Agenda item

North East Cambridge Area Action Plan: Proposed Submission (Regulation 19)

Appendix I1: Typologies Study and Development Capacity Assessment had previously been published with two appendices (Appendix A and Appendix B) needing to be updated. This has now been added for completeness whilst the document has been updated and reformatted to reflect editorial changes including compatibility with accessibility requirements.

Decision:

Cabinet:

 

a)    Agreed the North East Cambridge Area Action Plan: Proposed Submission (Regulation 19) (Appendix A1) and Proposed Submission Policies Map (Appendix A2) for future public consultation, contingent upon the separate Development Control Order being undertaken by Anglian Water for the relocation of the Waste Water Treatment Plant being approved; 

b)    Noted the Draft Final Sustainability Report (Appendix B), and Habitats Regulation Assessment (Appendix C) and agree them as supporting documents to the North East Cambridge Area Action Plan: Proposed Submission (Regulation 19) that will also be subject to future public consultation; 

c)    Agreed the following supporting documents to future public consultation: 

a.    Statement of Consultation, including the Councils’ consideration of and responses to representations received to the draft North East Cambridge Area Action Plan (Regulation 18) consultation 2020 (Appendix D); 

b.    Duty to Cooperate Compliance Statement (Appendix E); 

c.     Draft Duty to Cooperate Statement of Common Ground (Appendix F); 

d.    Equalities Impact Assessment (Appendix G); 

e.    Topic papers (Appendix H). 

d)    Agreed the findings of the following background evidence documents prepared by the Councils that have informed the North East Cambridge Area Action Plan: Proposed Submission and are proposed to accompany future public consultation: 

a.    Typologies Study and Development Capacity Assessment (Appendix I1); 

b.    Surface Water Drainage Core Principles (Appendix I2); 

c.     Chronology of the feasibility investigations of redevelopment of the Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant (Appendix I3).

e)     Noted the findings of the background evidence documents that have informed the North East Cambridge Area Action Plan: Proposed Submission and are proposed to accompany the public consultation (see Background documents to this report); 

f)      Agreed that any subsequent material amendments be made by the Cambridge Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Transport in consultation with Chair and Spokes, and by the South Cambridgeshire Lead Member for Planning, both in consultation with the JLPAG; 

g)    Agreed that any subsequent minor amendments and editing changes be delegated to the Joint Director of Planning and Economic in consultation with Cambridge Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Transport and by the South Cambridgeshire Lead Cabinet Member for Planning.

Minutes:

Cabinet received the Proposed Submission for the North East Cambridge Area Action Plan. Councillor Dr. Tumi Hawkins, Lead Cabinet Member for Planning Policy and Delivery introduced the report, thanking the Officers for their work in drafting the proposal, and detailing the sustainable regeneration and investment in the North East of Cambridge over the next twenty years, minimising emissions by encouraging modal shift to public transport. This report was brought to Cabinet following the public consultation in July 2020.

 

The Leader invited Councillor Judith Rippeth, Vice-Chair of the Scrutiny and Overview Committee to present the comments from their most recent meeting. Councillor Judith Rippeth thanked the Officers for delivering the final report, and the Scrutiny and Governance Adviser for the summary provided for Cabinet. The Committee noted the concerns about the capacity of Milton Country Park being exceeded and noted how this needed to be addressed but welcomed the commitment to the 20% Biodiversity Net Gain. The Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development was invited to respond and said that the AAP had considered the range of open space requirements and sought to strike a balance with the spaces provided on site. Policy in the AAP would provide for contributions to be made off site to meet needs where appropriate but that the proposals for expansion of Milton Country Park were not assured – and for this reason it would not be appropriate to earmark contributions explicitly to this location at this time.

 

Councillor John Williams, Lead Cabinet Member for Finance, believed that the proposal allowed for a sustainable form of development and should not be delayed, in order to enable the DCO process and subsequently the Greater Cambridge Local Plan to continue on their projected timetables. This in turn would ensure the councils have an up to date development plan for the area and prevent speculative development across the villages and Green Belt as was previously the case before the adoption of the current Local Plan.

 

Councillor Neil Gough, the Deputy Leader, was supportive of the report, and the proposed enhancements to the area, alongside the broader plans within the Greater Cambridge Local Plan, and access for residents to green, open spaces.

