SOUTH CAMBRIDGESHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL

REPORT TO: Cabinet 13 July 2006. AUTHOR: Executive Director / Principal Planning Policy Officer

NORTH WEST CAMBRIDGE AREA ACTION PLAN; ISSUES AND OPTIONS REPORT

Purpose

1. To authorise the Issues and Options Report for the North West Cambridge Area Action Plan (AAP) for the purpose of public participation.

Effect on Corporate Objectives

2. .Quality, Accessible Considers the need and location for a new local centre as part Services of an urban extension to Cambridge which is, in part, in the District, and its potential impact on service provision in nearby villages especially Girton Village Life Considers the scale and form of development of an urban extension to Cambridge, part of which is in the District and which could affect nearby villages including Coton, Girton, Histon and Impington. Sustainability Considers the sustainability options for an urban extension to Cambridge through a Sustainability Appraisal. Partnership To be the subject of participation with stakeholders. Being prepared jointly with Cambridge City Council and working links with Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridgeshire Horizons.

Background

3. The Regional Plan (RPG6) proposes high levels of growth in the Cambridge area to support the local economy and identifies development in and on the edge of Cambridge as the most sustainable location for that development. The North West Cambridge area is identified in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Structure Plan 2003 as one where major change is to take place through a review of the Cambridge Green Belt. Policy P9/2b proposes development specifically for predominantly University-related uses between Huntingdon Road and Madingley Road.

4. The land in South Cambridgeshire is not currently allocated for development in the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan (2004), which pre-dates the Structure Plan. The Submission Draft South Cambridgeshire Core Strategy (January 2006), which will form part of the Council’s Local Development Framework when adopted, refers to the intention to prepare an Area Action Plan jointly with Cambridge City Council for the area between Huntingdon Road and Madingley Road. The Examination into the Core Strategy will be held between 11 and 27 July 2006, with the binding Inspector’s Report anticipated in October 2006.

5. Policy 9/7 in the new Cambridge Local Plan does identify land to be released from the Green Belt and allocates for predominately University related uses, although the extent of land to be released from the Green Belt in the City Council’s area can be re-visited through the AAP process.

6. Therefore, in order to move forward with planning of this area and to meet the long term development needs of Cambridge University, Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council have agreed to prepare an Area Action Plan for this sector. The Plan will be a statutory Development Plan Document and form part of the Local Development Frameworks being prepared by the two Councils. The purpose of the Issues & Options Report is to highlight and consult on a number of key issues and the options available for tackling them before drafting the Plan.

7. The Area Action Plan (AAP) will go through the following stages:

 Issues and Options consultation (Regulation 25: the current stage) – September / October 2006  Pre-Submission public participation (Regulation 26) for 6 weeks -  April / June 2007  Draft Plan submitted to the Secretary of State (regulation 28) – 6 weeks allowed for objections to be made – October / December 2007  Consultation on site allocation objections put forward by objectors (Regulation 32) – 6 weeks – January / February 2008  Independent Examination into the soundness of the Plan by a Government Planning Inspector – April / May 2008  Inspector’s Report (binding on the Councils) – August 2008  Adoption – September 2008.

The Joint Member Reference Group

8. A Joint Member Reference Group (JMRG) has been established consisting of four Members from both Councils and from the County Council (with its role as Highways authority and service provider). The Reference Group is not a decision making body, that function will remain with the two local planning authorities; rather its purpose is to provide direction and co-ordinate progress by:

 Facilitating the exchange of information, ideas and experiences in order to achieve the development of North West Cambridge as a new urban quarter for Cambridge  Advising on practical issues associated with the development of North West Cambridge  Advising officers of the three local authorities in reporting back to the Joint Strategic Forum and the relevant bodies in Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council  Providing links to local communities and advice on public consultation  Fostering effective partnerships between the local authorities, individuals and organisations including landowners and developers in order to deliver successful development of the North West quadrant.

9. The JMRG has met twice. First it met on 14 June to establish Terms of Reference and to receive a presentation on the North West Cambridge Transport Study. It then met on 23 June to consider the draft Issues and Options Report and the programme of participation. At its second meeting, the JMRG agreed a number of changes to the Issues and Options Report that it felt would be beneficial (see paragraph 27 below).

