Savills Planning Team in Cambridge are instructed on behalf of St John's College, Cambridge to make responses to the Issues and Options Report on the CNFE having regard to the College's landholdings and land interests at St John's Innovation Park west of Cowley Road and east of Milton Road.

The proposed vision for the Cambridge Northern Fringe East (CNFE) reflects the Councils' intention to support new development in what is currently the largest brownfield site in the city (excepting it straddles South Cambridgeshire District Council's administrative boundary). From a simple planning perspective, the promotion of new development on a large previously developed site in a highly sustainable location in one of the Country's growth locations is entirely sensible. In such a context, the aspirational vision set out on page 9 of the consultation document reflects the need to make the best use of a scarce resource, i.e. brownfield land, for new development. This will ensure that Cambridge continues to play an important role in bringing new jobs and investment into the city area and importantly into an area where people want to live.

The current hearings taking place on the Examination to both Local Plans have heard detailed evidence from a number of parties who have asserted that both Councils have significantly underestimated the housing requirements over the plan period. The consequence of an Inspector concluding that significant housing is needed over and above the current figures in the draft plans is to force the issue of providing new jobs. In the circumstances where the "golden thread" runs through the Councils strategy to align the number of new jobs and the number of new homes, this places greater importance on the Councils need to identify major new employment sites.

The focus for new employment in general within the Cambridge Northern Fringe East is therefore supported although it can only play part of the role in accommodating new development. Indeed this is borne out by the concerns expressed by the College and St John's Innovation Centre who Savills also represent, about the realistic proposition that the area will provide significant amounts of new employment and housing as expressed within some of the options. With Anglian Water being the largest landowner in the area and containing a land use which has an impact on the nature and location of surrounding uses, it is clear that decisions made by them will dictate the timetable, shape and form of new development; whilst the planning system might provide the context for the planning policy against which development proposals are considered, ultimately it is the decision of the landowners (including Anglian Water) as to when or indeed if such proposals come forward.

Development proposals for this part of the CNFE have been mooted many times before and the likelihood of major change occurring remains the same as it has been in the past - if sufficient finances are in place for landowners (and in particular Anglian Water in terms of their regulatory framework), then presumably those landowners would look to adopt a position in terms of bringing development sites forward. Anglian Water have a more complicated position in terms of either contracting on site or relocating elsewhere.

The vision as expressed on page 9 is exactly that - it is a vision. Indeed the broad elements of the vision could in fact be applied to most areas of regeneration, i.e. the need to make development successful (however that is defined), to meet residential and commercial need, to provide for high quality sustainable transport to create a well-connected and visual place and to enhance the environmental area.

The second part of the "progressed vision" lists a series of other characteristics of the CNFE that are being sought as a result of the plan's intentions.

One matter which does not appear to be expressed within the vision is the intention to consolidate existing development through plot intensification. This particular phrase is referred to in the keys accompanying the four options within the document. The notation applies to Cambridge Business Park for Options 1 to 4 but only in options 3 and 4 for St. John's Innovation Park. (This is inconsistent with the Councils' own appointed consultants SQW who do not appear to have made any differentiation as to which Option should only encourage plot densification on the Innovation Park - see paragraph 1.29 and 1.34 of SQW's report "CNFE Employment Guidance for the Area Action Plan"). Whilst the term "regeneration" is used within the vision we consider that the vision should be more explicit in terms of referring to plot densification as an approach that is being applied to the area.

Accordingly whilst we broadly support the proposed vision we consider that the opportunities afforded by increasing floorspace and thereby new jobs and investment within existing employment areas is equally valid as the creation of new employment areas. To that end we consider that a new bullet point be inserted in the second paragraph to read:

"That optimum use of existing employment areas within the CNFE is made through plot densification where appropriate."

In this context it is noted that the St John's landholding east of Milton Road and west of Cowley Road including the St John's Innovation Centre is proposed to fall within the CNFE. In the same way that the Cambridge Business Park is identified as having potential for plot densification within all 4 options it is considered that this approach should also be applicable to the St John's land. This specific issue is covered elsewhere within the representations being made by our client.