Agenda and minutes

To receive Apologies for Absence from Committee members. 

Councillors Brian Burling, Barry Chapman, Douglas de Lacey and Alex Riley sent Apologies for Absence. Councillor Ray Manning substituted for Councillor Riley.

Councillor Tim Wotherspoon declared a Non-Pecuniary Interest because he had attended meetings of Oakington & Westwick Parish Council and Rampton Parish Council in order to provide factual information upon request. Councillor Wotherspoon is not an elected or co-opted member of either Parish Council and did not contribute to the debates.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 28 January 2015 as a correct record. 

The Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee authorised the Chairman to sign, as a correct record, the Minutes of the meeting held on 28 January 2015, subject to the following:

Minute 5 - Northsstowe Phase 2 Consultation responses

Delete, from the fourth paragraph, the passage:

“…Gill Ashby referred to the duty of care that Longstanton felt towards Northstowe. During the first few years, Northstowe residents would be paying a precept to Longstanton Parish Council, which would be responsible for providing those community facilities not catered for in the Phase 1 Legal Agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.  Northstowe Phase 1 would double the number of people reliant on “outdated” facilities in Longstanton, and money should be made available to the Parish Council so that it could improve them.  In response to a question, Gill Ashby said that the facilities needing improvement were all in Longstanton, there being no equivalent facilities envisaged as part of Northstowe Phase 1, Lessons must be learnt from the development of previous New Settlements. Gill Ashby undertook to identify the kind of facilities needed and to liaise with Council officers.”

And substitute the following:

“…Gill Ashby made the following statement:

“Having looked at the Phase 2 plans and given our feedback we would like to draw the Committees  attention to the following which we feel is a serious problem.

Longstanton Parish Council take very seriously our  duty of care to Northstowe as it is in our Parish and will continue to be in our Parish. We certainly want the best for Northstowe and to see it become an amazing place to live.

Residents will be paying their precept to Longstanton and we are sure will be expecting something for that money.  The District Councillor and County Councillor for Longstanton will also be the Councillors for Northstowe as it is in Longstanton Parish.

So it was with interest this morning when listening to the Chair on Radio Cambridgeshire that you said, “Throughout the build out of Northstowe we are committed to providing enough facilities to meet the needs of the growing population”

Because we noted that in the Phase 1 section 106 agreement there was nothing included that could help Longstanton provide any community facilities for Northstowe. Phase 1 will have small community facilities within the primary school but these have already been allocated to health services and a possible mother and baby group and are a temporary measure as they will be taken back when the school needs them for its growth. There is no other community facility planned that we can see.  The Sports Centre is also not a social hub  it would appear to be changing rooms, showers and toilets for the sports areas  and is not expected to be built until the final stages.

The needs of Northstowe are much more than this. A community space where people can meet, facilities for older children, teenagers young adults. Older parents, single people, the elderly. What are they all  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

The Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee considered a report relating to an agricultural access to land east of Hatton’s Road with associated swing gate.

The Senior Planning Officer confirmed that the Local Highways Authority was satisfied with the wording of Condition 4.

The point was made that Cambridgeshire County Council was engaged in a collaborative project at Northstowe, and should do everything possible to minimise the obstacles to securing necessary infrastructure. The Northstowe Transport Planning Officer assured the Committee that the County Council, as Local Highways Authority, was acting in exactly the same way as it would with any application of this nature.

The Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee approved the application, subject to the Conditions and Informatives set out in the report from the Planning and New Communities Director.

The Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee considered a Reserved Matters application for the Hatton’s Road ponds strategic engineering works.

Committee members raised the following issues:

·       Future maintenance in perpetuity

·       Site security from a public health and safety point of view

·       Future proofing the development to take account of climate change and possible increases in flood risk

·       Monitoring

·       The Construction Environmental Management Plan

·       The need to protect Longstanton from flooding

In reply, officers made the following comments:

·       Maintenance would be the responsibility of South Cambridgeshire District Council

·       Site security was provided by hedging and a fence

·       The CEMP would contain a monitoring plan, to including reporting of issues by members of the public

·       Use would be made of Conditions and Section 106 Agreements

The Committee approved the application, subject to Conditions ensuring that the development is built in accordance with the approved plans, and that an appropriate number of life belts are positioned around the banks of the ponds, and an Informative about not disturbing nesting birds during the nesting season.

The Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee received and noted a report about progress being made in relation to negotiations over the planning proposals and related matters for the outline application for Northstowe Phase 2.

·         The Northstowe Team Leader took Members through the report and highlighted the most significant aspects of it. Committee members raised the following issues:

·         The absence of public consultation

·         Identity of changes made

·         The question of five-, six- and seven-storey buildings in the Town Centre to free up space elsewhere

·         Non-attendance at the meeting by the Homes and Communities Agency, and an insistence that HCA representatives attend the next Committee meeting

·         The importance of sport in helping to create communities

·         The need to answer the question of car parking provision

·         The importance of affordable housing within the context of housing need throughout South Cambridgeshire, and the requirement for further details about viability across the entire development of Northstowe

·         Implications of Approval, Refusal or Deferral

The Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee received and noted a report containing a non-exclusive draft set of Conditions to which a future grant of planning permission for Phase 2 of Northstowe might be subject.

The Consultant Planner summarised the report, highlighting Conditions 10, 12, 22-27, 34-36, and 40-46. In response to a question about the implications for Phase 2 of a successful appeal against a room size Condition at Phase 1, the Planning Lawyer said that the developers would have six months in which to appeal a similar Condition on Phase 2.

In response to a question about governance, the Consultant Planner reminded Members that this was not a material planning consideration.

Hilary Cox, Northstowe Community Engagement Officer, was unable to attend the meeting. The Chairman withdrew this item from the agenda.

Wednesday 25 March 2015

Council Chamber, South Cambs Hall, Cambourne Business Park, Cambourne, CB23 6EA

Time to be confirmed

The next Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee meeting would take place on Wednesday 25 March 2015 at a time to be determined.