Considerations

10. As highlighted above, the Issues & Options Report is the first stage in the preparation of the Area Action Plan for North West Cambridge and a draft is attached as Appendix 1. In brief the most important issues identified are:

 A series of options exploring the extent to which land can be removed from the Green Belt. This includes two maximum options, two medium options and a minimum option. The minimum option would have limited visual impact and would protect ecological and historic landscape interests and would retain almost all the new development within the City boundary. The two medium options accept a moderate degree of harm to the purposes of the Cambridge Green Belt and to other significant features of the landscape whilst accommodating a significant amount of development. The two maximum options would create a significant level of harm to the function of the Green Belt but would meet the aspirations of the University.  A new orbital route - this could provide an alternative route for traffic moving between different sectors of the City, taking pressure off existing radial routes.  North facing slips on M11 - this would allow south bound traffic from the A14 and M11 to enter Cambridge via Madingley Road and traffic travelling southwards along the M11 would have another option to enter Cambridge via Madingley Road as well as Barton Road and Trumpington Road.  A new local centre – the issue is the relationship of the local centre to the proposed development between Huntingdon Road and Histon Road and whether the development should provide for all of its own needs in its own  local centre, or whether some community facilities to serve both development would be best located close to Huntingdon Road.  The location of a secondary school at North West Cambridge – the County  Council has indicated that there will be a need for a secondary school to  serve the whole North West quadrant and a key issue is to identify whether the school should be located north or south of Huntingdon Road.

11. The AAP will need to take into account land beyond its boundaries to ensure appropriate connections, services and landscaping. This will include:

 the area allocated in the Cambridge City Local Plan for housing development between Huntingdon Road and Histon Road,  transport connections to other major locations, such as Northstowe, West Cambridge and the Cambridge Northern fringe including the Science Park and the proposed Chesterton Station and  the impact of any development on the wider Green Belt setting of Cambridge.

North West Cambridge Landscape Study

12. The Council appointed David Brown to prepare a landscape study to assess the landscape considerations for the whole of North West Cambridge, both north and south of Huntingdon Road.

13. For the area between Madingley Road and Huntingdon Road this study provides part of the evidence base for the Area Action Plan for North West Cambridge and shows how landscape considerations and constraints might influence the extent and form of development. It forms the basis of the spatial options which are set out in the draft Issues and Options report.

14. The Study also had a purpose for the area between Huntingdon Road and Histon Road to add to the evidence base concerning the retention of the land in South Cambridgeshire within the Green Belt and to consider ways in which improvements to landscape, biodiversity and countryside access could be achieved consistent with Policy SP/13 of the Site Specific Policies DPD of the South Cambridgeshire LDF as submitted to the Secretary of State. It has informed the Council’s evidence to the Core Strategy Examination.

15. A copy of the completed Study is attached as Appendix 2 for information and it is proposed that the study be published alongside the Issues and Options Report to assist and inform the consultation process.

North West Cambridge Transport Study

16. Cambridgeshire County Council has commissioned consultants to undertake a transport study of the whole of the North West Cambridge Quadrant. This will look at the transport implications of development by looking at a range of development levels, both that which is already committed in plans and at a higher level that would meet the stated aspirations of the University between Huntingdon road and Madingley Road and the developers of the land between Huntingdon Road and Histon Road.

17. This study will lead to the development of a transport strategy for North West Cambridge which will be adopted by the County Council. The County Council has indicated that a draft report by the consultants should be available to the public as a supporting document at the same time as the Issues and Options report is the subject of participation, in order to inform consultees and the public.

Sustainability Appraisal / Strategic Environmental Assessment

18. A key element in the preparation of Local development Documents is Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SA/ SEA) to help test evolving options and policies and ensure that the most sustainable are pursued. It also helps inform those participating in the planning process.

19. The Issues & Options Report is currently going through the SA/ SEA appraisal process by independent consultants, The sustainability assessment will test options (and later on, Preferred Options and draft policies) against the sustainability objectives developed through both South Cambridgeshire District and Cambridge City Council’s respective Scoping Reports.

20. The Initial Sustainability Report will be a complete report, explaining the process, and also including a publicly accessible summary. Due to the tight timetable in operation for the AAP, it has not been possible to include this as part of this report although any significant matters arising will be reported verbally to Cabinet.

Issues & Options Consultation Process

21. The new plan making system emphasizes the importance of early public participation in the plan making process.

22. At the Issues & Options stage, Regulation 25 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004 only requires consultation with specific and general consultation bodies (key stakeholders) as appropriate to the document. A list of relevant specific and general consultation bodies has been drawn up by officers from both Authorities and is attached as Appendix 3.

23. However, given the importance of the issues raised by the AAP, officers of both this Council and Cambridge City advise that the public should be consulted at this stage as well as key stakeholders.

24. As referred to earlier, the AAP Issues & Options Report needs to take into account the wider context and an important part of this is the application for around 1,800 new homes on land within the City boundary, which it is anticipated will be submitted in November 2006 by David Wilson Homes for land allocated in the Cambridge Local Plan between Huntingdon Road and Histon Road.

25. The Issues & Options consultation provides the opportunity to provide background information for the North West quadrant as a whole, including the land between Huntingdon Road and Histon Road. This would help increase understanding of how the quadrant will work as a whole and show that the development proposals for the quadrant are moving forward in a coordinated manner.

