Draft North East Cambridge Area Action Plan

Comment

Representation ID: 55662

Received: 02/10/2020

Respondent: St John's College

Agent: Savills

Neutral
The sentence starting “The Councils will work to secure…” should be revised to more clearly state that the 20,000 new jobs are a minimum. The “at least” in this sentence applies to the 8,000 new homes, needs to apply to the 20,000 new jobs and does not apply to the new infrastructure.

Any ‘active management’ of the phasing of homes, jobs and infrastructure must not delay the delivery of jobs.

The reference to maximising job opportunities for local people is well-intentioned and supported in principle, but the mechanisms by which it is intended to achieve this need to be clear.

Comment

Representation ID: 55663

Received: 02/10/2020

Respondent: St John's College

Agent: Savills

Neutral:
Clarification as to the type and scale of development that Policy 2 applies to, including for example the requirement to undertake overheating analysis, needs to be provided.

The requirement to “minimise” carbon emissions is ambiguous and unduly onerous in that it is not qualified. It is noted that further work to inform the development of a carbon reduction target is currently being undertaken, and will inform specific targets. The acknowledgement that the requirements will be viability tested is welcomed. These targets will clearly need to be consulted upon.

Requirements are, as the AAP itself states, robust and many/most known technologies will need to be employed to meet the prescribed standards. Futureproofing is important for all but it is unclear how it is expected that applicants meet the requirement to demonstrate that proposals are futureproofed to enable future occupiers to easily retrofit additional technologies.

Support

Representation ID: 55664

Received: 02/10/2020

Respondent: St John's College

Agent: Savills

The investigation of an Area Action Plan wide approach to energy and associated infrastructure is welcomed but as the policy acknowledges, this needs to be where feasible and viable, and must also not delay the delivery of development.

Object

Representation ID: 55665

Received: 02/10/2020

Respondent: St John's College

Agent: Savills

The draft policy states that “Proposals for non-residential development must achieve 5 BREEAM credits for water use (Wat 01), unless it can be demonstrated that such provision in not technically or economically viable”.

Current applications 20/03523/FUL (South Cambs) and 20/03524/FUL (Cambridge City) for Phase 1 at the St John’s Innovation Park will achieve 4 of the 5. The reason that 5 credits are not being targeted at this stage is due to the limitations of roof area available for rainwater harvesting on building 1 plus the additional sanitaryware fittings that would be included in the transport hub. As such the required flow rates to achieve a 55% reduction could be prohibitive from a performance perspective”.

It is agreed that a more ambitious target than the existing Local Plan target of 2 of the 5 should be included, but to enable balancing of different considerations, 4 out of 5 should be the minimum.

Object

Representation ID: 55666

Received: 02/10/2020

Respondent: St John's College

Agent: Savills

The draft policy states that “Proposals for non-residential development must achieve 5 BREEAM credits for water use (Wat 01), unless it can be demonstrated that such provision in not technically or economically viable”.

Current applications 20/03523/FUL (South Cambs) and 20/03524/FUL (Cambridge City) for Phase 1 at the St John’s Innovation Park will achieve 4 of the 5. The reason that 5 credits are not being targeted at this stage is due to the limitations of roof area available for rainwater harvesting on building 1 plus the additional sanitaryware fittings that would be included in the transport hub. As such the required flow rates to achieve a 55% reduction could be prohibitive from a performance perspective”.

It is agreed that a more ambitious target than the existing Local Plan target of 2 of the 5 should be included, but to enable balancing of different considerations, 4 out of 5 should be the minimum.

Object

Representation ID: 55667

Received: 02/10/2020

Respondent: St John's College

Agent: Savills

The draft policy states that “Proposals for non-residential development must achieve 5 BREEAM credits for water use (Wat 01), unless it can be demonstrated that such provision in not technically or economically viable”.

Current applications 20/03523/FUL (South Cambs) and 20/03524/FUL (Cambridge City) for Phase 1 at the St John’s Innovation Park will achieve 4 of the 5. The reason that 5 credits are not being targeted at this stage is due to the limitations of roof area available for rainwater harvesting on building 1 plus the additional sanitaryware fittings that would be included in the transport hub. As such the required flow rates to achieve a 55% reduction could be prohibitive from a performance perspective”.

It is agreed that a more ambitious target than the existing Local Plan target of 2 of the 5 should be included, but to enable balancing of different considerations, 4 out of 5 should be the minimum.

Support

Representation ID: 55668

Received: 02/10/2020

Respondent: St John's College

Agent: Savills

The proposal to require the national recognised standard of net gain as a minimum rather than a higher requirement is supported. The supporting text, which states that the policy has been prepared to ensure that an appropriate balance can be achieved between meeting national biodiversity requirements, working towards the Councils’ commitments in tackling biodiversity and ecological emergencies and the challenges of exceeding this within a higher density context is endorsed. The proposed mitigation hierarchy – on-site, then adjacent to NEC and then across the city and further afield – is also logical.

Support

Representation ID: 55669

Received: 02/10/2020

Respondent: St John's College

Agent: Savills

The expectation that development in North East Cambridge will provide distinctive, high-quality and contemporary design and architecture that respond to and positively contribute to Cambridge’s heritage and townscape qualities is endorsed.

Support

Representation ID: 55670

Received: 02/10/2020

Respondent: St John's College

Agent: Savills

The expectation that development in North East Cambridge will provide distinctive, high-quality and contemporary design and architecture that respond to and positively contribute to Cambridge’s heritage and townscape qualities is endorsed.

Support

Representation ID: 55671

Received: 02/10/2020

Respondent: St John's College

Agent: Savills

The requirement for all development proposals within North East Cambridge to contribute towards the creation of high quality, inclusive, compact, connected and attractive streets and spaces, and the focus on trees and landscaping within the policy, is supported.