Agenda item

Appendices A, B and C are available only on the Council’s website.

Cabinet:

(a)  considered the main issues raised in the public consultation, and the comments of Scrutiny and Overview Committee;

(b)  agreed responses to the representations received and agreed consequential proposed changes to the SPD as set out in the Consultation Statement and Schedule of SPD Changes (attached as Appendices A and B to the report from the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development);

(c)   subject to (a), adopted the amended Bourn Airfield New Village SPD; and

(d)  delegated to the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development in liaison with the Deputy Leader, the authority to make any necessary editing changes to the SPD prior to publication including to the figures and spatial framework diagram to ensure consistency with the agreed text of the SPD.

Councillor Dr. Tumi Hawkins addressed Cabinet as the local Ward Member for Caldecote. She acknowledged the work undertaken by officers since the meeting in June 2019. However, some issues remained outstanding. These included

·         Access to and from the A428:

·         Traffic calming in local villages

·         Noise

·         Land use

Councillor Hawkins expressed frustration with the view that a vehicular access from the A428 dual carriageway to the Bourn Airfield site was inconsistent with Highways England policy. Traffic calming in nearby villages was an acknowledgement that rat-running was a serious possibility. Councillor Hawkins said that sites like Bourn Airfield were not necessarily going to be self-sufficient: people would still need to travel, including by private cars. Vehicular access to the Broadway was of concern to the residents of Bourn village: that road was simply not capable of carrying the anticipated amount of extra traffic. There was ongoing concern about the extent of the separation between Bourn Airfield and Caldecote, which should be enough to dispel fears about coalescence. Councillor Hawkins concluded by saying that the preservation or enhancement of the quality of life must be of paramount importance. Following her statement, Councillor Hawkins withdrew to the public gallery, took no part in the debate and did not vote.

The Deputy Leader (Statutory) introduced the debate.

Councillor Brian Milnes (Vice-Chairman of the Scrutiny and Overview Committee) said that South Cambridgeshire District Council had to accept that there was no prospect of an A428 access for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, he said, it was crucial that a high-quality public transport system be in place from the outset. Councillor Milnes drew attention to the summary of the Scrutiny and Overview Committee’s deliberation forming part of the report at agenda item 6. The Leader endorsed the need for public transport.

Referring to the issue of direct access to the A428, the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development said that the two principal considerations were safety and capacity. While the Supplementary Planning Document was constrained by policies contained within the Local Plan, he told those present that our consideration of the planning application for the new village  will be informed by a dedicated transport assessment, which will test the access assumptions in much more detail and which will be carefully scrutinised by officers including by  Cambridgeshire County Council and Highways England.

The Strategy and Economy Manager said that the Local Plan process had been very robust in relation to transport. The Supplementary Planning Document had been consistent in establishing mitigation measures to address the danger of rat-running as it was required to do by Local Plan policy.

The Leader commended efforts being made by South Cambridgeshire District Council in partnership with other stakeholders, including the Greater Cambridge Partnership and the Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority.

Councillor Peter Topping said that South Cambridgeshire District Council should be more proactive in demanding direct access from Bourn Airfield to the A428. This would help to buy goodwill from local villages otherwise threatened with rat-running.

Regarding rat-running the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development said that an appropriate Design Scheme should help to shape driving behaviour.

The Deputy Leader (Statutory) concluded that there was no realistic possibility of a junction but said that the delivery of a high quality public transport system was essential to make the new village as sustainable as possible.

The Leader thanked local groups and residents for their engagement with the planning of the new village at Bourn Airfield, and emphasised that transport would be a key consideration for testing through the planning application process.  Public safety would be very important in this work.  This Council would continue to work with the Combined Authority and the Greater Cambridge Partnership on the delivery of high quality public transport to serve the new village. 

Cabinet:

(a)  considered the main issues raised in the public consultation, and the comments of Scrutiny and Overview Committee;

(b)  agreed responses to the representations received and agreed consequential proposed changes to the SPD as set out in the Consultation Statement and Schedule of SPD Changes (attached as Appendices A and B to the report from the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development);

(c)   subject to (a), adopted the amended Bourn Airfield New Village SPD; and

(d)  delegated to the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development in liaison with the Deputy Leader, the authority to make any necessary editing changes to the SPD prior to publication including to the figures and spatial framework diagram to ensure consistency with the agreed text of the SPD.