Appendix 1: Adopted Local Plan Policies for North East Cambridge

South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018 (Extract)

Cambridge Northern Fringe East

3.29 Cambridge Northern Fringe East (CNFE) is located within the Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council authority boundaries. The majority of the area is within Cambridge withChesterton Sidings and part of the St John's innovation Park within South Cambridgeshire. An early review of the site through a jointly-prepared Area Action Plan (AAP) will ensure a coordinated approach is taken. This will enable the feasibility of development and its viability to be properly investigated and will ensure a comprehensive approach to redevelopment.

3.30 The railway station, on the sidings in South Cambridgeshire, will be served by the CambridgeshireGuided Busway and will include cycle parking facilities and car parking. The station will significantly improve the accessibility of the site and surrounding area including access to and from the Cambridge Business Park, St John's Innovation Park and Cambridge Science Park making the area a highly attractive business destination.

3.31 Cambridge North railway station will provide a catalyst for regeneration of this area. Early development around Cambridge North station could help create a vibrant area around this key infrastructure to meet the needs of users of the station and bring forward further phased delivery elsewhere within the CNFE area. Planning applications submitted before the adoption of the AAP will be considered on their own merits and subject to ensuring that they would not prejudice the outcome of the AAP process and the achievement of the comprehensive vision for the area as a whole that will be established by the AAP.

3.32 The adopted Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Minerals and Waste Core Strategy (2011) and Site Specific Proposals Plan (2012) designates a safeguarding area for the existing Cambridge Water Recycling Centre and another for an existing aggregates railhead; as well as a Waste Consultation Area for an existing waste management facility. In addition, it identifies an area of search for a household (waste) recycling centre to serve the north of Cambridge and an inert waste recycling facility. Any development proposals will need to be assessed against the above minerals and waste policies and specifically will need to prove they are compatible to ensure the existing safeguarded aggregates railhead and waste operations can continue without conflict.

3.33 The sidings, in South Cambridgeshire, currently have a number of businesses importing aggregate using the railway that is used for construction and road maintenance in the wider Cambridge area. This provides an important source of building materials for the wider area.

3.34 Exploration of the viability and feasibility of redevelopment of the Cambridge Water Recycling Centre within Cambridge City to provide a new treatment works facility either elsewhere or on the current site subject to its scale will be undertaken as part of the feasibility investigations in drawing up the AAP. If a reduced footprint were to be achieved on the current site this could release valuable land to enable a wider range of uses. Residential development could be an option subject to appropriate ground conditions, contamination issues, amenity and air quality.

3.35 The development of Cambridge Northern Fringe East will require partnership working between landowners and developers as well as the two local authorities and Cambridgeshire County Council. Highways England will also be engaged with in relation to strategic road network issues.

New Employment Provision near Cambridge

8.13 South Cambridgeshire has a good supply and range of existing employment sites. Additionally existing commitments with planning permission provide a wide variety and types of employment development, including significant opportunities at research parks for high technology and R&D, including at Granta Park, Babraham Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus and Cambridge Research Park. At March 2012 planning permission had been granted for 238,298m2 (80.3 hectares) of employment. In addition, there are opportunities for significant further provision at Northstowe, and Cambridge University's North West Cambridge development.

8.14 The Employment Land Review (2012) identified a particular need for office space in or on the edge of Cambridge. Opportunities have been identified on the northern fringe of Cambridge for additional employment development, taking advantage of the increased accessibility of the area as a result of by the Guided Busway and the planned Cambridge Science Park railway station. Cambridge Science Park has played a crucial role in establishing and supporting the research and development and high tech sectors since the 1970's. Some of the early phases were built at low densities and are forty years old, and there is scope for intensification or even redevelopment. Proposals will need to demonstrate they are compliant with other policies in the Local Plan, particularly in relation to design and transport.

8.15 The area around the Cambridge North Station itself has been identified for a high density mixed employment led development, providing a new gateway to the northern part of Cambridge (Policy SS/4).

