Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: The Meadows Community Centre, 1 St Catharine's Road, Cambridge, CB4 3XJ

Contact: Graham Watts  03450 450 500 Email: democratic.services@scambs.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Election of Chairman

To elect a Chairman for the 2015/16 municipal year.

Decision:

Councillor Lewis Herbert was ELECTED as Chairman of the Greater Cambridge City Deal Executive Board for the 2015/16 municipal year.

Minutes:

Councillor Lewis Herbert was ELECTED as Chairman of the Greater Cambridge City Deal Executive Board for the 2015/16 municipal year.

2.

Election of Vice-Chairman

To elect a Vice-Chairman for the 2015/16 municipal year.

Decision:

Councillor Ray Manning was ELECTED as Vice-Chairman of the Greater Cambridge City Deal Executive Board for the 2015/16 municipal year.

Minutes:

Councillor Ray Manning was ELECTED as Vice-Chairman of the Greater Cambridge City Deal Executive Board for the 2015/16 municipal year.

3.

Co-option of nominations by the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership and the University of Cambridge

To APPROVE the following nominations for co-option onto the Greater Cambridge City Deal Executive Board:

 

Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership

 

John Bridge (Member)

Mark Reeve (Substitute)

 

University of Cambridge

 

Professor Jeremy Sanders (Member until 31 December 2015)

Professor Nigel Slater (Member from 1 January 2016)

Roger Taylor (Substitute)

 

To APPROVE the following nominations for co-option onto the Greater Cambridge City Deal Joint Assembly:

 

Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership

 

Claire Ruskin (Cambridge Network)

Sir Michael Marshall (Marshall Group)

Andy Williams (AstraZeneca)

 

University of Cambridge

 

Anne Constantine (Cambridge Regional College)

Jane Ramsey (Cambridge University Hospitals)

Helen Valentine (Anglia Ruskin University)

Decision:

The following nominations for co-option onto the Greater Cambridge City Deal Executive Board were APPROVED:

 

Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership:

 

John Bridge (Member)

Mark Reeve (Substitute)

 

University of Cambridge:

 

Professor Jeremy Sanders (Member until 31 December 2015)

Professor Nigel Slater (Member from 1 January 2016)

Roger Taylor (Substitute)

 

The following nominations for co-option onto the Greater Cambridge City Deal Joint Assembly were APPROVED:

 

Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership:

 

Claire Ruskin (Cambridge Network)

Sir Michael Marshall (Marshall Group)

Andy Williams (AstraZeneca)

 

University of Cambridge:

 

Anne Constantine (Cambridge Regional College)

Jane Ramsey (Cambridge University Hospitals)

Helen Valentine (Anglia Ruskin University)

Minutes:

The following nominations for co-option onto the Greater Cambridge City Deal Executive Board were APPROVED:

 

Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership:

 

John Bridge (Member)

Mark Reeve (Substitute)

 

University of Cambridge:

 

Professor Jeremy Sanders (Member until 31 December 2015)

Professor Nigel Slater (Member from 1 January 2016)

Roger Taylor (Substitute)

 

The following nominations for co-option onto the Greater Cambridge City Deal Joint Assembly were APPROVED:

 

Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership:

 

Claire Ruskin (Cambridge Network)

Sir Michael Marshall (Marshall Group)

Andy Williams (AstraZeneca)

 

University of Cambridge:

 

Anne Constantine (Cambridge Regional College)

Jane Ramsey (Cambridge University Hospitals)

Helen Valentine (Anglia Ruskin University)

4.

Apologies for absence

To receive any apologies for absence.

Minutes:

An apology for absence was received from Professor Jeremy Sanders.  Roger Taylor attended the meeting as his substitute.

 

Councillor Simon Edwards also submitted his apologies for absence.

5.

Minutes of the previous meeting pdf icon PDF 328 KB

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting held on 27 March 2015 as a correct record.

Minutes:

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 27 March 2015 were confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

6.

Declarations of interest

To receive any declarations of interest from Members of the Executive Board.

