhood Plan.

2 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 Introduction

1. This document has been prepared to accompany the Huntingdon Neighbourhood Development Plan (“the Neighbourhood Plan”) under the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (“the Regulations”). The relevant local planning authority is Huntingdonshire District Council. The Neighbourhood Plan has been prepared by Huntingdon Town Council, a qualifying body, (Section 38A(12) of the Planning and Compensation Act 2004) for the Neighbourhood Area covering the Parish (Town) of Huntingdon, as designated by Huntingdonshire District Council on 23 April 2015.

2. The policies described in the Neighbourhood Plan relate to the development and use of land in the designated Neighbourhood Area only. The document sets out the period of the Neighbourhood Plan which is from 2018 to 2026.

3. The Town Council established a Neighbourhood Plan Sub-Committee which is a working group made up of Town Councillors and local residents to progress the Neighbourhood Plan. It was agreed that the Neighbourhood Plan Sub-Committee would be the main decision making body with additional input, support and scrutiny from the Elected Members of the entire Town Council.

4. The Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan must be in general conformity with the strategic policies of the development plan prepared by the local planning authority (Huntingdonshire District Council). Huntingdonshire District Council defines which policies are considered to be ‘strategic’ with regard to the production of the Neighbourhood Plan.

5. The Neighbourhood Plan must also be in conformity with the Cambridgeshire County Council’s Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Minerals and Waste Core Strategy and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Minerals and Waste Specific Proposals Plan.

Evidence Base

6. The Neighbourhood Plan draws heavily on the evidence base produced by Huntingdonshire District Council for the emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan which is intended to cover the period through to 2036. Although this plan period is longer, as the emerging Local Plan is not yet finalised the Neighbourhood Plan has been developed with a plan period to match the existing Huntingdonshire Core Strategy, i.e. 2026.

Links to Existing Adopted Parts of the Development Plan Huntingdonshire Core Strategy Huntingdon West Area Action Plan Saved Policies of the Huntingdon Local Plan 1995 Saved Policies of the Huntingdon Local Plan Alteration 2002

Other Planning Policy Documents Huntingdonshire Design Guide SPD (2017) Cambridgeshire Flood and Water SPD (2017) Wind Energy Development in Huntingdonshire SPD (2014) Developer Contributions SPD (2011) Developer Contributions: Updated Costs 2017/18 Huntingdonshire Landscape and Townscape Assessment SPD (2007)

3 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018

Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036 Local Plan to 2036: Consultation Draft 2017

The Huntingdon West Area Action Plan Boundary (Note – the south-western part containing the water is not within the Huntingdon Town boundary)

South-Western Boundary of Neighbourhood Plan Area

Sustainability Appraisal for the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036 Sustainability Scoping Report produced in 2012 Stage 3 – Sustainability Appraisal published for public consultation in May 2013 Draft Final Sustainability Appraisal Report

The sustainability appraisal of potential development sites is contained in the Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA)

Adjoining Neighbourhood Plans Godmanchester Submission Neighbourhood Plan

Community Infrastructure Levy Developer Contributions Supplementary Planning Document CIL Charging Schedule Regulation 123 CIL list

4 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018

5 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018

Strategic Projects

Alconbury Weald Alconbury Weald Website

6 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018

Extract from the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan (Consultation Draft 2017 version) The Alconbury Weald Site Allocation © Huntingdonshire District Council

A14 Upgrade Project Highways England Project Website

The A14 Huntingdon Town Centre Improvement Scheme © Highways England

7 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018

Context of Huntingdonshire

7. Huntingdonshire is situated approximately 100km (62 miles) north of London. It has strong relationships with Cambridge to the east, Peterborough to the north and Bedford to the south-west. These provide employment, shopping, leisure and health services to complement those available within the district.

