Update May 2017

Dear All,

General Election: Cambridge Virtual Hustings, hosted by FeCRA  

FeCRA organised virtual hustings with four of our local candidates. (For reasons beyond his control, the Conservative candidate was not able to participate before our deadline. We have given him an opportunity to address your questions. This will be posted on the FeCRA You Tube channel shortly). Each candidate was asked the same four questions. Their responses were filmed by Mill Road TV.

View the candidates here and please subscribe to FeCRA’s You Tube Channel.

 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfNi__I8Dl92Aj7QQw0RKMA

There is a short FeCRA Opinion in this week’s Cambridge Independent regarding the elections.

Among the questions you asked us to put to MP candidates was the issue of sustainable growth and the need to properly assess the cumulative impacts of developments before any decisions are made and to bring the Universities, the Colleges and Councils together with residents in decision making.

You felt that it was important that the Local Plan process and any associated plans for modelling the future of Cambridge are seen to be genuinely open and democratic, and with sufficient weight being given to the environment, the character of Greater Cambridge, and citizens’ rights to happiness and well being.

I am therefore sending a full summary of the issues to be considered in the forthcoming Local Plan Hearings, to make clear what is proposed for each area and who the promoters are.

Local Plan Hearings start in July. The sites under discussion are all in the Green Belt and  are referred to as omission sites because the Councils have omitted these sites from allocation in the Local Plans. Members of the public may attend the hearings, but may not speak.

The sessions, which will be held at South Cambridgeshire Hall in Cambourne, will be as follows:

5^th July 2017 –   morning session, Matter M11.1 – land west of  Hauxton Road

11^th July 2017 – morning session, Matter M11.2 – land north of Barton Road and Grange Farm

                         afternoon session, Matter M11.5 – land  at Fen  Ditton

12^th July 2017 – morning session, Matter M11.3 – Cambridge south

                          afternoon session, Matter M11.4 – Cambridge South East

Morning sessions start at 10.00 am and afternoon sessions start at 2.00pm.  Please note that these dates may be subject to change so check the City Council Website for updates

https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/local-plan-review-hearing-sessions

Omission Site M11.1 – Land west of Hauxton Road (South of Trumpington)

Also known as the sporting village/community stadium (home to a relocated Abbey Stadium) with associated residential development.  No specific dwelling numbers proposed.  The site is being promoted by Grosvenor Estates and Wrenbridge Ltd.  A map of the site can be found via the following link:

https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/public/ldf/draft_submission/reps/27128%20-%20attachment%20b.pdf

M11.1 Site Promoters

Grosvenor are the developer of Trumpington Meadows, with Barratt  Homes. Jeremy  Newsum (Grosvenor’s former Group Chief Executive, and a Trustee of the Grosvenor Estate from 1993 to the end of last year) is a member of Cambridge Ahead (CA), the business lobby group he founded with others, including David Cleevely, the co-founder of Cambridge Network and the biotech company Abcam plc. Jeremy Newsum is on Cambridge University’s North West and West Estates Board. He is on CA member Trinity College’s finance committee, along with a member of the City Deal Board. Wrenbridge are the developers of the Newmarket Rd/Cheddar Lane 316 beds student accommodation flats scheme which is not affiliated to any one education body.

Omission Site M11.2 –   Cambridge South

Meadows owned by Jesus College and the Pemberton family, 300 acres south of Addenbrookes   This site is being promoted by Pigeon Land, Jesus College and Trumpington Hill Farm/Pemberton Trustees. The proposal is for a science park and 1,250 dwellings.  A map of the site can be found via the following link:

https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/public/ldf/draft_submission/reps/27525f%20Email.pdf

M11.2 Site Promoters

Jesus College is a member of CA. Jesus College’s Master, Professor Ian White was until 2016 a member of the Greater Cambridge Peterborough LEP. (He was replaced by another CA Member, Anglia Ruskin University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Sir Iain Martin. ARU are the employer of a member of the City Deal Board). Jesus College is a Brookgate stakeholder (Brookgate is the CB1 developer of Cambridge Station and Cambridge North Station ). Brookgate is a CA member. Pigeon Land CEO James Buxton is a CA member..

