Question 51: Generic Question
Summary of Contents: bpha is a Housing Association located in the Oxford to Cambridge arc committed to providing its customers with high quality, value for money services whilst continuing to develop energy efficient, sustainable and affordable housing. We are a leading provider and developer of affordable homes – for rent, sheltered, residential care and shared ownership. We work together with communities to improve opportunities, independence and quality of life for our residents, and to benefit the wider community. We bring people together, and run and support a wide range of community activities. All the money we make is used to invest in existing homes, to enable us to build new homes, and to deliver new and improved services. We own or manage over 19,000 homes and employ 400 staff. In 2018/19 we delivered 627 new homes these units are provided through a mix of contract types. We are experienced in the provision of s106 affordable homes, Joint Ventures, Umbrella Agreements, Strategic Partnerships and developments delivered solely by bpha. The purpose of these comments are to ensure the sustainable delivery of affordable housing across Greater Cambridge.
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Question 2. Please submit any sites for employment and housing you wish to suggest for allocation in the Local Plan. Provide as much information and supporting evidence as possible. Q2 Response: We are in a time of climate emergency. Sites which are given priority must: - have potential for great sustainable transport links (bus, cycles, walking) from day one - not be on or perilously near flood plains Developments which are given priority must: - be super energy efficient, going well beyond the basic standards provided by the Building Regulations. Passiv haus develpments should be considered first. - make active travel and playing out for children the norm: private motor vehicles must be sidelined, as the Dutch do.
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Summary of Comments: Prioritise: - People not motor vehicles - Sustainable transport - Super energy-efficient housing
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Question 2. Please submit any sites for employment and housing you wish to suggest for allocation in the Local Plan. Provide as much information and supporting evidence as possible. Q2 Response: • Development sites must support the sustainable transport goals of shifting the vast majority of everyday travel out of cars and into walking, cycling and public transport. • If it is not possible to produce a realistic Transport Assessment achieving that goal, then the site must be rejected. • It is important that sustainable transport is not only considered within the site but also the connections to the transport network and other sites. • Transport cannot be looked at in a silo. Transport, including cycling, is integral to planning of new developments and must be considered from the very start.
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Summary of Comments: Please plan around cycling and walking, and reducing the need for making short journeys by car.
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I agree that planning long term is essential. We need a vision for 2040 and interim operational milestones for 2025, 2030 and 2035. Cambridge must become an effective and exemplary “Sustainable City” as soon as possible.
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I agree that planning long term is essential. We need a vision for 2040 and interim operational and milestones for 2025, 2030 and 2035. Cambridge must become an effective and exemplary “Sustainable City” as soon as possible.
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Question 3: Please submit any sites for green space and wildlife habitats you wish to suggest for consideration through the Local Plan. Provide as much information and supporting evidence as possible. Q3 Response: This is not my space however there is a small green paddock at the end of Cambridge Road, Impington. It is directly beneath junction 32 of the A14 opposite 76 Cambridge Road, for air quality and other reasons this would be a brilliant space for rewilding I would love to see this space planted with trees. There is another paddock maybe 20 metres further up on the same side of the road this would also be a good spot for rewilding. Developing the site right next to junction 32 for housing would be an awful decision in particular for the quality of life for the new home owners. Building here would be in an air quality management area and also somewhere with horrific noise pollution which is proven to have serious long term health consequences. Planting this space with trees could turn this around and make a real difference it also provides some of the green gateway to Histon and Impington. Land registry reference file:///D:/Users/ed/Downloads/RegisterCB294047.pdf
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Many small villages have very poor bus service. Balsham and nearby villages have no service from Friday evening till Monday morning except one bus to Cambridge . Many senior citizens who have worked all their lives paying into the system now feel like prisoners in the village at weekends. Please consider the older generation who no longer have their own cars.
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The above was taken on our agenda at our January meeting last week. The Council resolved that it had no comment to make.
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Cambridge does need to expand outwards and not inwards. Cambridge has been left behind other cities in development. Especially for sports in the city The move for Cambridge uniteds new Staduim needs to be built where they are looking to build an eco and sustainable ground. Also this will free up land for houses. With the park and ride moved to the same site as the new staduim would be good, as this could make it a transport gateway as well. More solar panels on council homes to help cut emissons, improving roads and cycle ways in and around Cambridge, at the moment they are dire. Is there any way a direct bus lane can go into town without having to use existing roads? Councils need to make sure any land giving folr building homes must have so many council homes by devlopers. I look forward to your response.
