Tag: Northstowe

Northstowe Two approved with affordable provision halved

08:19 Thursday 30th July 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: Another 3,500 homes have been given the go-ahead at Northstowe. The new town is being built between the villages of Oakington and Longstanton in South Cambridgeshire, the ones that were choked with traffic yesterday when the A14 was blocked of course. After lengthy discussions councillors agreed on the planning application for Phase 2 of the new town, and our political reporter Hannah Olsson was at yesterday’s meeting. Good morning.
HANNAH OLSSON: Good morning Chris.
CHRIS MANN: So tell us what’s in Phase 2.
HANNAH OLSSON: Well as well as the 3,500 homes we’ve got two primary schools, a secondary school, the town centre and sports hub, so a really significant part of Northstowe. We’re now at 5,000 homes, with the 1,500 agreed in Phase 1. This is the phase that the Government took over as the developer for last year, putting in their detailed planning application through the Homes and Communities Agency back in August.
CHRIS MANN: This is a long running story. It’s taken ages to get to this point.
HANNAH OLSSON: Yes, and not just yesterday’s six hours. And that’s because councillors wanted to get it right. The ambition is for this to be an exemplar town. That phrase was mentioned a lot yesterday, And throughout discussions some of the issues that came up with Cambourne and Orchard Park were mentioned, with everyone keen to learn from some mistakes that happened there, particularly the community facilities. And it was this aspect that was being signed off yesterday, the so-called 106 agreement in the planning application, which is the amount of money that the developers must guarantee will be spent on things like schools, health centres and community hubs. One of the councillors who spoke at yesterday’s meeting, the Leader of the LibDems on South Cambridgeshire Council Bridget Smith spoke of wanting to avoid it becoming a rurally isolated ghetto, with nowhere for residents to meet or socialise, particularly in the early stages.
CHRIS MANN: OK.
HANNAH OLSSON: So compromises did have to be made. The Council had originally asked for £86 million in investment, but the figure agreed with the Homes and Communities Agency is now £73 million. There’s also a compromise on affordable housing. The South Cambridgeshire policy is for 40% affordable homes, but the HCA said it’s only viable to have 20% of affordable homes at the moment, but this will be reviewed as more houses are built and sold. Some councillors do still have concerns, particularly about the timing of when the facilities are going to be built, but you could audibly hear the sign of relief when it was eventually voted through by all but one of the committee, not least from the man sat next to me, the Chair of Northstowe Joint Development Committee, Tim Wotherspoon.
CHRIS MANN: So Tim, how significant is this?
TIM WOTHERSPOON: oh it’s hugely significant. Yes. We’ve now cleared the way for the first half of the town, the first 5,000 homes to go forward for detailed planning preparation and delivery. It’s a huge step forward for South Cambridgeshire.
CHRIS MANN: OK. Yesterday we saw these villages absolutely jammed with traffic when the A14 was blocked, and some people saying why build them when you’ve got these road problems still going on. What’s your answer to that?
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Cambridgeshire Local Plan – Inspector calls for more evidence

17:21 Wednesday 1st July 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: People in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire are to be consulted once more on how the area’s councils can deliver thousands of new houses. Last month a Government inspector said more work must be done on the Local Plan, which maps out long term development for the two districts. Cambridge City and South Cambs will work together to address those concerns. Well let’s find out more from councillor Robert Turner, who is South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning, who joins me now. Robert, hello.
ROBERT TURNER: Good afternoon Chris, and good afternoon to all your listeners.
CHRIS MANN: So a bit of a slap on the wrist for you guys from these Inspectors. They said that you hadn’t done enough and your ideas were all wrong basically.
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Northstowe development decision against minimum room size

07:08 Tuesday 14th April 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: There are fears that Northstowe’s standing as an exemplar new development is at risk. Efforts to set a minimum standard size of rooms in houses built in Phase I of the development have been turned down by a Government planning inspector. The developers Gallaghers appealed against South Cambridgeshire District Council’s planning conditions for up to 1500 of the first homes to be built. Alex Riley is the Conservative district councillor for Longstanton and is on the Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee. Morning Alex.
ALEX RILEY: Good morning.
DOTTY MCLEOD: So why did you want to have this standard in place?
ALEX RILEY: Well in the UK we now have the situation that we have the smallest room sizes in the whole of Europe, and the terrifying thing is that our room sizes keep getting smaller. And people keep finding that they’ve bought houses that aren’t really fit for purpose. And those of us on the Committee really bought into the idea that we wanted Northstowe to be something special, exemplar is the word that gets bandied about. And we thought well the least we can do is ensure that the rooms are of a decent size.
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Tim Wotherspoon on Northstowe Phase II