MP Stephen Barclay, (http://stevebarclay.net/category/blog/ ) refers to both Pigeon Land and the Pemberton’s land interest in his blog post of 7 March, 2017

UPDATE MAY 2019: For clarity we’ve re-posted his letter to the Auditor General and the important statement concerning the LEP which for some reason has since disappeared from his blog site, so we’ve reposted the missing document here.

These concerns Barclay raised about the LEP, Cambridge Ahead, the City Deal and Cambridge City Council were investigated by the National Audit Office.

Omission Site M11.3 –   North of Barton Road and Grange Farm

Land north of Barton Road is being promoted by the Barton Road Land Owners Group (represented by Carter Jonas) and is for 1,500 dwellings, split equally across Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District Council.  The group is also seeking to safeguard land to the south of Barton Road for possible future development.  A map of the land north of Barton Road can be viewed via the following link:

https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/public/ldf/draft_submission/reps/27506h%20Email.pdf

A map of the proposed safeguarded land south of Barton Road can be found on page 51 of the following link:

 https://egov.scambs.gov.uk/ldf/scannedrepsjuly2013/59609%20Representation%20Response.pdf

The Grange Farm site is being promoted by St John’s College (represented by Savills) for residential development (no specific dwelling numbers proposed).  A map of the site can be found via the following link:

https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/public/ldf/draft_submission/reps/27966%20-%20Site%20Plan.pdf

M11.3 Promoters

The North Barton Road Landowners group includes Jesus College (CA), Downing College, Corpus Christi (CA) and Cambridge University. Cambridge University used to be a member of Cambridge Ahead. Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) is still a CA member. A High Court Judgement in 2008 refused consent for development of the Coton  green corridor because of the importance of the landscape for the setting of the city and because the lack of roads/busways made the site unsustainable.  University and College objections to the Local Plan state too much weight has been given to setting considerations. City Deal plans for off -highway bus routes cutting through the Coton Corridor and West Fields make all the M11.3 Omission site development more sustainable.

The South Barton Road Landowners group includes Corpus Christi College (CA member), Queen’s College, King’s College and Selwyn College. The SBRLOG representative Carter Jonas is a member of CA.

St John’s College, the Grange Farm omission site promoter, is a member of CA, as is Savills. (St John’s College and Savills are also promoting large Omission sites round Stapleford and Shelford).

Omission Site M11.4   Cambridge South East (around Worts Causeway and Lime Kiln, up to the Gogs)

This site is being promoted by Commercial Estates Group (CEG, represented by Bidwells) for a residential led mixed use development comprising 3,000-4,000 dwellings (around 825-1,100 in SCDC and the remainder in Cambridge).  A map of the site can be found in section 3 of the following link: 

 https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/public/ldf/draft_submission/reps/28102%208%20Cambridge%20South%20East%20Vision%20Document%20-%20Civic%20Studio.pdf

M 11.4 Promoter

CEG, promoting Lime Kiln/Worts Causeway fielded a team of 5 at the Cambridge Local Plan hearings. This team included the QC Peter Village (rated no.1 for Residential, 2017 Planning Magazine, Planning Law Survey) and Matthew Spry from the planning and development consultancy Nathaniel Lichfield Ltd. Spry is a member of the DCLG Local Plan Expert Advisers team. CEG are working closely with Cambridge BioMedical Campus/CUH. All are CA members.

Omission Site M11.5   Land at Fen Ditton

This site (which is in South Cambridgeshire) is being promoted by The Quy Estate for residential led mixed use development of 400 – 500 dwellings. 

A site map can be viewed via the following link:

http://scambs.opus4.co.uk/planning/localplan/maps/demo#/x:549116/y:260488/z:6/b:14/

A number of you were pleased FeCRA were able to film some of the previous Local Plan Hearings. Filming costs in the region of £100 per day. FeCRA does not charge a membership fee. It is run entirely by volunteers.

We aim to try and record important meetings because so many of you say you are not able to attend but want to know what has been said.  If you can, please do please make a donation so this is possible.

You can do so with cash or a cheque made payable to FeCRA.

Please send it to FeCRA,  269 Hills Road, CB2 8RP.

If you would like any further information about giving a donation please contact  FeCRA Committee members or myself the Chair (01223 248857).

Best wishes,

Wendy

Wendy Blythe,

wendy.blythe.fecra@gmail.com

 Wendy Blythe