Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

The Cambridgeshire Local Access Forum (CLAF) was established through the statutory provisions of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and its remit is to advise relevant bodies as defined in Section 94(4) of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 on matters relating to access to the countryside. Section 94(4) bodies are required by the legislation to take the views of the Local Access Forum into account.
The Cambridgeshire LAF welcomes this opportunity to provide input into the Greater Cambridge Local Plan and how it might be revised and improved to better reflect the existing and potential future use of the non-motorised transport network across the Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire District.
We recognise that it's a very comprehensive plan, with a lot of concern for biodiversity, historical sites, and conservation. We are also pleased to see and support policies that aim to protect, enhance, and develop the rights of way network providing a network of routes to promote walking, cycling and riding and to point out that circular routes, or routes that link with others, are particularly recommended.
We have the further following points to make about the plan:
An off road NMU off-road route from Cherry Hinton Road up to the Beechwoods and Roman Road; negotiations with landowners are required to
start ASAP. A large population of SE Cambridge has no off-road access to
some of our best landscape areas.
Links from the new Marleigh development to the ROW network in the
Wilbraham’s/Teversham area as well as Fen Ditton/Lode.
Rights of way between Great Shelford and Hauxton to link with Trumpington Meadows Park and Hobson Park; the permissive path between Great Shelford and Hauxton must be upgraded to a PROW and there needs to be an alternative to the Genome path, possibly using existing permissive paths, augmented by off-road paths.
PROW paths are required between Magog Down and the City, including the Nine Wells development and Biomedical campus.
Planned development on the Marshalls Airport site must be connected by a ‘green lung’ to Teversham and Fulbourn rights of way.
There is a desperate need for at least one, probably two, major new country parks; Nature Reserves DO NOT meet this need because of pressures which numbers of people place on their fragile ecosystems. These require visitor facilities such as car parks and toilets. It would be even better if they can be accessed by public transport.

Milton CP and Wandlebury are already over-used, leading to both physical and ecological damge. Coton Reserve has limited access due to agricultural tenancies taking up much of the land and a lack of facilities for visitors. Wimpole is very unclear about its role as only National Trust members can use the Estate car park in order to enter the parkland without a very high fee being payable. The Beds, Cambs & Northants Wildlife Trust is unwilling to accept open access unless there is a PROW; the RSPB at Fowlmere is even more restrictive. The Local Plan should identify prospective areas for the creation of such parks, requesting bids from landowners and potential managers. Funding should be through S106/CIL received through the new developments.

In summary, we think that the Local Plan needs to identify a clear list of projects for NMU routes and public access which ‘development taxes’ should fund. The current proposals are extremely vague and do not focus on specifics. They are well-meaning but toothless and we will finish up without ANY much-needed schemes being built into the Plan.

The CLAF would be happy to discuss further our concerns and how we might resolve these issues.

The Cambridgeshire Local Access Forum (CLAF) was established through the statutory provisions of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and its remit is to advise relevant bodies as defined in Section 94(4) of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 on matters relating to access to the countryside. Section 94(4) bodies are required by the legislation to take the views of the Local Access Forum into account.

The Cambridgeshire LAF welcomes this opportunity to provide input into the Greater Cambridge Local Plan and how it might be revised and improved to better reflect the
existing and potential future use of the non-motorised transport network across the Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire District.

We recognise that it's a very comprehensive plan, with a lot of concern for biodiversity, historical sites, and conservation. We are also pleased to see and
support policies that aim to protect, enhance, and develop the rights of way network providing a network of routes to promote walking, cycling and riding and to point out that circular routes, or routes that link with others, are particularly recommended. We have the further following points to make about the plan:

 An off road NMU off-road route from Cherry Hinton Road up to the Beechwoods and Roman Road; negotiations with landowners are required to
start ASAP. A large population of SE Cambridge has no off-road access to some of our best landscape areas.
 Links from the new Marleigh development to the ROW network in the Wilbraham’s/Teversham area as well as Fen Ditton/Lode.
 Rights of way between Great Shelford and Hauxton to link with Trumpington Meadows Park and Hobson Park; the permissive path between Great Shelford and Hauxton must be upgraded to a PROW and there needs to be
an alternative to the Genome path, possibly using existing permissive paths, augmented by off-road paths.
 PROW paths are required between Magog Down and the City, including the Nine Wells development and Biomedical campus.
 Planned development on the Marshalls Airport site must be connected by a ‘green lung’ to Teversham and Fulbourn rights of way.
There is a desperate need for at least one, probably two, major new country parks;
Nature Reserves DO NOT meet this need because of pressures which numbers of people place on their fragile ecosystems. These require visitor facilities such as car
parks and toilets. It would be even better if they can be accessed by public transport.
Milton CP and Wandlebury are already over-used, leading to both physical and ecological damge. Coton Reserve has limited access due to agricultural tenancies
taking up much of the land and a lack of facilities for visitors. Wimpole is very unclear about its role as only National Trust members can use the Estate car park in order to enter the parkland without a very high fee being payable. The Beds, Cambs & Northants Wildlife Trust is unwilling to accept open access unless there is a PROW;
the RSPB at Fowlmere is even more restrictive.
The Local Plan should identify prospective areas for the creation of such parks, requesting bids from landowners and potential managers. Funding should be through S106/CIL received through the new developments.
In summary, we think that the Local Plan needs to identify a clear list of projects for NMU routes and public access which ‘development taxes’ should fund. The current proposals are extremely vague and do not focus on specifics. They are well-meaning but toothless and we will finish up without ANY much-needed schemes being built into the Plan.

The CLAF would be happy to discuss further our concerns and how we might resolve these issues.