Minutes:

Roger Taylor, representing the University of Cambridge, in respect of the options set out in the report for item 9, declared that the University owned the freehold of the Madingley Road Park and Ride site and farmland in the areas of Madingley Mulch and Barton Road.

7.

Public questions pdf icon PDF 39 KB

To receive any questions from members of the public.  The standard protocol to be observed by public speakers is attached.

Minutes:

A number of questions were submitted from members of the public and local City and District Councillors, which all related to item 9 in respect of the A428/Madingley Road Corridor Scheme.  Those questions asked, together with answers provided at the meeting, were noted as follows:

 

Question by Mal Schofield

 

Mr Schofield questioned reference in the minutes of the Board’s previous meeting on 27 March 2015 where it stated that the traffic and transport demands of Cambridge were "very unique".  He asked the Board whether it agreed with this statement. 


He added that perhaps the only sense that Cambridge was different was its chosen dependency upon bus based public transport.  The present guided busway was unique in that in its form it was a rarity in urban transport infrastructure.  He said that the Board could be minded instead to take the best from international 21st century urban transport developments and commission a modest study to shortlist the most appropriate for Cambridge growth needs to 2050.  Mr Schofield also felt that the Board should commission, in parallel, a corridor and gateway capacity management study before any substantial investment was considered.  He cited Liverpool as an example of good practice and a city where lessons could be learnt in respect of public bus infrastructure.

 

Graham Hughes, Executive Director of Economy, Transport and Environment at Cambridgeshire County Council, said that all of the key radial routes, and some others, into Cambridge suffered congestion during the peak periods and this frustrated the ability for buses to access the City Centre quickly and efficiently.  This in turn reduced the incentive for people to use buses.  He therefore felt that there was no need for a study as suggested, as the problem was very clear.  The key task would be to start delivering improvements as soon as possible.

 

In terms of technology used, Mr Hughes confirmed that this would be considered on a case by case basis. 

 

Mr Hughes explained that Cambridge was very different to Liverpool, the latter being a large metropolitan area with a significantly higher population with well established infrastructure links in and around the city.  He supported the statement that Cambridge was unique in terms of its character when considered alongside the rural nature of the area surrounding it, compared to large metropolitan cities such as Liverpool.

 

Councillor Lewis Herbert, Chairman, reminded those present that the City Deal would provide significant opportunities to the Greater Cambridge area, but that there were restraints.  The first tranche of schemes reflected a five year plan which had to deliver specific objectives to ensure that further tranches of funding could be accessed by Government.

 

Question by Edward Leigh

 

Mr Leigh felt thatthe Board had anticipated the conclusions of the consultation on Cambridge City access measures by commissioning only options based around new bus lanes or dedicated busways.  He thought it had ignored or dismissed the possibility that direct measures, such as reducing parking capacity in the City Centre, could reduce congestion on city roads  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.

Report and recommendations from the Joint Assembly

Councillor Tim Bick, Chairman of the Joint Assembly, will be in attendance to present the recommendations from the meeting of the Joint Assembly held on 3 June 2015.  Councillor Bick has submitted a separate report for each item of business on this agenda, which can be found behind the covering report and appendices for each item.

Minutes:

Councillor Tim Bick, Chairman of the Joint Assembly, reported that the Assembly had met on 3 June 2015.  He submitted his report and recommendations from the Joint Assembly for each respective item on the agenda for this meeting, which it was agreed he would present at the relevant point of the meeting.

 

Councillor Bick took this opportunity to say that the Joint Assembly was trying very hard to make constructive contributions to the City Deal’s work, which he hoped the Executive Board would take into account.

9.

A428/A1303 Madingley Road Corridor Scheme options and approval to consult pdf icon PDF 984 KB

To consider the attached report by Graham Hughes, Executive Director (Cambridgeshire County Council).

Additional documents:

Decision:

The Executive Board:

 

(1)        NOTED the findings from the initial engineering assessment and technical study.

 

(2)        APPROVED the public consultation on the options set out in the report.

 

(3)        AGREED to receive a report on consultation later this year on a preferred option, or options, for full business case development.