8. Huntingdonshire benefits from excellent strategic communication links. The East Coast mainline railway bisects the district with stations in Huntingdon and St Neots. Highway linkages are particularly good. East-west linkages are provided by the A428 and the A14 which facilitates access west to the Midlands and east to Europe via the East Coast ports. The A1 provides north-south linkages facilitating access southwards to London and northwards locally to Peterborough and then onwards to the East Midlands, York and onto Scotland.

Character 9. Huntingdonshire is the largest district in Cambridgeshire, with a population of 169,500, and a land area of over 900 square km (350 square miles). The district's predominantly rural nature is reflected in the population density which averages just 1.9 people per hectare (4 per acre); in comparison the population density of East Cambridgeshire is 1.3 per hectare (3 per acre) and Cambridge City is 30.4 people per hectare (75 per acre). Huntingdonshire has a relatively strong, stable economy with a high proportion of small to medium size enterprises.

10. Over the past 20 years, Huntingdonshire's population has grown by around 20%, partly in response to housing market pressures in and around Cambridge. 64% of the district's economically active residents live and work within Huntingdonshire. Recent housing and employment growth has been concentrated in and around the district's main towns, and to a lesser extent at the larger villages.

Settlement Pattern 11. Three of Huntingdonshire's main settlements are located in the Ouse Valley corridor which runs through the south and east of the district with just Ramsey lying to the northeast in the Fens. The four historic market towns of Huntingdon, St Neots, St Ives and Ramsey are the largest centres of population and services in the district. These market towns have traditionally acted as service centres for nearby smaller settlements typically providing shopping, leisure, health and education services as well as being centres for employment. This arrangement has benefited both the market towns by increasing their catchment populations and the other settlements by providing residents with local access to services that would not be viable within individual settlements. The strength of this relationship varies according to proximity and accessibility with residents of some settlements looking to more than one market town for day-to-day services and all, including residents of market towns, looking outside the district to larger towns and cities for higher order services and greater choice.

8 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018

12. Huntingdonshire contains one other town, Godmanchester, a large number of villages of varying sizes, hamlets and isolated dwellings in the countryside. Outside the towns the larger settlements have a range of services such as a primary school, a range of shops, public transport services, a community meeting place, a general practitioner's surgery and a range of employment opportunities. These settlements often play a role in providing services for residents of nearby smaller villages and countryside areas. The settlements which most strongly perform this function are identified later in this chapter.

13. Predominantly rural, Huntingdonshire includes many smaller villages scattered across the district which largely retain their historic form. Buildings clustered around a church or village green and linear patterns are both common settlement patterns. The valley of the River Great Ouse dominates the landscape of the central and eastern parts of the district being an attractive landscape with a particular sense of enclosure and tranquillity providing many opportunities for quiet recreational use.

Extract from the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan (Consultation Draft 2017 version) © Huntingdonshire District Council

9 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018

Extract from the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan (Consultation Draft 2017 version) © Huntingdonshire District Council

14. The District has experienced considerable pressures for growth, originating with Town Development Schemes for Huntingdon and St Neots in the 1960s and continuing in the 1980s and 1990s. As a result of their location within the Cambridge Sub Region pressures for development will continue to be felt within St Neots and Huntingdon as well as St Ives. Strategic expansion growth in Huntingdonshire will take place in two designated locations at Alconbury Weald and St Neots East. Other growth will take place in the four defined Spatial Planning Areas: Huntingdon; St Neots; Ramsey; and St Ives.

15. The Huntingdon Spatial Planning Area: incorporates the whole parish of Huntingdon, and parts of the parishes of Brampton and Godmanchester including the settlements and the intervening land connecting to Huntingdon. It also covers small parts of Alconbury, Kings

10 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 Ripton, Wyton on the Hill and Houghton and Wyton parishes where they closely relate to the built up area of Huntingdon. The Spatial Planning Area includes a substantial part of The Stukeleys parish covered by the strategic expansion location of Alconbury Weald, but specifically excludes the villages of Great and Little Stukeley. Huntingdon is the primary settlement within this Spatial Planning Area.

The Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan Area

The plan below identifies the designated Neighbourhood Area:

Huntingdon

16. The town was chartered by King John in 1205 and is the county town of Huntingdonshire. Having prospered successfully as a bridging point of the River Great Ouse, Huntingdon grew into a market town and, in the 18th and 19th centuries, as a coaching town. The well- preserved medieval bridge was once the main route of Ermine Street over the river and is still in use today.

11 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 17. The Town area covers a total of 1,119 Hectares. The 2011 census found 23,732 inhabitants in 9,658 dwellings. The Cambridgeshire County Council Research Group Mid 2015 population estimates puts the most recent population figure at 24,910.

18. Huntingdon is known as the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell, who was born in 1599 and was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the town in the 17th century. Much of the historic core based on Market Hill and the High Street remains largely intact.

19. Huntingdon is the administrative centre of Huntingdonshire District Council and is located on the north bank of the River Great Ouse, opposite Godmanchester and close to the market town of St Ives in the east and the village of Brampton in the west. Huntingdon incorporates the village of Hartford to the east, and the developing areas of Oxmoor, Stukeley Meadows and Hinchingbrooke to the north and west. Major expansion to the town occurred to the north and east in the 1960s and 1970s bringing substantial housing and industrial areas and leading to the coalescence of the village of Hartford with Huntingdon.

20. Huntingdon is well connected with the strategic road network and the east coast mainline railway. It has a relatively strong retail sector and functions as the primary shopping centre for the District. Brampton and Godmanchester to the south west and south east respectively have a close relationship with the services in Huntingdon. The town benefits from a larger supporting population than just the town itself and the residents of Brampton and Godmanchester benefit from the wide range of services and facilities available in Huntingdon.

21. Huntingdon is accessible from the A14, which passes around the south west of the town. The A14 is a major road running 127 miles from the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk to the Catthorpe Interchange at the junction of the M1 and M6 motorways near Rugby in Warwickshire.

22. Work on the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon upgrade began in March 2017. These works include the introduction of a new Southern Bypass in Huntingdon, demolishing the A14 rail viaduct and widening both the A14 and A1. The upgrade is scheduled to be finished in 2020.

Role in Huntingdonshire

23. Huntingdon is one of the five principal towns in the District of Huntingdonshire, the others being St Ives, St Neots, Ramsey and Godmanchester.

24. Huntingdonshire is still predominantly rural in character with an area of approximately 350 square miles. The most recent population estimate for Huntingdonshire (30 June 2016) is 176,100, with approximately half living in the four market towns of Huntingdon, St Neots, St Ives and Ramsey and most of the remainder in almost 100 villages. The northern part of the District is influenced by the relationship with Peterborough which has experienced significant growth over recent years and continues to do so.

25. The District has experienced considerable pressures for growth, originating with Town Development Schemes for Huntingdon and St Neots in the 1960s and continuing in the 1980s and 1990s. As a result of close proximity to Cambridge, pressures for development will continue to be felt within St Neots and Huntingdon as well as St Ives. Strategic expansion growth in Huntingdonshire will take place in two designated locations at Alconbury Weald and St Neots East.

12 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018

Emerging Local Plan Allocations

Broad Locations of the Proposed Allocations Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan (Consultation Draft 2017 version) Mixed Use Residential Employment Car Parking Country Park Extension

Housing

Background Evidence for the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036 Call for Sites to accompany Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036 Huntingdonshire Accessible and Specialist Housing Evidence Paper - June 2017 Huntingdonshire Objectively Assessed Housing Need - April 2017

Proposed Housing & Mixed Use Allocations in the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan

HU 1 Ermine Street, Huntingdon 85ha of land at Ermine Street, Huntingdon is allocated for mixed use development - 1,440 homes; a potential realignment route for the A141; 1,000m2 of shop (A1); food and drink (A3 to A5); primary school & other social and community facilities; and strategic green infrastructure

