Policy S/CE: Cambridge East refers to the importance of the GCP Cambridge Eastern Access scheme Phase B being in place which will provide high quality public transport connections. Whilst the motives for this are well-intentioned, it has to be recognised that, despite every attempt, cars remain the preferred choice of many people to get to work, even if it means large traffic jams. Even if walking/cycling is an individual’s preferred means of transport, enthusiasm can disappear in the event of rain, wind, ice and snow and any transport plan must recognise the worst-case scenario. It is therefore imperative that road links between Cambridge East and the three southern campuses are improved. The road structure beyond the Robin Hood crossroads is simply not fit for purpose. Access to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus is limited to the use of Queen Edith’s Way, which is a comparatively narrow main road whilst access to the Babraham and Genome Campuses is via Lime Kiln Road, which was never designed for large volumes of traffic.
(Pages 85-90) Policy S/CBC: Cambridge Biomedical Campus (including Addenbrooke’s Hospital).
Whilst Policy Direction is driven from outside the local area, Queen Edith’s should be proud to be part of such a prestigious international development. I welcome the Proposed policy direction, provided the activities are closely monitored to avoid inappropriate development on the site.
Nevertheless, there are significant dangers associated with such a powerful neighbour and it is important that these are recognised and mitigated. The CBC Vision 2050 is still at an early stage of development, and it is essential that the Local Plan incorporates sufficient flexibility to respond appropriately to this. As a first step, I welcome the aim of CBC to be a good neighbour and to include members of the Queen Edith’s Community Forum on their Vision 2050 Liaison Group.
As mentioned in 3.1, I welcome the concept of key worker accommodation on site but would not support any housing which is offered to the general public.
Why is this Policy needed? (Page 89). I welcome the sensitive approach to the Green Belt issues. Whilst it is important that we respect and protect nature and our environment, it is important to recognise that, as a species, we also compete for survival and that nature can be hostile (not least in creating human diseases such as Covid via bats in a Chinese cave and Avian flu). It is therefore important to weigh the benefits of the life sciences against the importance of protecting the environment and I believe that the proposals for this Policy strike a good balance.
Whilst I appreciate the need for expansion, I believe that it would also be important, not least for residents of Trumpington and Great Shelford, to make it clear that there is no prospect of expanding across Granham’s Road and to initiate a discussion between CBC and the southern campuses, including Fulbourn East regarding alternative ways in which the life sciences can be accommodated in south-east Cambridge.
It will be important to explore with local life sciences businesses the nature of collaboration:
· Who collaborates with whom and why?
· How dependent is it on being on the same site?
· How is collaboration impacted by having sites a few miles apart?
· What proportion of the workforce benefit from close collaboration? How often should such collaborative action take place in an ideal world?
· How far have work practices changed as a consequence of Zoom and other features forced by the pandemic?
I also like the concept of a “green edge” to the city, which should not only be green on the ground, but soften the view, avoiding the current harshness of both Eddington and Trumpington Meadows as you approach.
The provision of water to the site, the high-water table and surface water flooding issues are critical and a potential show-stopper for further development unless and until they are fully resolved. These are addressed in 2.3 above and will not be repeated here.
(page 43) Transport strategy The willingness to work with other authorities to progress local plan evidence is welcome. Please ensure that, for reasons given in 2.3 and 3.2, the issues of Lime Kiln Road are fully addressed.
(page 94) Policy S/EOC: Other site allocations on the edge of Cambridge. Biomed Reality, which recently made an application for planning permission for the 6.9ha Fulbourn Road East site, indicated that were planning for 2,700 jobs and 1,362 parking spaces. The 4.4ha Fulbourn Road West (GB3 and GB4) is located nearby and simple scaling suggests that this might add a further 1,700 jobs and 868 parking spaces.
The Fulbourn sites are major developments and have the potential to create major traffic problems into and out of Queen Edith’s Way and Cherry Hinton Road, which will be greatly exacerbated when the Cambridge East development comes on stream. A full infrastructure assessment as part of Policy I/ID: Infrastructure and delivery must be made of the impact of traffic on these roads and at the Robin Hood junction.