 

(4)        AGREED that the public consultation should:

 

(i)         include a question asking about the public’s views of the optimum location for the new Park and Ride at Madingley Mulch;

 

(ii)        contain a discussion or analysis of the benefits/disadvantages of retaining/closing the existing Madingley Road Park and Ride site.

 

(5)        AGREED that cycling and pedestrian provision would be made in the case of each option and its scope in each case would be included as part of the consultation process.

 

(6)        AGREED, in support of the Joint Assembly’s comments regarding the encouragement of modal shift, that reliability and journey time were both very important considerations.

 

(7)        AGREED to ask officers to investigate the possibility of uploading responses to the consultation onto the County Council’s website, in order that they could be viewed online during the consultation process.

 

(8)        AGREED to ask officers to review the timetable set out in the report with a view to being more aspirational with regard to the scheme completion date, also ensuring that the Board received early notification of minimum delivery dates for each stage not being reached.

 

(9)        AGREED to ask officers to provide more detailed information on the role, remit and makeup of the Local Liaison Forum proposed to be established to exchange information and ideas on the project with local County, City and District Members, parish representatives and other key stakeholders.

 

(10)      AGREED, in principle, that Cambridge University (as freeholder of the existing Madingley Road Park and Ride site) should be encouraged to discuss with the City Council’s Planning Department how the site might be developed for residential development (including for affordable housing and all in a manner that reflected the aims and aspirations of the Greater Cambridge City Deal) if the Park and Ride facility was closed in the context of the opening of a new site at Madingley Mulch and if the existing site was to revert back to the University.

 

(11)      AGREED to instruct officers to submit a report to the October cycle of Joint Assembly and Executive Board meetings containing an initial and high-level appraisal of the technical implications and costs of creating bus-only slip-roads at:

 

(i)         the M11 junction 13: when turning off the A1303 (going east) onto the M11 (going south);

 

(ii)        the M11 junction 13: creating a bus lane alongside the existing sliproad off the M11, which would get priority treatment at the traffic lights;

 

(iii)       the M11 junction 11: turning off the M11 (going south) between the existing farm and footbridge and the existing sliproad, then going round the corner of the farmland at Trumpington Meadows, running parallel to (and west of) Trumpington Road, and entering the Trumpington  ...  view the full decision text for item 9.

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report which set out the high-level options that had emerged from the initial stages of the A428/A1303 corridor technical study. 

 

Stuart Walmsley, Head of Major Infrastructure Delivery at Cambridgeshire County Council, presented the report which reflected on wide-ranging technical work that had identified six shortlisted options now proposed for public consultation.  Three of the options were for the east of Madingley Mulch, with the remaining three relevant to the west of Madingley Mulch.  The report set out conceptual plans and commentary for each option, together with a consultation strategy for consideration.

 

Councillor Tim Bick, Chairman of the Joint Assembly, provided the Board with a report following consideration of this issue at the meeting of the Assembly held on 3 June 2015.  He reported that the Assembly had received questions from nine members of the public about this proposed scheme indicating points of view which, though answered at the meeting, represented a number of themes of which Assembly Members felt should be highlighted to the Board as follows:

 

·         the funding of tranches 2 and 3 of the City Deal could be critical in enabling the Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire Local Plans, given that it would make a key contribution to the sustainability of new and enlarged settlements detached from the city, about which the Planning Inspector had expressed concern;

·         consultation on the scheme could be premature, as the sustainability of the new and expanded settlements such as those envisaged along the A428 corridor appeared to have been challenged by the Planning Inspectors examining the two Local Plans.  It was the Assembly’s view that no inconsistency arose in relation to the kind of improvement represented by option 1 because it was needed even in current conditions.  Greater clarity about the Local Plans was likely to be available before a decision was made about the funding improvements represented by options 2 as the funding had been deferred to tranche two of the programme.

 

Councillor Lewis Herbert, Chairman of the Executive Board, responded to these two points which he summarised as being the securing of funding for further tranches of the City Deal and the interrelationship between the City Deal and the City and District Councils’ Local Plans.  He was of the view that the Board had made its decision around the programme for tranche one of the funding believing the schemes within it to be deliverable that would meet the necessary objectives.  If the funding from tranches two or three did not materialise, the partner Councils would be required to fund schemes themselves.  Councillor Herbert reminded the Board, therefore, that it fell on partners to ensure delivery of these immediate schemes within the tranche one programme. 