26. The proposed public participation would consist of:

 A six week period of consultation running from the 4 September to 13 October 2006, advertised by public notice  The Issue & Options Report and supporting documents to be made available to view and to purchase at The Guildhall and South Cambridgeshire Hall  The Issues & Options Report and supporting documents to be made available to view on the Councils’ websites  A leaflet to be delivered to households and businesses in the Parishes of Coton, Girton, Histon and Impington, as well as the relevant built up areas within the City.  Three one day staffed exhibitions in the following areas: . Girton . Within the City between Madingley Road and Huntingdon Road . Within the City between Huntingdon Road & Histon Road.

Consideration by the Joint Member Reference Group

27. At its second meeting on 23 June, the JMRG agreed a number of changes to the Issues and Options Report that it felt would be beneficial. These are contained at Appendix 4. They have now been considered by Cambridge City Council’s Environment Scrutiny Committee at its meeting of 27 June 2006 where it was agreed that they be made to the Report.

Consideration by Cambridge City Council

28. The Environment and Scrutiny Committee for Cambridge City Council met to consider the Issues and Options report at its meeting on 27 June 2006. The Committee considered and agreed to the changes recommended by the JMRG. It decided to revise the wording of Options 13.5 and 13.6 relating to north facing slip roads to the M11 for greater clarity. The revised wording will be reported orally to Cabinet. In respect of the consultation arrangements, the City Council decided to distribute leaflets in the adjoining areas of Newnham and Arbury. City Members very also keen on pushing the renewable energy issue hard.

Next Steps

29. After the consultation period the representations received from key stakeholders and members of the public will be assessed and responded to. A report will then be prepared recommending a response to each representation. Key issues arising will be taken to the Joint Member Reference Group ahead of consideration by Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District Councils’ own meetings so that Members of both Councils, together with the County Council, have the opportunity to consider issues jointly.

30. The next stage will be to draft Preferred Options for public participation once the approach for each issue has been agreed by Members. Following consideration of the responses to this participation, it will, in turn, lead to the draft AAP which will be submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination.

Options

31. Members can approve, reject or make changes to the draft Issues and Options report and whether to agree or not to the proposal to involve the public at this stage. Members can also make changes to the programme for participation including the list of consultees. As this is a joint plan, any changes agreed by this Council would subsequently need to be agreed by Cambridge City Council prior to public consultation.

Financial Implications

32. The AAP is to be prepared with the Council’s budget for Planning Policy.

Legal Implications

33. The AAP will become a statutory Development Plan Document and therefore a very significant material planning consideration in determining planning applications.

Staffing Implications

34. Involvement of Planning Policy staff in its preparation with additional temporary staff resources to lead on the AAP preparation, funded by Cambridgeshire Horizons. Other service departments will also need to have input.

Risk Management Implications

35. The preparation of the AAP adds to an already very heavy workload in Planning Policy. To delay or withdraw would risk planning applications being submitted without adequate planning policy guidance and framework in place.

Consultations

36. The draft Issues and Options report has been prepared jointly with officers of Cambridge City Council, with input from officers of Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridgeshire Horizons.

Conclusions/Summary

37. Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council are working together to prepare an Area Action Plan for the North West sector of Cambridge between Madingley Road and Huntingdon Road. This will provide for the long term development needs of the University including land in the City and in the Parish of Girton in South Cambridgeshire. An Issues and Options Report has been prepared for public participation.

Recommendations

38. Cabinet is recommended:

(a) To agree the draft Issues & Options Report for public participation as set out in Appendix 1, as amended by the recommendations of the Joint Member Reference Group contained in Appendix 4 and the changes agreed by Cambridge City Council’s Environment Scrutiny Committee as set out at paragraph 27 of this report;

(b) To note the North West Cambridge Landscape Study attached as Appendix 2;

(c) To agree the principles for Issues & Options consultation and the list of specific and general consultation bodies as listed in Appendix 3, as amended by the recommendations of the Joint Member Reference Group contained in Appendix 4 and the changes agreed by Cambridge City Council’s Environment Scrutiny Committee as set out at paragraph 27 of this report;

(d) To agree that any editing changes, including arising from the Sustainability Appraisal / Strategic Environmental Assessment, be delegated to the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economic Development.

Background Papers: the following background papers were used in the preparation of this report:

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Structure Plan 2003 Cambridge Local Plan 2006 South Cambridgeshire’s Submission Draft Core Strategy DPD and Site Specific Policies DPD Agendas for North West Cambridge Joint Member Reference Group, 14 June 2006 and 23 June 2006. Agenda papers Cambridge City Council Environment & Scrutiny Committee, 27 June 2006.

Contact Officer: Caroline Hunt – Principal Planning Policy Officer Telephone: (01954) 713196