13 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018

Extract from the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan (Consultation Draft 2017 version) © Huntingdonshire District Council Note – the western half of the site highlighted by the arrows is in the Neighbourhood Plan Area

HU 2 Hinchingbrooke Health Campus, Huntingdon 22.6ha of land at Hinchingbrooke Health Campus is allocated for mixed use development - health service uses; community health care campus (D1) including medical, nursing and social care education centre, community & primary care hub, well-being and ancillary uses; 385 apartments primarily for key workers; 45 dwellings on the northern car park; care home to meet specialist needs and 'medi-hotel' to facilitate supported discharge of patients; 230 dwellings providing a range of specialist dementia care accommodation, flexible care accommodation and family housing; early years education/nursery provision; car parking; and structural open space and landscaping

Extract from the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan (Consultation Draft 2017 version) © Huntingdonshire District Council

14 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 HU 4 South of Edison Bell Way, Huntingdon 1.1ha of land south of Edison Bell Way, Huntingdon - 74 homes

Extract from the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan (Consultation Draft 2017 version) © Huntingdonshire District Council

HU 6 George Street, Huntingdon 3.0ha of land north of George Street, Huntingdon - 300 homes

Extract from the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan (Consultation Draft 2017 version) © Huntingdonshire District Council

15 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 HU 7 Gas Depot, Mill Common, Huntingdon 0.6ha of land at the former Gas Depot, Mill Common - 11 homes.

Extract from the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan (Consultation Draft 2017 version) © Huntingdonshire District Council

HU 8 California Road, Huntingdon 1.2ha of land at California Road - 54 homes.

Extract from the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan (Consultation Draft 2017 version) © Huntingdonshire District Council

16 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 HU 9 Main Street, Huntingdon 1.5ha of land at Main Street, Huntingdon - 30 homes

Extract from the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan (Consultation Draft 2017 version) © Huntingdonshire District Council

Employment and Investment

Background Evidence for the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036 Employment Land Study - January 2014 Employment Land Study 2014 Appendices Huntingdonshire Economic Growth Plan 2013-2023

26. The Greater Cambridgeshire Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership (GCGP LEP) is a business-led organisation established in October 2010 to help drive forward sustainable economic growth in the area. It covers an extensive area connected by the M11/ A14/ A1/ A47 corridor as shown.

17 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018

Greater Cambridgeshire Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership Area

Existing Employment Areas © Ordnance Survey – used under Open Government Licence

18 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018

Established Employment Areas - Ermine Business Park, Hinchingbrooke Business Park, St Peter's Road Industrial Area and Stukeley Meadows Industrial Estate, Huntingdon Extract from the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan (Consultation Draft 2017 version) © Huntingdonshire District Council

Proposed Employment Allocation in the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan

HU 3 West of Railway, Brampton Road, Huntingdon 2ha of land west of the railway is allocated for business uses (class 'B1a' and/ or 'B1b').

Extract from the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan (Consultation Draft 2017 version) © Huntingdonshire District Council

Retail and Town Centre Background Evidence for the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036 Huntingdonshire Retail & Commercial Leisure Needs Assessment - February 2017 Huntingdonshire Retail and Commercial Leisure Needs Assessment Appendices - February 2017

27. Javelin Venuescore’s index ranks 2,711 retail venues within the UK (including town centres, stand-alone malls, retail warehouse parks and factory outlet centres) based on the strength of their current retail provision. Towns and major shopping centres are graded using a

19 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 scoring system taking account of the presence of multiple retailers in each location – including anchor stores, fashion operators and non-fashion multiples. Huntingdon is the highest scoring of the four towns in Huntingdonshire and classes as a sub-regional centre by Venuescore. The centre is ranked 356th of all the centres surveyed, dropping 40 places since 2010.

28. The total number of units in the centre has decreased from 179 to 173 since the 2010 retail study. This decrease is accounted for by the change of use and merging of units within the centre. This includes Essential Supermarket at the northern end of the High Street which has merged from one to two units, as well as a number of units that have changed from retail use to residential.

