Update 16th September 2020
Dear all,
Update 16th September, 2020
Apologies for the short notice but I have just been forwarded the information below. The first webinar for residents is this evening, the next one tomorrow morning!
Residents Associations/Parish Council webinars:
The Shared Planning Service have now published the responses that were received to the Greater Cambridge Local Plan First Conversation consultation in early 2020 (including the Call for Sites and Call for Green Sites), and the 2019 Call for Sites. The responses can be viewed on the website, www.greatercambridgeplanning.org/localplan.
There are Frequently Asked Questions on our website which we will be updating regularly.
The Shared Planning Service will be holding some webinars to answer questions about the information they are publishing. The webinar details are:
Residents Associations/Parish Council webinars:
- Wednesday 16 September, 5-6pm via Zoom.
Q&A – join the online Zoom webinar event
Passcode 908914
- Thursday 17 September, 10-11am via Zoom.
Q&A – join the online Zoom webinar event
Passcode 748178
Public webinars:
- Monday 21 September, 12-1pm via Zoom.
Q&A – join the online Zoom webinar event
Passcode 221515
- Tuesday 22 September, 12-1pm via Zoom.
Q&A – join the online Zoom webinar event
Passcode 739543
List of Developer sites submitted for Cambridgeshire
See helpful twitter thread from BBC Cambs. Click on link below. Greater Cambridge Shared planning service will now assess which sites are suitable to take forward to next stage
bit.ly/3knNXdk pic.twitter.com/G39qoZC7Gj
We will be following up on today’s developer sites announcement. Let us know what you think. At this on line event ‘Doubling Nature’ organised by the local nature partnership Natural Cambridgeshire
https://naturalcambridgeshire.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Launch-programme_16.9.20.pdf
attendees asked about green spaces and the River Cam, water companies & about chalk streams. There were also questions about conflicts of interest and who is “prioritising” landscapes for protection & funding.
Councillor Pippa Heylings, South Cambs Vice chair of South Cambs planning council referred to recent workshops held on green spaces. As far as we are aware no workshops have been organised by the planners for city residents. If you know of any please let us know.
Natural Cambridgeshire
The local nature partnership’s plan for ‘scoping nature for investment’ includes proposals for visitor led parks, community orchards, woods and linear river parks.
See extracts. link below.
Extracts from Natural Cambridgeshire Scoping Nature for Investment
But Chris Bowden the author of their ‘Scoping Nature for Investment plan ’ warns, see p 139, ‘be aware that, especially in the OxCam arc, funding from net gain is directly related to development, i.e. no development/housing = no section 106 funded net gain. So, in relying upon section 106 net gain funding you are effectively supporting continued growth and development’.
At Natural Cambridgeshire’s ‘Doubling Nature’ event Oxford ecologist Professor David Rogers asked the board members of Natural Cambridgeshire and those presenting and speaking at the event about the plans for ‘doubling nature to mitigate the high level of growth proposed for Cambridgeshire
“Wanting to double nature and develop at the same time is wanting to “have cake and eat cake”. It can’t be done, without limits either on Nature or Development. Will your initiative define ‘red lines’ for development? If so, how? And how will you persuade both Developers and Government ? The former – at all the Ox-Cam Arc conferences I have attended – are still working towards the aspirational one million new houses across the Arc (confirmed in the 2019 Government Spring Statement). The latter proposes changes to the Assessment of Housing Need that would require Cambs to INCREASE its housing target (because houses are so expensive”.
A reminder of the Local plan (2018) omission sites and promoters and MP Steve Barclay’s complaint (2017) to the Auditor General
2018 local plan omission sites and promoters. In 2017 MP Steve Barclay, now Chief Secretary to the Treasury, wrote a letter of complaint to the Auditor General , Sir Amyas Morse, in which he expressed concerns about LEP and City Deal funding and conflicts of interest. Some of the concerns he raised about developers and conflicts of interest were investigated by the Public Accounts Committee, but not all of the concerns he raised. The new Auditor General is Dame Fiona Reynolds.
Dame Fiona Reynolds is also chair of Cambridge’s Centre for Science and Policy Advisory Group
http://www.csap.cam.ac.uk/about-csap/people/governance/advisory-council/
The Director of Planning, Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Pedro Wrobel is a new CSAP fellow. see link below
http://www.csap.cam.ac.uk/network/pedro-wrobel/
https://www.fecra.org.uk/update-may-2017/
Concerns about conflicts of interest were raised by RA reps with the Director of Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service, Stephen Kelly See Q 9, 10. 11.
http://www.fecra.org.uk/docs/Meeting%20with%20Stephen%20Kelly%207.10.1919.pdf
Concerns expressed by residents and river groups to FeCRA about conflicts of interest and raised with the Environment Committee
Letter to Chair of Environment and Sustainability Committee
The Environment Committee subsequently approved the appointment to the board of Natural Cambs of a councillor who works for Affinity Water. Affinity Water are a member of the board of Water Resources East. Water Resources has been set up by Anglian Water. It is working closely with the Environment Agency, see Natural Cambridgesnhires’ ‘Scoping Nature for Investment plan, p 133.
Some of you may have seen the recent letter in the Cambridge News written by the hydrologist and groundwater specialist Dr Sarah Beeson. Dr Beeson is Anglian Water’s former Head of Evidence and Water Quality. The letter concerns Anglian Water’s relocation of the sewage works. As Anglian Water have confirmed this relocation of the sewage works, funded by the UK tax payer, is not taking place for operational reasons but to enable development. Click on links below.
https://twitter.com/greenarteries/status/1306115255639183361/photo/1
see also
ENDS Report 17 August 2020 Controversial new town could damage chalk streams warns EA
Env Agency response to Northstowe Phase 3A planning application 7th August 2020
Letter to Planning about Worts Causeway Land at Newbury Farm
Chalk Aquifer Alliance – event Sept 23 with Feargal Sharkey
https://chalkaquiferalliance.wordpress.com/
The Chalk Aquifer alliance is a network of river groups and organisations standing up for chalk streams across the chalk aquifer of England.
https://chalkaquiferalliance.wordpress.com/events/
Sept 23 – Feargal Sharkey – Seven Deadly Sins- the seven lies told to you by water companies and the Environment Agency
“Following a successful career in the music industry, keen fly fisherman Feargal Sharkey OBE is now chairman of Amwell Magna Fishery, the oldest angling club in Britain still fishing the same water. He is an outspoken critic of the national bodies tasked with managing our rivers and the environment, and an active campaigner for rivers. In this talk he will argue that we have been repeating the same mistakes on chalk streams for over 30 years, and explain what, in his view, needs to change.
Free. All welcome. Click here to register in advance and joining instructions will be sent to you”
Best wishes,
Wendy
Wendy Blythe
Chair, FeCRA
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