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Hardwick residents published their views on local development as part of a questionnaire in 2018/19: http://www.hardwick-cambs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Hardwick-Village-Survey-Full-Answers.pdf My question to the GC planning team is, where can I see the evidence that these viewpoints have been accounted for in wider planning decisions? There is nothing so far I can identify which clearly reflects that residents are being listened to. There is no point catering to the needs of tomorrow if you are forgetting the needs of today. Questionnaires are a superior method for this, because they are a more scientific type of feedback than open-ended comments, allowing wider participation and better accuracy. That way, much of the upfront analysis effort does not have to be taken on by individuals with busy lives. I highly recommend studying the above link.
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For some time I've pondered ways of helping improve the experience of walking and spending time in Mill Road. This would involve improving the air quality in the road, by possibly reducing the quantity of traffic, and realising more space for pedestrians, and more greenery. So we need to find ways of making Mill Road a more attractive destination for visitors to the city centre, and these to operate in conjunction, as far as possible, with any traffic-reduction scheme, thus helping to assuage the traders' fears and objections to traffic reduction. One possibility of helping with this, and to improve the 'attraction' of Mill Road, particularly Romsey, might be to link in to the history of Romsey Town through the strategic placement of 'Wall Paintings' on pine ends of buildings in the immediate area (the traces of previous wall advertising paintings can still be seen here), each depicting an historical scene from , say Victorian Romsey as a 'Railway Town'. This would enhance the significance of this area and make it much more interesting to visit, in my opinion. Some of these scenes could perhaps be made in the form of mosaics similar to ones found in areas of Spain and Italy. All of these scenes, wall paintings and mosaics, could be the work of local artisans and/or artists. A similar scheme could be introduced for Petersfield. Visitors to the Cambridge City Visitor Centre could be issued with fliers giving a brief history of the Mill Road area, together with easy to follow instructions on how to reach Mill Road, and invited to find various scenes from clues provided. To help effect the idea, the administration of the Business Improvement District (BID) could be extended to include the length of Mill Road, with the City Council, the County Council, the Traders, and other interested parties, cooperating with one another.
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I have some ideas about what we could do with climate change and it ties in with homes. I think we could build more homes for people and put solar panels on the top. Also if we made the housing a community housing estate we could give people in the estate jobs like cook, cleaner, interior designer and more! We could have a community house where everyone gets together. My friend lives in a place sort of like this but everyone could have their meals together in the community house. Moving on, I think Cambridge would really benefit from having a cool art museum with different sections of art. we could also add a flower garden park.
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Our client, who is the landowner at 92 Old North Road, Longstowe, has instructed us to make the following comments on their behalf in respect of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues and Options Consultation. One of the big themes outlined in the Local Plan Issues and Options 2020 is climate change and achieving net zero carbon is an important consideration in the preparation of the Local Plan. The land at Old North Street, Longstowe was put forward as part of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan Call for Sites undertaken in Spring 2019 and provides an appropriate infill opportunity in Longstowe with efficiently designed homes. The site can accommodate tree planting which will also create biodiversity net gain another important big theme. The development of land at Old North Road, Longstowe will enable homes and enhance the setting of the village through much needed housing providing environmental and social benefits. As set out in the Local Plan Issues and Options, the cost of renting or buying a home in Greater Cambridge is much higher than the national average. If the Local Plan does not make provision for a larger quantity of housing this will be exacerbated. To achieve this, the Council must set itself an ambitious housing target for the plan period. The Government’s Standard Methodology fails to consider changing economic circumstances in its calculations. Considering Greater Cambridge is at the heart of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, the UK Innovation Corridor and the Cambridge-Norwich Tech Corridor, all of which will transform the regional economy, it is imperative the Councils plan for a higher number of homes than the minimum required by government. The type of housing provided should be informed by the Strategic Housing Market Assessment. It is also important to note that Paragraph 68 of the National Planning Policy Framework requires Council’s to identify 10% of their housing need on sites of 1 hectare or less. Land within and adjacent to villages such as Longstowe is perfectly suited to meeting this requirement.