29. At the time Nexus completed their Retail Survey in June 2016, Huntingdon had 17 vacant units. This is a vacancy rate of just 9.8% of all units, which compares favourably to the UK average of 11.3% of all units. The same is true of the amount of vacant floorspace (5.0%) when compared to the UK average of 9.2%.

30. The Key Issues identified in the Huntingdonshire Retail & Commercial Leisure Needs Assessment - February 2017 are: • Reliance on the car to visit the centre; • There is a cluster of vacant units around St Benedict’s Court; • Parts of the centre (including St Benedict’s Court) may suffer due to the new Chequers Court development; • Market Square underutilised.

31. Huntingdon Town Centre is intended to serve as the primary retail destination for the proposed strategic expansion location at Alconbury Weald, albeit an element of local retail provision will be required to ensure that the allocation develops into a sustainable community, and as such Nexus incorporated the associated population increases into the projected available expenditure.

32. Having taken account of the projected turnover of local commitments in Huntingdon, Nexus have found that the Town Centre and the strategic expansion locations at Alconbury Weald available capacity is projected to rise to between 800 sqm and 1,100 sqm of net

20 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 convenience goods floorspace in 2021, between 1,300 sqm and 1,600 sqm at 2026, between 1,500 sqm and 1,900 sqm at 2031 and between 1,600 sqm and 2,100 sqm at 2036.

33. Nexus have suggested that this capacity available over the study period could be met through a small-medium sized foodstore of between 600 and 900 sqm in Huntingdon Town Centre (having regard to the significant overtrading of out-of-centre stores) in addition to a small to medium sized convenience retailer of 1,000 sqm to 1,200 sqm in Alconbury Weald by 2036, noting that the majority of the new population’s convenience shopping is expected to be met by retailers within Huntingdon Town Centre.

34. Huntingdon Town Centre and the emerging resident population of the strategic expansion locations at Alconbury Weald would provide an estimated net comparison goods floorspace capacity of between 3,100 sqm and 4,900 sqm by 2026, rising to 6,800 sqm and 10,700 sqm at 2031 and between 9,500 sqm and 14,900 sqm at 2036.

Extract from the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan (Consultation Draft 2017 version)

21 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018

The Centre of Huntingdon © Ordnance Survey – used under Open Government Licence Inner Ring Road Main Town Centre Car Parks

Oak Drive Neighbourhood Centre © Ordnance Survey – used under Open Government Licence

22 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018

Mayfield Road Neighbourhood Centre © Ordnance Survey – used under Open Government Licence

Cromwell Drive Neighbourhood Centre © Ordnance Survey – used under Open Government Licence

23 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 Tourism, Leisure, Sports and Community Facilities

Background Evidence for the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036 Huntingdonshire Sports & Leisure Facilities Strategy 2016-21

35. There are a number of leisure and entertainment facilities within Huntingdon including the Commemoration Hall in the town centre; Performing Arts Centre at Hinchingbrooke; local drama clubs operating at various venues; and a cinema at Towerfields Leisure Park.

36. The ‘One Leisure’ publicly owned leisure centre is located at the KGV (King George V) St Peter’s Road sports hub which includes a tennis club, cricket club and two bowls clubs leased by the Town Council. In addition, the town council leases the Gymnastics Club at Mayfield Road which trains several world class athletes. Privately owned facilities include Marriott Leisure; and Sports Direct Fitness.

37. There are a number of health facilities in Huntingdon, including multiple doctors’ surgeries, dentists and pharmacies spread throughout the town.

38. Community facilities are defined as village halls, church halls, community centres and multi-use facilities. These facilities typically provide community uses such as adult learning courses, events and activities. Community facilities can also provide space for arts or cultural activities and serve wider purposes such as providing affordable space for events or small businesses to hire.

