Issue - meetings

To consider the attached report.

The Executive Board:

a)         REQUESTED the improvement of the City Deal Urban and Environmental Design Guidance document.

(b)        REQUIRED that the document is proactively used and reference by project managers during the development of relevant City Deal transport projects.

(c)        REQUESTED that the document is updated periodically to reflect any significant changes in highway and planning design policy.

(d)        REQUESTED that officers investigate the process of all future City Deal schemes being considered by the Cambridgeshire Quality Design Panel.

(e)        REQUESTED that officers investigate the introduction of a facility that invites members of the public to provide photographs of aspirational ideas and ideas to be avoided for a website-based montage.

Councillor Lewis Herbert, Chairman of the Executive Board, opened the item by inviting those members of the public who had given notice to put forward questions to the Board.  The following statement was noted:

Statement by Lucy Price

Lucy Price asked the Executive Board to consider the use of more creative infrastructure to encourage people to walk and cycle through the city, citing examples of schemes already in place.  She felt that low level lighting or safely positioned sculpture or cycle counters could really enhance the space and, more importantly, encourage people to get out of their cars and improve the experience for all travelling through Cambridge.

Councillor Roger Hickford, Chairman of the Joint Assembly, reported that the Assembly had considered this report at its meeting on 2 June 2016.  Members of the Joint Assembly had expressed their concerns due to a lack of detail in the document,  a lack of reference to heritage and a general feeling that the document was not aspirational enough.  The Joint Assembly had supported the amendment of recommendation (a) so that it read ‘requests the improvement of the City Deal Urban and Environmental Design Guidance document’ rather than endorsing the document as it stood.  The Assembly also supported the following additional recommendations:

‘(d)       The Executive Board requests that officers investigate the process of all future City Deal schemes being considered by the Cambridgeshire Quality Design Panel.’

‘(e)       The Executive Board requests that officers investigate the introduction of a facility that invites members of the public to provide photographs of aspirational ideas and ideas to be avoided for a website-based montage.’

The Joint Assembly therefore unanimously recommended to the Board approval of the officer recommendations contained within the report, subject to the inclusion of the above amendments.

Stuart Walmsley, Director of Major Infrastructure Delivery at Cambridgeshire County Council, in presenting the report said that the document set out the principles to be followed and guidance that should be taken into account during the development of City Deal transport infrastructure projects on the major roads into Cambridge and city centre access routes.  It intended to capture as much good practice as it could and had been commissioned to be a conceptual design document, reflecting characteristics of Cambridge and the objectives of the City Deal programme.

During discussion the Board was content with the Joint Assembly’s recommendation, noting however the key role that the Local Liaison Forum would play in terms of understanding local expectations.  Councillor Burkitt welcomed a design guide but said that he would be more interested in what local people had to say about proposals as they were developed, adding that he would rather be guided by them.

Councillor Herbert requested that all Members of the Executive Board and Joint Assembly, as part of the further work that would be undertaken to improve the document, be asked their views as to what elements were missing in order that they could help shape the revised version.

The Executive Board unanimously:

(a)        REQUESTED the improvement of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14

To consider the attached report.

The Joint Assembly RECOMMENDED that the Executive Board:

(a)        Requests the improvement of the City Deal Urban and Environmental Design Guidance document.

(b)        Requires that the document is proactively used and reference by project managers during the development of relevant City Deal transport projects.

(c)        Requests that the document is updated periodically to reflect any significant changes in highway and planning design policy.

(d)        Requests officers to investigate the process of all future City Deal schemes being considered by the Cambridgeshire Quality Design Panel.

(e)        Requests officers to investigate the introduction of a facility that invites members of the public to provide photographs of aspirational ideas and ideas to be avoided for a website-based montage.

Councillor Roger Hickford, Chairman, opened the item by inviting those members of the public who had given notice to put forward questions to the Joint Assembly.  Questions were therefore asked and answered, as follows:

Question by Jean Glasberg

Jean Glasberg asked whether the City Deal would be conducting a skills analysis to ensure that the teams who would deliver this programme had the full range of competencies necessary to deliver good placemaking and sustainable development, as well as functional transport infrastructure.

Bob Menzies, Director of Strategy and Development at Cambridgeshire County Council, said that the City Deal partnership had a range of skills available within all three partner Councils and that consultants could also be appointed as and when required.

Question by Penny Heath

Penny Heath asked why the City Deal did not set up a Design Panel, like the Design and Conservation Panel such as that used by the City Council’s planning department and in line with principles of Cambridgeshire Quality Charter for Growth.  She was also concerned that the document did not include enough reference to Cambridge’s heritage.

Mr Menzies reported that Cambridge’s historic environment sites were clearly covered by other policy documents at the County Council.  In respect of the City Council’s Design Panel, he explained that City Deal highways projects came under a different legislative framework to that of the planning application process.

Question by Nichola Harrison

Nichola Harrison did not think that the proposed Design Guidance document did enough to protect and enhance Cambridge’s environment and community life, stating that it needed to develop as a locally relevant, flexible and practical tool.  She felt that this could be achieved through a website where people could upload photographs and discuss design issues.  She therefore asked the Joint Assembly to recommend to the Executive Board that it adopts a method, perhaps a website, which got the public involved in developing the document as a tool that inspired very high design standards in all City Deal schemes.

Councillor Hickford made the point that this issue was likely to be debated as part of consideration of the item.

Glen Richardson, Urban Design and Conservation Manager at Cambridge City Council, and Andrew Cameron, Director or Urban Design at WSP consultants, presented a report which set out the principles to be followed and guidance that should be taken into account during the development of City Deal transport infrastructure projects on the major roads into Cambridge and city centre access routes.  A copy of the proposed guidance document was appended to the report which officers took Members through as part of a presentation.

The Joint Assembly was asked to recommend that the Executive Board:

(a)        endorses the City Deal Urban and Environmental Design Guidance document;

(b)        requires that the document is proactively used and referenced by project managers during the development of relevant City Deal transport projects;

(c)        requests that the document is updated periodically to reflect any significant changes in highway and planning design policy.

Councillor Bridget Smith was very  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13