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Please, if possibe, can you contribute to the Royston/Melbourn A505 cycle way. It would mean people would be able to commute from Royston to Cambridge over a very dangerous road. There are currently cycle commuters putting their lives at risk to commute on this route. Thank you.
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As a resident in Cambridge, I believe the space could be improved by providing more social spaces people to meet others. Research has shown that social relationships are a fundamental part of human nature that improve both physical and mental wellbeing. With improved health across the city, the pressure on the NHS system could be reduced allowing for a better work environment and potentially lower costs. Furthermore, with good quality social relationships also being a significant predictor of longer life expectancy, individuals would be afforded more time in which to enjoy the community. Retirement age is getting increasingly closer to average life expectancy leaving individuals with little time to enjoy where they live. If we can create a community built on good quality relationships,we can extend this valuable time whilst also providing enjoyment in everyday life. Not only could these social spaces be a place to meet others but a way for the community to work together to tackle issues such as climate change. Perhaps by fundraising events for new low fuel technologies for powering the city or simply by education those around us to make the small changes such as lids on pans when cooking or enjoying days out without the use of technology. Sufficient and updated green spaces would also afford this opportunity by allowing people a place to go to enjoy time with others not restricted to coffee shops or cinemas. Green spaces furnished with gym equipment can be particularly popular within an active city. With many people attending the gym but being limited to the tv's on the wall and the same music on repeat, a place to meet others and exercise in the fresh air I believe would be a highly appreciated space. This increase in motivation for exercise will also facilitate better health across the city as previously mentioned which has a mulititude of benefits in its own right.
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I would love to see the A10 from Ely to Cambrusge turned into a dual carriageway due to the new houses at Waterbeach, more open green spaces for people to enjoy. Definitely more affordable housing for young people who want to get on the housing ladder and more local jobs being created as well. Just some of my ideas. If I think of some more. I will send it over.
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Here is my idea for the infill village of Heathfield in Cambridge. You may be thinking where is Heathfield? and I will forgive you if you are ;) Heathfield is a site of 300 houses opposite the IWM Duxford, it was started in the mid 80s when the military site was sold off. Since 1996 the village has grown by 98%. We come under the wonderful parish of Thriplow. The local charity have been working hard towards the under 8s park, and the parish council have been working hard towards the over 8s park. The problem we will be facing soon is that families are getting older, people cant afford to move to any other areas in Cambridge because Heathfield is one of the cheapest parts of south Cambridge. We dont have a public house, We dont have a shop, We dont have a village hall of our own, No Schools, The only place we have in Heathfield that is a public place with a roof, is our bus stop. The area would really benefit from a social hub, that could be used as a café, help out the lack of child care, give us a function room. There is a bit of land that is owned by the local farmer Robert Smith that would be perfect for the village. If this would be an idea that would be of interest for the local plan team, I am happy to share more ideas on the situation.
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Idea for net zero carbon local plan Hello, I work for Cambridge city council and have some ideas 1. Can we plant more trees in the larger green spaces. I’m not sure of a target, but maybe 200-500 per year should be agreed to be planted. 2. When we have new build housing estates build there should be a least 5 trees planted somewhere on the estate per property by the contractor. 3. Why do we rarely install solar panels on new builds?? Surely any new build estate should have a least 25% of properties fitted with solar panels. 4. We should encourage tenants or people to recycle. So where possible any new build or new kitchen should have a space under a worktop for some kind of recycling container. So people can put items straight into it and then put it in the blue bin. From what I have seen most family’s only have a bin in the kitchen and most stuff goes in that. 5. To reduce the carbon footprint families should be encouraged to have LED round bathroom light and long LED kitchen light fitted. Not the down lights. 6. Could £250k funding be found to be offered for elderly tenants to have bathroom and kitchen lights changed to LED. 7. Could funding be found to offer each housed two LED 7w lamps to encourage households to use LED lamps 8. Could funding be found for house hold that has no TRVs (thermostatic valves) on their heating systems Maybe £250k? A lot of energy/gas is used if central heating systems have no TRVs on. Households could apply. 9. Electric cars need to come down in price if the public will be albe to afford them, most working house hold spend less than £10k on a car. 10. The cost of buses need to come down to, around a quid.