07:07 Thursday 26th March 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: It is one of the largest planned new developments in the country. It could become the biggest new town in the country since Milton Keynes. But there’s still a question mark over the future of Northstowe in Cambridgeshire. Councillors met yesterday, but the meeting at South Cambridgeshire District Council was adjourned after more than five hours. Up to 10,000 homes could be built on land between Oakington and Longstanton, just north of the A14. To give you an idea of the size of this planned development, that would be more homes than there are currently in Ely. In a moment we’ll be talking to the councillor in charge of strategic planning at South Cambridgeshire District Council, but first Emma Howgego has been looking back at the history of Northstowe so far.
EMMA HOWGEGO: It was 17 years ago in 1998 that the town of Northstowe was first proposed on the site of Oakington Barracks, which closed down in the mid-1990s. The Government acquired the land and initially turned it into an immigration reception centre, which closed down in 2010. Since then plans to build 10,000 homes and the associated infrastructure have been discussed, debated and adjusted. So where are we now with Northstowe? Well outline planning permission for the north end of the town known as Phase I which includes 1500 homes has already been approved. Clearing work on the site is already underway, and construction work on the infrastructure is due to start on site in the next few weeks. According to the Northstowe website, the first homes will be ready to move into next year. The first primary school opens in September 2016. But that means there are still 8,500 homes that haven’t been given planning permission. That’s where Phase II comes in. This is the big part of the new town, the shops, the town centre, the secondary school and the guided busway extension, along with 3,500 homes. But there is one issue. This stage is reliant on the A14 upgrade going ahead, as Cllr Tim Wotherspoon explained to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire last week.
(TAPE)
TIM WOTHERSPOON: What we’re specifying in the report and you’ll see is the bit between Swavesey and Girton, which is obviously the bit on which Northstowe depends, particularly the new Bar Hill junction. That has to be finished before there are any occupations in Phase II.
(LIVE)
EMMA HOWGEGO: And that is the key point here. Over the years the A14 has been consulted on, approved, then scrapped by the Government, then re-proposed with a toll, the toll was abolished, and it is now at the stage of being consulted on again. And with a General Election just six weeks away, who knows what will happen if a new government comes into power.
DOTTY MCLEOD: Emma Howgego reporting there. Well with me now is Tim Wotherspoon, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Cabinet member for Strategic Planning. What happened at this meeting yesterday Tim? Why no decision?
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Developers warned of flood risk around Huntingdon and Alconbury

07:41 Tuesday 20th January 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: The area around Huntingdon has been named among the top twenty areas of the country that’s most at risk of flooding. A campaign has been launched today by the Association of British Insurers, who say annual flood defence spending needs to rise to £1 billion a year by 2025 in order to meet the rising flood threat in the UK. It’s also calling for no new homes to be built in flood risk areas. Tom Horn is in Alconbury near Huntingdon, a village that faces challenges with flooding. What can you tell us Tom?
(OB)
TOM HORN: Yes Dotty good morning. It’s a cold white frosty morning here. I’m on the medieval bridge which has arches spanning Alconbury Brook, which runs through the village. It’s on The Green, a lovely picturesque green, lots of trees, and surrounded by houses on either side. But of course, as you’ve been hearing, this area is among the top twenty places most at risk from flooding in England. With me here is Ray Pickering, who runs the Alconbury Flood Plain Facebook page, and is a flood risk consultant. Morning Ray. So what issues does this area face with flooding?
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Government Northstowe announcement decried

08:07 Thursday 4th December 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: ‘Unfortunate’. That’s the word that’s been used by the Leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council to describe the local authority’s surprise at Government plans to take over housebuilding at Northstowe. In this week’s National Infrastructure Plan the Government announced a pilot project to build and sell thousands of new homes at Northstowe itself, rather than rely on developers. Here’s what South Cambridgeshire District Council Leader Ray Manning had to say when I spoke to him earlier on.
(TAPE)
RAY MANNING: I think it was unfortunate that they didn’t choose to tell us beforehand, but I think the announcement has all the hallmarks of being done very quickly at the last minute to get in the Budget Statement.
(LIVE)
DOTTY MCLEOD: Ray Manning also going on to say he doesn’t feel this shake-up is a direct criticism of the Council, because the recession is what slowed progress with the new town.
(TAPE)
RAY MANNING: The truth is that we did have a recession, but there was money was difficult, and developers are not going to build houses unless the market is buoyant and they’ve virtually sold them off-plan. So what Danny Alexander said was quite true, that the Government can afford to build the houses without waiting to sell them first.
(LIVE)
DOTTY MCLEOD: Well the Government does say that with its involvement, development will be twice as fast as conventional routes, and it says it has been discussing Northstowe with the Council for years. Let’s talk to Sebastian Kindersley. He’s the Liberal Democrat councillor for Gamlingay on Cambridgeshire County Council. So Sebastian the Government say that you’ve already known about this. They didn’t surprise you with this announcement. What’s your reaction to that?
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South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge Local Plans go to Inspector