Cambridge Local Plan 2018 (Extract)

Cambridge Northern Fringe East

Policy 15: Cambridge Northern Fringe East and new railway station Area of Major Change

The Cambridge Northern Fringe East and the new railway station will enable the creation of a revitalised, employment focussed area centred on a new transport interchange.

The area, shown on the Policies Map, and illustrated in Figure 3.3, is allocated for high quality mixed-use development, primarily for employment uses such as B1, B2 and B8, as well as a range of supporting commercial, retail, leisure and residential uses (subject to acceptable environmental conditions).

The amount of development, site capacity, viability, timescales and phasing of development will be established through the preparation of an Area Action Plan (AAP) for the site. The AAP will be developed jointly between Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council, and will involve close collaborative working with Cambridgeshire County Council, Anglian Water and other stakeholders in the area. The final boundaries of land that the joint AAP will consider will be determined by the AAP.

All proposals should:

1. take into account existing site conditions and environmental and safety constraints;
2. demonstrate that environmental and health impacts (including odour) from the Cambridge Water Recycling Centre can be acceptably mitigated for occupants;
3. ensure that appropriate access and linkages, including for pedestrians and cyclists, are planned for in a high quality and comprehensive manner;
4. recognise the existing local nature reserve at Bramblefields, the protected hedgerow on the east side of Cowley Road which is a City Wildlife Site, the First Public Drain, which is a wildlife corridor, and other ecological features, and where development is proposed, provide for appropriate ecological mitigation, compensation and enhancement measures either on- or off-site; and
5. ensure that due consideration has been given to safeguarding the appropriate future development of the wider site.

Supporting text:

3.30 Cambridge Northern Fringe East (CNFE) is within the Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council authority boundaries. The majority of the area is within Cambridge with Chesterton Sidings and part of the St. John's Innovation Park within South Cambridgeshire. An early review of the site through a jointly-prepared Area Action Plan will ensure a coordinated approach is taken. This will enable the feasibility of development and its viability to be properly investigated and will ensure a comprehensive approach to redevelopment.

3.31 The new railway station on the sidings in South Cambridgeshire will be served by the Cambridgeshire Busway and will include cycle parking facilities and car parking. The station will significantly improve the accessibility of the site and surrounding area, including access to and from the Cambridge Business Park, St John's Innovation Park and Cambridge Science Park, making the area a highly attractive business location.

3.32 The new railway station will provide a catalyst for regeneration of this area. Early development around the new station could help create a vibrant area around this key infrastructure to meet the needs of users of the station and bring forward further phased delivery elsewhere within the CNFE area. Planning applications will be considered on their own merits before the AAP has been adopted and subject to ensuring that they would not unduly prejudice the outcome of the AAP process and the achievement of the comprehensive vision for the area as a whole that will be established by the AAP.

3.33 The adopted Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Minerals and Waste Core Strategy (2011) and Site Specific Proposals Plan (2012) designate a safeguarding area for the existing Cambridge Water Recycling Centre and another for an existing aggregates railhead; as well as a Waste Consultation Area for an existing waste management facility. In addition, an area of search is identified for a household (waste) recycling centre to serve the north of Cambridge and an inert waste recycling facility. Any development proposals will need to be assessed against the above minerals and waste policies and specifically will need to prove they are compatible to ensure the existing safeguarded aggregates railhead and waste operations can continue without conflict.

3.34 The sidings, in South Cambridgeshire, currently have a number of businesses importing aggregate using the railway that is used for construction and road maintenance in the wider Cambridge area. This provides an important source of building materials for the wider area.

3.35 Exploration in respect of the viability and feasibility of redevelopment of the Cambridge Water Recycling Centre to provide a new treatment works facility either elsewhere or on the current site, subject to its scale will be undertaken as part of the feasibility investigations in drawing up the AAP. If a reduced footprint were to be achieved on the current site, this could release valuable land to enable a wider range of uses. Residential development could be an option, subject to appropriate ground conditions, contamination issues and amenity and air quality.

3.36 The development of Cambridge Northern Fringe East will require partnership working between landowners and developers, as well as the two local authorities and Cambridgeshire County Council. Highways England will also be engaged with on strategic road network issues.