4.3.12

GRAFTON MASTERPLAN SPD

CONSULTATION PROCESS.Until by chance I came across an article in a newspaper I do not regularly read, I had no knowledge of this Masterplan. I have spoken to a few neighbours and they were similarly unaware. We are in regular receipt of letterbox drops about fun-run road closures, Guy Fawkes Night arrangements bin collections and so forth which are short term inconveniences, but nothing that I know of about the Masterplan which will have enduring effects to the neighbourhood.
There was massive public involvement in the plans leading up to construction of the Grafton Centre. This Masterplan is of course a lot less dramatic, but it extensively covers much that was discussed originally or has emerged since. By not involving Kite residents fully, you are missing out on local knowledge, and storing up trouble as aspects of the Masterplan are rolled out.
A mail drop to Kite residents should be made alerting them to the Masterplan. Opportunities should be made to engage with them. This will mean putting back the closing date for comments, but in the long run it will be time saved.

SPD BOUNDARY Extend to include Byron House, Marino House, the Severn Place Scheme (I assume this includes the redevelopment of the old fitness centre building) and Sun Street car park. They are very much tied up with access issues and a general sorting out at this messy end of The Grafton Centre.

EASTERN GATEWAY. A lot of work went into this so yes, let's keep sight of it.

FLEXIBILITY. The retail component of the Masterplan clings to the idea of the infinite carrying capacity of natural systems (or does it have another planet tucked away somewhere?), endless cheap imported products and cheap labour. None of this will endure. Neither should we assume that future generations will consider that Cambridge is of a character such it that should continue to host a large sub regional vending machine : so what we lay out and build should be capable of significant adaptation.

ENERGY. There is scope for significant energy capture on roofs.

CARS. More shopping = more cars. Shoppers will sit in car queues for ages rather than get on a bus. Let's at any rate be adamant that there will be no additional parking for shoppers.

CYCLING. The route behind the north side of Fitzroy Street shops and beyond is muddled. Conversely, on Fitzroy and Burleigh Streets I'd advise against making them too clear, since cyclists will speed up and pedestrians wander into them without thinking. Remove the time restrictions but make cyclists pick their way through obstacles.

WALKING. The nest of roads around Grafton East car park entrance is a pedestrians' nightmare. The entrance to the West car park and service area simply punches its way through the pavement on Maids' Causeway. Let us at least install surfaces to suggest to motorists that these are routes for pedestrians too.

OPENING UP ROUTES. A lot of thought went into separating residential areas, both visually and physically, from retail backsides. Particularly since many houses have no front gardens, turning streets into quieter cut-de-sacs was one of the few benefits of jamming the Grafton Centre into the area. Please note though that several streets are used unofficially to gain access to the rear of retail premises. Sat Navs have increased this.

NIGHT TIME ACTIVITIES. Very apprehensive about this. Residents have bad experiences. Litter, noise, vomit, urination, graffiti, vandalism, car keying. You get the picture.

BUILDING DESIGN. The document has some encouraging things to say, but do you really think the Primark building is an improvement on its grand, confident, quirky predecessor, whose facade we worked so hard to try and keep? (Developer pressure won the day). Buildings put up before this in Fitzroy and Burleigh Streets at the time of Grafton One had a reasonable shot at using sympathetic materials, facades and scale . The artist's impression on p.66 should give an Awful Warning of lowest denominator boxes by a developer who knows the Council cannot afford an Appeal.

STREET SCENES. Back to p66 again. Gone are the cycle racks, market stalls, cafe seating. A developer's sterile street scene. Not much life and bustle here.

SMALL SHOPS. Grafton Management seems not to like small units and squashed a number out of existence, though I suppose those twee faux market stalls inside provide some opportunities. I'd be happy to see more of the genuine stalls in the street. Will rent rises push out the smaller traders? The charity shops are popular and provide an excellent way of putting secondhand goods back into circulation at affordable prices.

HOUSING. Cambridge is desperate for affordable social housing, but will we get exclusive penthouses for Hong Kong purchasers?

TREES AND GREENERY AND OTHER LANDSCAPING. Fine, as long as they are maintained. I can think of five trees planted at the time of Grafton One that either failed to thrive or were vandalised. Never replaced. Planted beds in private sector areas filled with rank weeds and litter and fly tipped. Scabby patched surfaces. Cycle route markings not renewed. General shabbiness. Interior of Grafton pristine.

PRIVATE v PUBLIC I fear that much that is good within the Masterplan has been devised in the Public Sector and will be down to that Sector to deliver, but we know that this is a severely cut back . I fear that what we will get is a cherry picked Developer led scheme for shareholders, not Cambridge citizens.

I am a local resident living in Christchurch St

These are my comments on the exhibition shown today at the Grafton, but first of all I think you must consider extending the consultation period. I was only notified of this by a leaflet through the door last week, and it is only by chance I was free to go today. There must be many others in the area who will have missed this. Why did you not leaflet us at the beginning of the consultation period in September?

1. Improving the area around the Grafton particularly the service areas we have to walk through for various activities would be a good,

2. Because the Grafton is shut at night, or almost shut apart from access to the cinema, it acts as a barrier. It is especially annoying if you forget and try to get in or out by one of the locked doors and then have to walk quite a long way round at night through the depressing service area to get home. Some thought given to enabling a better through route would be good.

3. I have very little interest in the shopping offer in the Grafton which doesn't cater for middle-aged middle-class women. I spend my money elsewhere. Nor will a gym be of much interest. The discussion I had at the display seemed all about serving younger incoming Cambridge residents. But the population of Cambridge is aging and older people have more cash. A bit more thought should be given to who might use the facilities here.

4. There are parking queues in Newmarket Rd at the weekends which block the street. Most of the people seem to be families. Attracting more people to central Cambridge to shop seems an odd idea. I think it is a fantasy to imagine these families will arrive from e.g. Waterbeach by bike, or bus as they will not want to carry purchases home. People now have the option of park & ride, but it is still busy. How are you planning to manage the transport of the increased numbers?

5. Housing. We need more housing in Cambridge but "affordable" is not affordable for the lower paid. Social housing, not student or private housing would be a good idea, but no more parking, the area is heavily congested.

6. The picture of Fitzroy St showed a bland and anonymous shopping area. It could be anywhere. Where is the veg stall and the hot dog stall? The veg stall plays an important part in our community as people stop there and chat. They also take veg shopping to elderly people in the area. You don't get that at Waitrose. We need more of the idiosyncratic and particular, not less.

7. Shopping in Fitzroy St and Burleigh St needs to retain units that will be affordable for shops that serve local people, such as the vacuum cleaner shop. I would prefer to shop locally and on foot and would spend more in the area if there were more e.g. food shops. (Wilko has been a welcome addition to the area extending the range of goods available.)

8. East Rd. This is a fairly horrible street and the shops/restaurants seem to be marooned. The pavement is too narrow to encourage lingering, and the buildings lack any kind of coherence. So yes, to ideas about how this could be made more attractive.

Frances Dewhurst