Draft North East Cambridge Area Action Plan

Support

Representation ID: 55649

Received: 05/10/2020

Respondent: Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Sustainability & Transformation Partnership

Agent: No. 6 Developments

The acknowledgement that in order to be genuinely affordable the provision of affordable housing
must be informed by the context of local rent levels, house prices and local incomes is welcomed.
The average house price in Cambridge is 13 to 14 times that of the average annual household
income, meaning that housing in Cambridge is unaffordable for the majority of workers,
especially those on lower to middle incomes and as such genuinely affordable housing linked to
incomes rather than market values should be encouraged.
In line with our published housing needs evidence (shared with the Council as part of our
response to the Issues & Options consultation, CUH wishes to encourage the Council to consider
housing tenure types suitable to meet the needs of Hospital and other NHS workers within the
development.

Object

Representation ID: 55650

Received: 05/10/2020

Respondent: Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Sustainability & Transformation Partnership

Agent: No. 6 Developments

The provision within Policy 13c that 20% of the build to rent properties should be targeted at local
workers (through discounted private rental accommodation) is welcomed as it recognises the
challenge that many working people have in affording market rents in Cambridge let alone buying
their own home close to where they work. Such provision for local workers will help to reduce
commuting by non-sustainable means and reduce congestion across the city, improving air
quality etc.
CUH wishes to make the case that the definition of local workers should be extended to pick up
other major employment locations which could be accessed by sustainable modes of travel,
including Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
Given the potential role Build to Rent schemes could play in delivering high quality rental
accommodation, CUH also wish to question the rationale of artificially limiting the amount of Build
to Rent accommodation as set in Policy 13c. This should be market driven, and has the potential
to provide a significant amount of housing, including discount private rent suitable for working
people.

Object

Representation ID: 55651

Received: 05/10/2020

Respondent: Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Sustainability & Transformation Partnership

Agent: No. 6 Developments

While the support given to schemes which favour local workers is welcomed, CUH considers that
the definition of local workers should be developed further to capture other important employment
locations with concentrations of essential workers on lower to middle incomes, including
Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
The wording of the second paragraph of Policy 13d needs to be reworded to recognise that
genuinely affordable housing is a city wide issue and that all growth locations should support
delivery of high quality, accessible and affordable housing, across a range of tenures.