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I couldn't understand the form on the website so please pass this on. In Cambridge, pedestrians have to wait an inordinate amount of time for lights to change in their favour. The lights are programmed to make pedestrians wait and so give precedence to cars. Several years ago (at least 5) when xx was my City Councillor he persuaded the County Council to undertake a trial to see if pre-timed max on pedestrian lights would cause disruption to car traffic. They found that it made absolutely no difference to traffic flow. Pre-timed max means that if the lights have not been pressed for some time, they change immediately to allow the pedestrians to cross. The County said that they would change the programming in all pedestrian lights in the City to pre-timed max. They haven't! This small change would make a huge difference to those of us who wait miserably by the side of the road in the cold, rain and sometimes snow. I do hope my five year wait is nearly over!
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Transport/infrastructure - Traffic flow / pollution Yellow hash on all roundabouts – cars blocking roundabouts are a major source of congestion Pre-timed max on pedestrian lights – this has been tested by County Council officers and has been shown not to cause traffic hold-ups. It is pedestrian- friendly. Mill Rd / Brooks rd / Perne rd lights cause traffic flow problems – need a solution Get rid of speed bumps – shown to cause pollution – use chicanes instead – in France they plant them with flowers – helps to take in CO2 and looks good Protect grass verges – NO PARKING on them – this will help prevent flooding when rainfall is heavy and helps with CO2 reduction Plant more trees on verges – stops parking (see last comment) and increases tree cover. Avenues of trees are so delightful! Increase bus use with Non-polluting buses (and taxis). This needs better bus reliability and bus shelters at all stops plus real-time indicators at all stops
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Thank you for consulting Transport for London. I can confirm that we have no comments to make on the Greater Cambridge Local Plan
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I have visited the website and read about this in the winter edition of Cambridge Matters. Both sources mention precise details for the climate in 2070 (50 years from now). In the magazine, it states that, “Our climate will be 4.5 degrees hotter by 2070…”. And that, “Our winters will be 35% wetter but our summers will be 50% drier…”. On the website, there is also mention that we will have more extreme weather. I think there is some contradiction between making detailed predictions about the future, but then saying the future will also be more variable and unpredictable. And I would like to know more about the reasoning behind the statements. I am concerned because major decisions and financial commitments are likely to be made on the basis of these forecasts. So, it’s important that we fully understand the reasoning that underlies them. I am a local resident interested in various aspects of the local plan and I was very pleased to see so much emphasis on biodiversity/green spaces in it. I hope you can reply to me on this email or on xx
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I would like to submit my disagreement with this project. The rec is subject to a protected scheme. Arbury has limited playing grounds and this particular green is used by many of our local residents and their children. My granddaughter attends St Lawrences school on Arbruy Road. It would bring an increase in traffic which so close to a primary school will increase a danger to the children that attend there. So once again I would like to register my vote for this planning to go ahead as a NO.
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Summary of Comments: Ensure new developments contribute towards the sustainability of/use expertise of existing arts and cultural facilities in the district.
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traffic/pollution I would like to forward a short video for town planners to look at to see how the Dutch have brought about a cycling revolution in their towns and cities. It has lowered pollution and improved air quality, reduced noise from cars, created a fitter, healthier population, made the city centres more 'people' friendly. The list goes on. Cambridge doesnt feel like a safe place for cycling as the cycle lanes are not continuous throughout the city. One minute theres a cycle path, the next you're on a main road without one. Compared to the Netherlands, there is very poor infrastructure for cyclists despite the high numbers of people on bikes and often feels like a jostle between cars and bikes. Perhaps Cambridge could follow the example here to make it better for cyclists! Here is the link. I hope you enjoy watching it.
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We just need a bus service that does what people need. If you observe the P&R buses on the stationary Milton road as I did this evening they are less than half full. Why? Park and ride needs to stop where people work - eg Mitchams corner in cambridge rather than just 1.5 miles in either direction (science park or city centre) to serve the 3000 people who work near MC. I think it does this coming in but not going home!! A park and ride service that has large enough car parks, starts early enough and goes on into the evening, say 11pm. You wouldn’t dream of driving into Oxford to go to evening meal theatre cinema etc so why do people think we should do that here.
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I think the council should take responsibility for recycling and stop charging businesses for waste. This would stop fly tipping, which is not good for our environment and would save the council a lot of money. Other councils have done this and it has proved successful. I keep finding stuff fly tipped at the fen Drayton lakes despite notices! It is both garden waste and household waste.
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