 

In respect of the Local Plans, Councillor Herbert said that the Inspectors had suspended the examination to request that the two Councils provide more information on housing numbers, sustainability and the balancing of development on the edge of the city and how that impacted on the evidence base.  In terms  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

10.

Proposal for consulting on Cambridge City Centre access measures pdf icon PDF 182 KB

To consider the attached report by Graham Hughes, Executive Director (Cambridgeshire County Council).

Additional documents:

Decision:

The Executive Board:

 

(1)        APPROVED the process for developing the strategy to address congestion issues in Cambridge City.

 

(2)        APPROVED the development plans for an initial engagement exercise with key traffic generators in Cambridge City followed by a public consultation.

Minutes:

The Executive Board considered a report which outlined proposals to develop a strategy for addressing the congestion that occurred regularly in Cambridge City.

 

Graham Hughes, Executive Director of Economy, Transport and Environment at Cambridgeshire County Council, presented the report and reminded Members that congestion was a significant issue within the morning and evening peak periods in Cambridge which, in the long run, would harm business and the environment.

 

An initial consultation to develop a strategy to address this issue was agreed at the Board’s last meeting, following which officers had been looking at development of the strategy options and consultation.

 

It was proposed that the following three stage approach to the development of this strategy be followed:

 

·         an initial workshop of Joint Assembly and Executive Board Members to be held during June, informed by work undertaken so far on the extent of the problems and some new analysis of the current level of congestion;

·         subsequent engagement with a range of the largest traffic generators in the city, such as major employers and academic institutions, schools and retailers.  This would seek to develop plans with them on how their actions could address the congestion problems and what measures would need to be introduced in addition through the City Deal;

·         following this engagement activity, a wider public consultation exercise would be undertaken to test the developing solutions.

 

It was proposed that implementation of an agreed strategy would take place over at least the first five years of the City Deal programme and a series of shorter and longer term measures was likely.

 

Councillor Tim Bick, Chairman of the Joint Assembly, reported that the Assembly considered this report at its meeting on 3 June 2015.  Members of the Assembly welcomed the report and supported the recommendations contained within it.

 

The Executive Board:

 

(1)        APPROVED the process for developing the strategy to address congestion issues in Cambridge City.

 

(2)        APPROVED the development plans for an initial engagement exercise with key traffic generators in Cambridge City followed by a public consultation.

11.

Business case for the formation of the Greater Cambridge City Deal Housing Development Agency pdf icon PDF 187 KB

To consider the attached report by Alex Colyer, Executive Director (South Cambridgeshire District Council).

 

NOTE – Appendices 2 and 3 of the report contain exempt information as defined in paragraphs 2 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual and information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person, including the authority holding that information).  These appendices have therefore not been published and the press and public may be excluded from the meeting for all or part of this item.

Additional documents:

Decision:

The Executive Board NOTED the report and welcomed the business case.

Minutes:

The Executive Board considered a report which set out the business case for the formation of the Housing Development Agency.

 

Alex Colyer, Executive Director (Corporate Services) from South Cambridgeshire District Council, presented the report and informed the Board that the business case had been submitted to this body for consideration ahead of the three partner Councils as agreed at the previous meeting.

 

Alan Carter, Head of Strategic Housing at Cambridge City Council, reminded the Board that the essential requirements for an organisation to successfully develop housing were land (subject to planning approval), funding, skills, knowledge and experience.  Partners represented on the Greater Cambridge City Deal owned land in the Greater Cambridge area and had access to different funding streams.  The skills and capacity of the three partner Councils would be optimised and combined as part of the Agency as a shared service, initially, to drive delivery of the additional houses that had been committed as part of the City Deal objectives. 

 

The business case itself was based on a target programme of at least 4,000 homes by 2031, which equated to an average of 250 homes per year.  The business case also set out a self-sustainable funding model, with operational costs covered by fees charged to each capital development scheme.  It was emphasised that the Agency would be commercially focused.

