Update 11th December 2019
Dear all,
Update 11th December, 2019
Invitation to Council Leader’s Briefing “Cambridge 2020 and Beyond”
Friday 17 January 2020, 6.00 – 7.30pm RSVP by 10 January
A reminder that if you want to attend the re scheduled briefing you need to RSVP to Kathy.Brown@cambridge.gov.uk
Oxford Cambridge Arc
With polling day tomorrow a number of the questions you raised earlier with the Director of Greater Cambridge Shared Planning have featured as hustings topics and been the focus of recent events, reports and consultations. For an update on how politicians along the Oxford Cambridge Arc view the Expressway and a million homes see the latest news update, 9 Dec from
River Cam water crisis and natural capital
The UK Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium (ITRC), a collaboration of seven universities including Cambridge University is mapping ‘existing high value natural capital assets for the Oxford Cambridge Arc as well as potential future strategic networks of green Infrastructure, to inform decisions before sites are allocated for development.
https://www.itrc.org.uk/consultation-dissemination-event-november-2019/
Researchers are working with Natural Cambridgeshire and the Environment Agency on a local natural capital plan for ‘doubling local nature’.
They are also modelling water supply for the Arc. This does not include the water supplied from Cambridge Water’s chalk aquifers. Simon Hawkins Area Director for East Anglia has written to the Exec Councillor for Planning Katie Thornburrow to say that new reservoirs are unlikely in the next ten years and there is no easy fix to the River Cam water crisis and the chalk stream issues of the wider catcnment.
The River Cam is a major natural capital asset listed in the Cambridge Local Plan. Section 27 of the Water Act 2003 allows revocation of abstraction licences only in cases where ‘’serious damage’’ is considered. No action will be taken in relation to permanent licences until 1 January 2028 in order to allow Defra’s catchment based approach to abstraction to establish. The CamEO catchment is run by Anglian Water see http://fecra.org.uk/river-cam/
At a recent Oxbridge Arc event sponsored by Bidwells, Pinsent and LDA Design, Professor Dieter Helm Chair of the Natural Capital Committee, made a strong case for building nature and ecosystem services into land use, forestry and agricultural decisions. He stressed the importance of long term risk assessment in ensuring net environmental gain, in perpetuity, despite development.
A developers group led by Bidwells is calling for development corporations to be set up for the Oxford Cambridge arc with special planning and compulsory purchase powers. The group have launched a “Radical Regeneration Manifesto” . There is also a government consultation on setting up development corporations. See links below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RllbtxIMxL4&feature=emb_title .
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/development-corporation-reform-technical-consultation
Cambridgeshire County Council’s new Climate Change and Environment Strategy consultation
Online consultation from 20 December 2019 to 31 January 2020 https://consultcambs.uk.engagementhq.com/climate-strategy.
They are keen to get feedback. If you would like a member of their team to come and discuss the strategy with your RA please let us know.
The Flying Pig and 104-112 Hills Road
https://www.104-112hillsroad.co.uk/
Some of you have expressed concerns about Pace Investments plans for The Flying Pig and about the eight/nine storeys or so along the length of the site.
There are concerns that if this goes ahead (which since the developer already has initial planning consent from some years back, it may well do) it reinforces the precedent for the rest of Cambridge.
The website of Formation Architects based in London https://formationarchitects.co.uk/projects/ features what looks like an scheme for the surrounding plots round Botanic House and plans for the North Cambridge Station area as well as for the remaining plots for the Cambridge central station area. If you look at the Cambridge North drawing, you will see a circular tower drawn in the north western corner. There are about twelve floors, The rest are about 6 – 8 storeys.
We will be posting an update about the North East Area Action Plan. Three scenarios are proposed for the Milton sewage site, two of them include plans for eleven to thirteen storeys.
Best wishes,
Wendy
Wendy Blythe
Chair, FeCRA
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