Draft Bourn Airfield Supplementary Planning Document - June 2019

Comment

Representation ID: 168164

Received: 29/07/2019

Respondent: Aitchison Developments Ltd. on behalf of Savills Investment Management

Agent: Neame Sutton Ltd

1.5 PLANNING CONSENT FOR DEVELOPMENT

The relationship with existing employment site is recognised as a key issue (point 5 on page 5) and requires the new village to ensure the employment site is integrated, including any redevelopment proposals. This is supported.

Redevelopment provides important employment opportunities to meet the needs of new village, district's requirement and support local economy.

Vitally important site can be successfully developed independently of wider strategic site.

Section 1.5: Planning Consent for Development (page 6), states the Council will not determine the planning application until the SPD has been adopted.

Fully appreciate the need to progress an SPD to guide the future development of the new village. Progress should not impede redevelopment. SPD adoption in Autumn 2019. Unlikely to represent an issue in delivery of the proposal provided no delays which delay the decision making process. Particularly where redevelopment complies with principles of emerging SPD.

Comment

Representation ID: 168166

Received: 29/07/2019

Respondent: Aitchison Developments Ltd. on behalf of Savills Investment Management

Agent: Neame Sutton Ltd

Whilst the existing employment site is identified within the overall site context, the SPD is silent on the fact that the site benefits from an extant permission (S/1020/13/FL), which was granted in December 2013 for the demolition and replacement buildings to provide B1, B2 and B8 uses. This permission granted a total of 17,723 sqm (190,768sqft) floorspace, comprising 16,850 sqm of B2 general industrial floorspace and 873sqm of ancillary B1 Offices. This should be acknowledged within the Site Context section of the SPD.

Support

Representation ID: 168176

Received: 29/07/2019

Respondent: Aitchison Developments Ltd. on behalf of Savills Investment Management

Agent: Neame Sutton Ltd

2 VIBRANT, PROSPEROUS AND INCLUSIVE

We support the strategic objectives and particularly the desire to create a vibrant, prosperous and inclusive new village. Embodied within this objective the SPD seeks to secure opportunities for local employment and entrepreneurship.

Although the redevelopment of the existing employment site will deliver jobs located at the heart of a proposed new village, and is therefore well placed to fulfil the strategy's objectives of providing access to jobs within each reach of homes, Aitchison Development's vision and objective for the site go beyond local employment opportunities.

We are seeking to deliver a successful high tech business park comprising B1c and B8 uses that will become an asset to the local economy, attracting investment and local employers to the area, such that it could itself be identified as a Strategic Employment Location in the future.

Support

Representation ID: 168177

Received: 29/07/2019

Respondent: Aitchison Developments Ltd. on behalf of Savills Investment Management

Agent: Neame Sutton Ltd

4.2 SPATIAL FRAMEWORK PLAN

We support the identification of the existing employment site as providing future employment within the Spatial Framework, and in particular the need for the new village to maintain a direct access to the strategic highway network to/from the employment site.

However, it is noted under Section 5: Creating the Place that there are a number of spatial fixes, one of which, Fix A, is to provide a "primary street" linking the main access points. This primary street must "serve the village centre and provide direct vehicle access to the existing employment site." (page 38).

This is supported and is of vital importance to the success of the employment redevelopment proposal. However, the Spatial Framework (Fig. 22 on page 31) has in error annotated the access to the existing employment site as a secondary street and not a primary street.

This should be amended to reflect Fix A and show the existing employment site being served by the primary street.

Comment

Representation ID: 168178

Received: 29/07/2019

Respondent: Aitchison Developments Ltd. on behalf of Savills Investment Management

Agent: Neame Sutton Ltd

FIX A MAIN POINTS OF ACCESS AND PRIMARY STREET

it is important to ensure that the SPD is not too prescriptive and binding such that they become an unnecessary burden at the decision making stage, that could ultimately prejudice the delivery of this existing employment site.

Figure 27 on Page 38 identifies the main points of access and primary street but fails to reflect the requirement imposed by Fix A for the primary street to "serve the village centre and provide direct vehicle access to the existing employment site.". This should be amended to reflect Fix A and show the existing employment site being served by the primary street.

Comment

Representation ID: 168179

Received: 29/07/2019

Respondent: Aitchison Developments Ltd. on behalf of Savills Investment Management

Agent: Neame Sutton Ltd

FIX B STRATEGIC WALKING AND CYCLING CONNECTIONS

Fix B (page 39) identifies a strategic pedestrian and cycle network cutting through the existing employment site to link the proposed public transport corridor to the north with residential areas to the south. Whilst this is not objected to in principle, and indeed is provided within the Development proposals for the site, the spatial fix needs to be applied flexibly to allow the proposed employment layout to make the most efficient use of the space available.

Comment

Representation ID: 168180

Received: 29/07/2019

Respondent: Aitchison Developments Ltd. on behalf of Savills Investment Management

Agent: Neame Sutton Ltd

2A MIXED USE NEIGHBOURHOODS

In seeking to achieve a vibrant, prosperous and inclusive new village, the SPD suggests at page 41 that the redevelopment of the vacant and underutilised land within the existing employment site could be redeveloped to provide premises for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Whilst the redevelopment of the existing employment site will accommodate numerous SMEs, it is important that the site is not restricted in terms of the type/range of employment occupiers that could be provided by the sites redevelopment as this will constrain the market. Furthermore, the SPD proposes small scale employment uses at the Neighbourhood Hub (page 45).

Comment

Representation ID: 168181

Received: 29/07/2019

Respondent: Aitchison Developments Ltd. on behalf of Savills Investment Management

Agent: Neame Sutton Ltd

FIX F GREEN EDGES AND CORRIDORS

Fix F (page 55) identifies a formal green landscape which creates a legible and direct route through the employment site. As with the strategic pedestrian and cycle network this is not objected to and is provided for within the Aitchison Developments proposals for the site, the spatial fix needs to be applied flexibly to allow the proposed employment layout to make the most efficient use of the space available.

Comment

Representation ID: 168189

Received: 29/07/2019

Respondent: Aitchison Developments Ltd. on behalf of Savills Investment Management

Agent: Neame Sutton Ltd

6.2 INFRASTRUCTURE DELIVERY PLAN - ITEM 44

The Infrastructure Delivery Plan at page 82 suggests that the employment space will be delivered through each phase. It is important to acknowledge that there is an overwhelming need for the employment land to come forward at the earliest opportunity.

Indeed, the potential early phases plan (Fig 58 on page 87) indicates that the redevelopment of the existing employment site will take place in the early phases of delivery. This is supported and reflects development intentions for the site.