39. The town includes a wide range of community facilities and public buildings including: a number of places of worship; Library; Alconbury Weald Information Exchange; Army & Sea Cadets; Citizens Advice Bureau; Cornerstone Pregnancy Crisis; Fire Station; Huntingdon Volunteer Centre; Huntingdonshire District Council; Huntingdon Town Council; Inclusion; Job Centre Plus; Law Courts; Police Station; Registration & Coroners Service; Saxongate Learning Centre; and Shopmobility. Other community facilities include the Huntingdon Community Day Centre; The Town Hall; St Marys Parish Hall; Hartford Village Hall and the Medway Centre.

40. Education provision in the Town includes the following: • Further Education/Sixth Form – St Peter’s School; Hinchingbrooke School; and Huntingdon Regional College • Secondary – St Peter’s School; and Hinchingbrooke School • Primary – Huntingdon Primary; Stukeley Meadows Primary; St Johns CofE Primary; Hartford Junior; Hartford Infants; Thongsley Fields Primary; and Cromwell Academy • Other – Huntingdon Nursey; Spring Common Academy; and Thongsley Fields Nursery

24 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 Natural Environment and Green

Spaces

Background Evidence for the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036 Cambridgeshire Green Infrastructure Strategy 2011 Huntingdonshire SFRA Final Report - June 2017 Huntingdonshire Sports & Leisure Facilities Strategy 2016-21 Huntingdonshire Water Cycle Study Update - December 2014 Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036 - Sequential Test for Flood Risk June 2017

Proposed Country Park Extension Allocation in the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan

HU 10 Hinchingbrooke Country Park Extension, Huntingdon 44ha of land adjacent to Hinchingbrooke Country Park is allocated for green infrastructure

Extract from the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan (Consultation Draft 2017 version) © Huntingdonshire District Council

41. The natural environment in Huntingdon includes a number of significant open areas and the river corridors of Alconbury Brook and the River Great Ouse. The town boundary also includes some areas of open countryside. Important open areas include Mill Common; Views Common; Spring Common; Castle Hills; and Hinchingbrooke Country Park. The very southern edge of the NDP area contains part of Portholme Meadow a 106Ha biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Huntingdon and Godmanchester. The northern end of the NDP area contains part of the Great Stukeley Railway Cutting SSSI. Portholme Meadow is also a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

25 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018

Portholme Meadow SAC

26 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 Portholme Meadow SSSI

27 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 Great Stukeley Railway Cutting SSSI

Northern Boundary of Neighbourhood Plan Area

28 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 General Environmental Features

General Location of Environmental Features © Ordnance Survey – used under Open Government Licence Mill/Views/Spring Commons Hinchingbrooke Country Park and Castle Hills Stukeley Railway Cutting SSSI/Portholme Meadow SSSI

29 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018

42. Huntingdon Town Council manages and maintains a number of amenities areas and open spaces across the Town: • Victoria Square • KGV Sapley Road • Hartford Garden of Rest • Hartford Church Grounds • St Mary's Church Grounds • All Saint's Church Grounds • St John's Closed Churchyard • Huntingdon Bus Station Grounds • The Sebastopol Cannon Site • Castle Hills • Jubilee Park • Frenchs Fields • KGV St Peters Road • Bloomfield Park • Coneygear Park • Sallowbush II

43. Huntingdon Town Council is also currently responsible for the following Play Areas in the Town: • Haweswater • K.G.V Sapley Road • K.G.V St Peters Road • Beacon Close • Whinfell Close • Devoke Close • Great Northern Street • Hinchingbrooke Park

30 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 • Dartmoor Drive • Snowdonia Way • Nursery Road • Pond Close • Parkway • Thames Road • Flamsteed Drive • Collinson Crescent • Bloomfield Park (formerly Town Park) • Coneygear Park • Cromwell Drive • Jacksons Walk

44. There are currently four allotment sites which are run and managed by Huntingdon Town Council in conjunction with Site Representatives from each site. The four sites are: • Hartford Road • North Street • Primrose Lane • Sallowbush Road

Allotments in Huntingdon

45. The river corridors of Alconbury Brook and the River Great Ouse also provides an important element of the green infrastructure for the Town and the overall setting of the Neighbourhood Plan area. Flood risk is a limited constraint within Huntingdon.

31 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 Areas of Flood Risk (Flood Risk Map for Planning)

Areas of Flood Risk (Surface Water)

32 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 Areas of Flood Risk (From Reservoirs)

Heritage and Built Environment

Background Evidence Huntingdon Conservation Area Appraisal

49. The Town contains 7 Scheduled Ancient Monuments and 122 Listed Buildings (4 Grade I; 9 Grade II*; and 109 Grade II). The Town also contains two Conservation Areas, the Hartford Conservation Area and the Huntingdon Conservation Area.

Conservation Areas

33 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018

Huntingdon Castle

50. Huntingdon Castle was built by William I adjacent to an earlier Saxon burh. It passed through marriage to David I of Scotland and remained with his heirs until 1173 when it was demolished in revenge for William the Lion's support of a rebellion against Henry II. It was never rebuilt but the site was used as an artillery battery during the civil war.

34 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 Listed Buildings and Scheduled Ancient Monuments

Listed Buildings and Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Huntingdon © Historic England Listed Building Scheduled Ancient Monument

Transport

Background Evidence for the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036 Huntingdonshire Strategic Transport Study - Baseline Report - May 2017 Huntingdonshire Strategic Transport Study - Development Scenario Comparative Assessment

51. The built up area of Huntingdon is bisected by the East Coast Mainline and by the A14 strategic highway route. Across the whole of the plan area there are only five crossings of the railway line, three road crossings and two pedestrian only crossings. The rail corridor does however bring the benefit of a green corridor into the town. Across the whole of the plan area there are only four crossings of the A14, three road crossings and one pedestrian only crossing.

52. The existing A14 trunk road between Cambridge and Huntingdon is well known for congestion and delays. Almost 85,000 vehicles use this stretch of the A14 every day; a lot more than we originally designed for. Around a quarter of these vehicles are heavy goods vehicles, well above national average for this type of road.

35 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 53. The government has made a provision for £1.5 billion of capital investment for an improvement scheme for the A14. The proposals will be funded through a combination of contributions from Central Government, local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships. Once work is complete the existing A14 will be ‘de-trunked’ between Huntingdon and Swavesey and between Alconbury and Spittals interchange. This means the road will gain county road status and Highways England will pass responsibility for the road to Cambridgeshire Council.

54. The A14 improvement scheme will see construction of a new Huntingdon Southern Bypass, approx 12½ miles in length, this will remove a large proportion of traffic from the existing A14 through Huntingdon. The new bypass will allow for Huntingdon Town Centre improvements to be undertaken. This will include the demolition of the A14 rail viaduct over the East Coast Mainline railway and Brampton Road in Huntingdon. A through route will be maintained broadly along the line of the existing A14 through Huntingdon, making use of the Brampton Road bridge to cross the railway line and by constructing a new link road from Brampton Road to connect with the A14 to the west.

55. On the opening of the new route expected sometime in 2019/2020, the existing A14 Huntingdon Viaduct will be closed and demolished with the new road network for Huntingdon created. This work is planned to take a further 18 months to be completed.

36 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 Proposed Transport Allocations in the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan

HU 5 West of Edison Bell Way, Huntingdon 0.5ha of land west of Edison Bell Way, Huntingdon is allocated for long stay public car parking of approximately 80 spaces.

Extract from the Emerging Huntingdonshire Local Plan (Consultation Draft 2017 version) © Huntingdonshire District Council

37 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan – Evidence Base October 2018 Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan 2018-2026

Evidence Base October 2018

Huntingdon Town Council Town Hall Market Hill Huntingdon Cambridgeshire PE29 3PJ

www.huntingdontown.gov.uk/neighbourhood-plan

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