 

Options in the business case set out a collaborative model, a shared service model or a wholly partner owned local company model for the Housing Development Agency, with the shared service model recommended at this stage with a view to progressing to a partner owned local company. 

 

Councillor Tim Bick, Chairman of the Joint Assembly, reported that the Assembly at its meeting on 3 June 2015 welcomed this report.

 

John Bridge, Chairman of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, questioned the phasing of recruitment for the Housing Development Agency in terms of the appointment of the Managing Director, which he felt should be done earlier in the process.  Mr Colyer reported that a senior person should be appointed to lead the Agency earlier than originally anticipated.

 

Members of the Board expressed their support for the business case, acknowledging the importance of this aspect of the City Deal.

 

The Executive Board NOTED the report and welcomed the business case.

12.

Skills pdf icon PDF 198 KB

To consider the attached report by Graham Hughes, Executive Director (Cambridgeshire County Council).

Additional documents:

Decision:

The Executive Board AGREED:

 

(1)        To adopt the model of the Skills Service and its governance described in the report.

 

(2)        To request that officers establish it so that it can start work at the beginning of the next academic year (September 2015).

 

(3)        That a Cambridge Area Partnership Secondary Head Teacher be co-opted onto the Working Group, with the current Chairman of the Cambridge Area Partnership being the Executive Board’s suggested nominee.

 

 

Minutes:

The Executive Board considered a report which outlined proposals for a Skills Service for the Greater Cambridge area.

 

Graham Hughes, Cambridgeshire County Council’s Executive Director of Economy, Transport and Environment, presented the report and referred to a working group that had been established consisting of Joint Assembly and Executive Board Members.  This group had met twice to consider options for the proposed City Deal Skills Service.

 

The business model for the Skills Service was set out in the report, which would act as an integrator and facilitate connections between schools, colleges and employers. This sought to guide students from education into working life, design curricula that fit local business needs, gather and share information on labour market trends and employer requirements, help young people think more strategically about their futures and provide activity programmes that offered students opportunities to improve their employability and careers awareness.  This approach had been unanimously supported by the working group.

 

Councillor Tim Bick, Chairman of the Joint Assembly, provided an update following consideration of this report at the meeting of the Assembly held on 3 June 2015.  He reported that Members welcomed the report, supporting its recommendations, and proposed that a Cambridge Area Partnership Secondary Head Teacher be co-opted onto the Working Group.  John Bridge, Chairman of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, suggested that the current Chairman of the Cambridge Area Partnership would be an appropriate appointment.

 

Councillor Lewis Herbert, Chairman of the Executive Board, sought clarity over the figures set out in the report and asked whether this would be sufficient for the Skills Service to operate effectively.  Mr Hughes confirmed that the funding set out in the report would enable the Skills Service to deliver what it had been set up to achieve.

 

The Executive Board AGREED:

 

(1)        To adopt the model of the Skills Service and its governance described in the report.

 

(2)        To request that officers establish it so that it can start work at the beginning of the next academic year (September 2015).

 

(3)        That a Cambridge Area Partnership Secondary Head Teacher be co-opted onto the Working Group, with the current Chairman of the Cambridge Area Partnership being the Executive Board’s suggested nominee.

13.

Greater Cambridge City Deal Work Programme and schedule of meetings pdf icon PDF 58 KB

To consider the Greater Cambridge City Deal Work Programme and schedule of meetings.  Future meetings of the City Deal Executive Board are scheduled to be held as follows:

 

4 August 2015 – 2pm (Cambourne)

9 September 2015 – 2pm (Cambourne)

1 October 2015 – 2pm (Cambridge)

3 November 2015 – 2pm (Cambridge)

3 December 2015 – 2pm (Cambourne)

 

 

Minutes:

The Executive Board noted the City Deal work programme and agreed to cancel its meeting scheduled to be held on 9 September 2015.  Future meetings were therefore confirmed as follows:

 

4 August 2015 – 2pm (Cambourne)

1 October 2015 – 2pm (Cambridge)

3 November 2015 – 2pm (Cambridge)

3 December 2015 – 2pm (Cambourne)