07:07 Thursday 11th September 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: An independent Government inspector will outline today how she’ll access plans to build 33,000 new homes in and around Cambridge by 2031. The South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge Local Plan includes a new town north of Waterbeach, a new village at Bourn Airfield, and a major extension to Cambourne, as well of course as the massive Northstowe development. It also continued development of the area around Cambridge railway station, and sites on the edge of the city. The Inspector, Miss Laura Graham, will set the scene for how a series of hearings over the coming months will be carried out. The homes are part of a plan that it’s hoped will create 44,000 jobs in the area. Well Robert Turner is the Cabinet Member for Planning on South Cambridgeshire District Council. Robert, remind us what is in the Local Plan for Cambridgeshire. What are the keynotes of the Plan for the district?
ROBERT TURNER: Well first of all good morning to you and to your viewers. Well this is an exciting time for us here in South Cambridgeshire. We are trying to create 22,000 jobs within South Cambridgeshire, 19,000 new homes which will be going forward. Like you said in your earlier report, a Miss Laura Graham has been appointed as the Inspector, who will be carrying out the pre-hearing meetings today at two o’clock in the Guildhall. We’re looking forward to the start date, which will be hopefully confirmed some time for the middle of October.
DOTTY MCLEOD: Robert, what happens if Miss Laura Graham comes along, and she doesn’t like what you have put in front of her?
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Mark Lloyd on Government by Committee at Cambridgeshire County Council

08:07 Tuesday 13th May 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: Let’s get into the committee system that Cambridgeshire County Council are adopting today. They voted to abandon the local government cabinet model in May last year. Later this morning roles within the new system will be allocated. It’s proven to be a controversial decision, inciting Leader Martin Curtis to hand in his resignation. This is an edited excerpt from Martin Curtis’s blog, which has been voiced by one of our journalists.
VOICEOVER: “As I stand down as Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council I thought I would end my term of office with a series of articles which highlight where I think Cambridgeshire is on a service by service basis, and explain the concerns about why the change of direction forced on the Council is not good for you the Cambridgeshire resident. My view has always been that the decision to implement committees as the response to moving to no overall control was wrong. The decision to move to committees was made at the first full Council meeting after May’s election, with 39 out of 69 councillors newly elected. More than half of the Council had no experience of working in a county council. In those circumstances, nobody could convince a reasonable person that it was a well thought out decision, but it was one that practically ties us to a committee system for five years. So if it doesn’t work, the decision made in haste without any depth of thought leaves you the council tax payer stuck with a failing system for the next five years.”
PAUL STAINTON: That’s Martin Curtis’ words voiced up by one of our journalists. Not a big fan it’s safe to assume. He describes it as a decision made in haste without any depth of thought, and he claims it’s a system no longer supported by the majority of the Council. However we heard earlier from Catherine Staite the Director of University of Birmingham’s Institute of Local Government Studies. She says there are pros and cons to each system, and the success of the Council will depend on how councillors work with officers.
(TAPE)
CATHERINE STAITE: A lot of backbenchers have got frustrated in the cabinet and scrutiny system, feeling that they as local members don’t have the amount of say that they would like to have, and therefore they feel that by spreading the power across committees, that would give more people opportunities. I think that does work to a certain extent, but I think a local authority the size of Cambridgeshire is an enormous business. It requires strategic leadership, and there’s a risk that if you spread the power out too widely, it would take too long to make a decision.
(LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: That’s Catherine. Well joining me in the studio now is Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire County Council Mark Lloyd. Mark, morning.
MARK LLOYD: Good morning.
PAUL STAINTON: Nice to see you. Is this true democracy at work now, or are we going to be in some sort of state of paralysis as is the fear?
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