 

Councillor Brian Milnes, Lead Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Licencing, mentioned the potential for reducing car traffic as part of the proposal.

 

Councillor John Batchelor, Lead Cabinet Member for Housing, was pleased with the number of affordable houses that were part of the proposal.

 

Councillor Dr. Richard Williams asked whether delaying the Area Action Plan at this time would impact the Council’s Five-Year Housing Land Supply, and raised concerns about the water supply for the proposed development, requesting the project be delayed until the Water Management Plan had been published. The Leader invited the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development to respond. He confirmed that the AAP did not make a contribution to the Five-Year Housing Land Supply but delaying the plan process, may impact upon the Council having an up to date Local Plan to defend against planning decisions after 2023. By the time consultation began on the AAP, officers were confident that plans for meeting future water needs would be published by Water Resources East. 

 

Councillor Dr. Claire Daunton was pleased the comments from the Scrutiny and Overview Committee had been included within the report, especially the recommended heights on all developments and accessible housing for older residents.

 

Councillor Anna Bradnam was concerned at the lack of provisions for sport pitches, faith spaces, cemeteries as well as a road bridge to serve the Fen Road communities. The Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development noted the comments and advised that consideration had been given to meeting these needs on site and that significant space at ground floor was identified for a range of “Class E” uses which could accommodate community needs, including faith space, in addition to formal sports courts. The need for sports pitches and additional burial space had been considered as part of the plan process. Noting the trade-offs struck on informal and formal open space, officers considered that the burial and unmet on site formal open space needs could be met off site. The Joint Director commented that as detailed proposals for North East Cambridge were progressed, specific details could be discussed further with local communities, in particular through the Local Plan process. The Joint Director noted that Network Rail had not requested that land should be safeguarded for a new road bridge to serve the Fen Road community from North East Cambridge and that at this stage, it was not clear which would be the most suitable location for a new bridge once the technical requirements of the structure were taken into account as well as the financial implications on development viability of North East Cambridge.

 

The Leader closed the item, thanked Officers for their work in producing the report, and Cabinet:

 

a)    Agreed the North East Cambridge Area Action Plan: Proposed Submission (Regulation 19) (Appendix A1) and Proposed Submission Policies Map (Appendix A2) for future public consultation, contingent upon the separate Development Control Order being undertaken by Anglian Water for the relocation of the Waste Water Treatment Plant being approved; 

b)    Noted the Draft Final Sustainability Report (Appendix B), and Habitats Regulation Assessment (Appendix C) and agree them as supporting documents to the North East Cambridge Area Action Plan: Proposed Submission (Regulation 19) that will also be subject to future public consultation; 

c)    Agreed the following supporting documents to future public consultation: 

a.    Statement of Consultation, including the Councils’ consideration of and responses to representations received to the draft North East Cambridge Area Action Plan (Regulation 18) consultation 2020 (Appendix D); 

b.    Duty to Cooperate Compliance Statement (Appendix E); 

c.     Draft Duty to Cooperate Statement of Common Ground (Appendix F); 

d.    Equalities Impact Assessment (Appendix G); 

e.    Topic papers (Appendix H). 

d)    Agreed the findings of the following background evidence documents prepared by the Councils that have informed the North East Cambridge Area Action Plan: Proposed Submission and are proposed to accompany future public consultation: 

a.    Typologies Study and Development Capacity Assessment (Appendix I1); 

b.    Surface Water Drainage Core Principles (Appendix I2); 

c.     Chronology of the feasibility investigations of redevelopment of the Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant (Appendix I3).

e)     Noted the findings of the background evidence documents that have informed the North East Cambridge Area Action Plan: Proposed Submission and are proposed to accompany the public consultation (see Background documents to this report); 

f)      Agreed that any subsequent material amendments be made by the Cambridge Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Transport in consultation with Chair and Spokes, and by the South Cambridgeshire Lead Member for Planning, both in consultation with the JLPAG; 

g)    Agreed that any subsequent minor amendments and editing changes be delegated to the Joint Director of Planning and Economic in consultation with Cambridge Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Transport and by the South Cambridgeshire Lead Cabinet Member for Planning.

Supporting documents: