The vision needs strengthening substantially. This is one of the last major remaining brown field sites in Cambridge and the City and South Cambs need to maximise the use of their land resources to meet the development challenges which flow from recent, sustained success. Positioned close to the Science parks and opening on to Fenlands of South and East Cambridgeshire districts, the area provides opportunity to develop on a larger and denser scale than outlined and in a manner which provides a modern, substantial and dynamic new quarter of the city. The current vision runs a substantial risk of providing a piecemeal strategy which will develop only local opportunity based schemes. Recent developments and current plans include significant and imaginative developments for the west and south of the City, a wider vision for CNFE would help in rebalancing towards the north east. As well as contributing more substantially to the longer term requirements of the city and providing a revitalised gateway, the area should be regarded as an important opening to the Fenlands of South and East Cambridgeshire districts.
Whilst the need for an employment led, mixed use community is accepted, the goal of providing a substantial, vibrant new quarter, as well as the need to deliver the City's future housing requirements, means that a substantial residential element should be included in the vision. A significantly denser development will help fund the relocation or reconfiguration of the water treatment plant which is essential to the strategy for the site. It will also allow for the creation of a distinctive and sustainable urban community, with a strong sense of place, thus creating a much more distinctive and impressive new quarter for Cambridge which will greatly enhance the northern part of the city.