Mill Road Depot Draft Planning and Development Brief SPD

Object

Representation ID: 31182

Received: 22/07/2016

Respondent: Cambridge GRT Solidarity Network

We concur totally with the SPD statement (1.1.3) that "any potential re-development of the depot site should support and strengthen the character and distinctive local community of the Mill Road area". Our major issue with the draft SPD is that in its present form it does not deliver on this aim, both in the form of development it proposes, and its failure to recognise and meet the needs of the area.

Object

Representation ID: 31183

Received: 22/07/2016

Respondent: Cambridge GRT Solidarity Network

The need for continued Council ownership.

The community has seen that developers have been able to negotiate away their obligation to provide the currently defined 'affordable' housing, community space, green space, as well as any semblance of design integrity; leading to local developments that are out of character with the local area, and adding to existing pressures and problems in the area.

Retaining the Depot site within Council ownership would help enable the community aspirations for live/work units. These would be a continuation of the small-scale local enterprise that is so characteristic of this area. If, however, the site were to be sold on the open market, the City Council relinquishes its means of determining exactly what happens on the site.

The draft SPD leaves resolution of the issues to a future developer. This is unacceptable because the site's capacity depends on resolution of issues for all users (including Bharat Bhavan & Language School).
The draft SPD, exhibition, and transport report give inadequate consideration to access and traffic issues.
The draft SPD's assessment of context is so wrong that it invalidates the whole draft.
The draft SPD will hinder, not enable, resolution of the listed building at risk.
All these issues need to be resolved before the SPD is approved.

Object

Representation ID: 31184

Received: 22/07/2016

Respondent: Cambridge GRT Solidarity Network

Character and distinctive local community is under threat.

The multicultural diversity has been undermined by incoming nationally owned retail outlets making it hard for smaller family run shops.

These nationally owned retail outlets have put a huge strain on the vulnerable local economy. One outcome of this has been for enterprising people to come in with ideas, introducing a whole new range of possible goods and activities for sale on Mill Road. All of these are great, only one of them is multicultural. And we continue to see closures of older shops that can't compete.

All of them are adding to another change that is happening in and around Mill Road, and that is gentrification with fundamental effects on the whole of this community.

Object

Representation ID: 31185

Received: 22/07/2016

Respondent: Cambridge GRT Solidarity Network

Gentrification is an increasing trend that will have fundamental effects on the whole of this community. It will - as can already be seen in the draft SPD - bring about calls for larger and taller housing units to be built in and around Mill Road, completely changing the character of what is currently a low rise area, with small dwellings previously bought by young families - those lucky enough to be able to afford them.

Object

Representation ID: 31186

Received: 22/07/2016

Respondent: Cambridge GRT Solidarity Network

We note that in defining the Purpose and Scope of the SPD, the document states that SPDs fall into two categories: one supports a city-wide objective such as Affordable Housing; the second is guidance for a specific site or area. The Mill Rd Depot falls into the second category. This is a totally false dichotomy as the two objectives cannot be considered separately, particularly because the main use of the Depot site is the supply of much needed, truly affordable housing in our community.

Object

Representation ID: 31187

Received: 22/07/2016

Respondent: Cambridge GRT Solidarity Network

The need for affordable rented housing.

The area suffers from an almost complete lack of local genuinely affordable housing, with limited scope for improving the situation. Nationally, affordable housing is set at 80% of market value. For this area,80% of market value would be unaffordable for the majority of people in this area.

By far the best opportunity to achieve genuine affordable housing in this area is the Depot site, and this is entirely due to its ownership by the Council. According to the Council Leader, the Council have committed to supplying 50% social housing at 40-60% market rents. This is not mentioned in the SPD and will directly impact on the type of housing provided. Interest was also expressed in the provision of rented Co-operative housing.

Object

Representation ID: 31189

Received: 22/07/2016

Respondent: Cambridge GRT Solidarity Network

Scope for an exemplary development.

The difficulties to be found in this wider local area can be turned into an opportunity. If the council retains ownership of the site there is the possibility for council and community to make an exemplar site for this area and Cambridge.

We support an exemplar site that reflects and enhances the local distinctiveness and character of the Mill Road conservation area, and combines this with what is needed for our future by addressing climate change. Some of these are reflected in the SPD. The council could appoint an architect to design energy efficient housing and reduces carbon usage.

Retention of the site by the Council also opens up the possibility of a development that is exemplary in being wholly or largely car-free. This would avoid many major access and traffic issues, and offer greater scope for meeting community aspirations for the site.

Object

Representation ID: 31190

Received: 22/07/2016

Respondent: Cambridge GRT Solidarity Network

"Car-free" site? For housing on the site to be in character with the Mill Road conservation area, it will need to be of small units; generally these are sought by young couples and families. If the site is not to be a car-free one, there is little to prevent householders from having two cars to negotiate their needs in and around Cambridge. So undermining much of the report.

These issues have to be resolved now. The Depot site meets the criteria for a car-free development set out in the draft Cambridge Local Plan Policy 82 and is supported by text in para 9.29 of the draft Local Plan. On this site the joint involvement of the City and County Councils as landowners and planning and highway authorities provides an ideal basis for developing an exemplary solution. On this particular site, a car-free or car-capped development may be the only way of resolving the major site access challenges.

Object

Representation ID: 31191

Received: 22/07/2016

Respondent: Cambridge GRT Solidarity Network

The draft SPD para 4.3.10 leaves resolution of access capacity and design issues to "any future site developer". This is inexcusable because the access, and the junction with Mill Road have to serve the whole of the site and all of its users.

The capacity and form of the access and junction, and hence the capacity of the site, are dependent on identifying and meeting all these needs. We remain completely unconvinced that this is possible for this site.

The Mott McDonald report claims that there will be a substantial reduction in vehicle movements by comparison with the current position. However this is an assessment drawn from a false assumption that; 'an increase in cycle and public transport would lead to a subsequent decrease in trips by car'.

These issues have to be resolved now, before the SPD is approved, because the nature of any redevelopment of the Depot site is totally dependent on the capacity of the site access.

Object

Representation ID: 31192

Received: 22/07/2016

Respondent: Cambridge GRT Solidarity Network

The Mott McDonald traffic report is notable for:
(i) its inadequate scope (complete failure to include the access needs of Bharat Bhavan, the Language School, and notably the Chisholm trail),
(ii) its failure to assess the interactions between movement patterns (and consequent management issues) generated by these multiple needs, and
(iii) its inadequate assessment of its own survey data.

Mott McDonald's draft junction layout does not show the route of the Chisholm Trail, or the needs of Bharat Bhavan and the Language School (neither of which have any rear access or servicing). To be realistic, any proposal for the junction needs to assess the consequent traffic flows and space needs. It also needs to provide sufficient access, parking and servicing space for Bharat Bhavan.

These issues have to be resolved now, before the SPD is approved, because the nature of any redevelopment of the Depot site is totally dependent on the capacity of the site access.