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Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council formally adopted the Cambridge East Area Action Plan on the 21 February 2008, following the recepit of the binding inspectors report on the 20 December 2007, which found the document to be sound.
To view further information about the adoption of the Area Action Plan, including the adoption statement please see South Cambridgeshire District Council's website.
- Cambridge East Area Action Plan (PDF, 4,897 Kbytes - please note, due to the size of the document, the PDF may take a while to download)
- Cambridge East Area Action Plan Final Inspectors Report (PDF, 678 Kbytes)
Introduction
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Structure Plan 2003 identifies a number of locations for housing and mixed-use development around Cambridge on land to be released from the Green Belt.
Cambridge East (land at Cambridge Airport, land north of Cherry Hinton and land north of Newmarket Road) has been identified in the adopted 2006 Cambridge Local Plan and the South Cambridgeshire Local Development Framework as a location for a major urban extension with the potential for approximately 10,000 - 12,000 homes.
The land lies within both Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire Dictrict Council areas and in order to allow for the good planning of the area the two authorities have worked together to produce a joint Area Action Plan.
The Cambridge East Area Action Plan Process
The following table outlines the key stages towards the adoption of the Area Action Plan:
| Stage in the Area Action Plan Process | Timescale |
|---|---|
| Public participation on Preferred Options | Oct/Nov 2004 |
| Pre-Submission public participation | June/July 2005 |
| Submit plans to Secretary of State - consult for 6 weeks | Jan/Feb 2006 |
| Advertise objection sites for comment (6 weeks) | March/April 2006 |
| Site Allocation Policy Representations Consultation (6 weeks) | 16 June - 28 July 2006 |
| Public examination | Began 3rd July 2007 |
| Binding Inspector's Report | November 2007 |
| Adoption | 21st February 2008 |
In October 2004 both authorities carried out public consultation looking at the Preferred Options for Cambridge East. The results of this process fed into the Pre-Submission Draft Cambridge East Area Action Plan, which was subject to a further six-weeks consultation between 17 June and 29 July 2005.
Following on from this consultation, the Councils prepared the Submission Draft Cambridge East Area Action Plan, which was submitted to the Secretary of State in January, triggering a further statutory six-week public consultation period.
Consultation on Objection Sites (additional. alternative or amended sites for development put forward by people objecting to the Submission Draft Area Action Plan) took place between March and April 2006. For further information about the Objection Sites, please view the Councils' consultation website.
Consultation was also undertaken on Site Allocation Policies Representations raised in relation to the Submission Draft Cambridge East Area Action Plan. The consultation period ran from the 16 June to the 28 July 2006. To see further details about this consultation please see the Councils' consultation website.
Following on from the Submission of the Area Action Plan to the Secretary of State in January 2006, an Independent Public Examination was held. The purpose of the Examination was to consider the 'soundness' of the document. The hearing sessions for the Cambridge East Area Action Plan examination began on Tuesday 3 July 2007 and were held in the Guildhall, Market Square, Cambridge.
To assist the Inspector review his conclusions on the issue of Green Separation between Teversham and Fen Ditton, a final round of consultation was carried out between the 12 October and the 23 November 2007. The consultation concerned potential changes to the submission draft Area Action Plan, which would delete the Green Separation Policy and supporting text and make consequential changes to the plan. All public representations made were passed onto the Inspector for his consideration.
Supporting Documents
The following Cambridge City Council documents helped inform the production of the Cambridge East Area Action Plan:
- Cambridge Housing Needs Survey 2002
- Cambridge Community Strategy, 2004
- Cambridge City Open Space Strategy
- Cambridge City Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report, 2005 (PDF, 279 Kbytes)
Other background studies were also undertaken by South Cambridgeshire District Council.
Cambridge East Transport Study
The Cambridge East Transport Study (PDF) was commissioned to inform the preparation of the
Cambridge East Area Action Plan.
The study looks at the potential transport impact of the proposed development on the transport network and examines ways in which this impact could be managed sustainably. It was used to respond to queries raised by the Inspector at the Examination of the Area Action Plan.
The study concerns itself with examining ways in which services and facilities can be accessed from the proposed development at Cambridge East.
A masterplan for the site has yet to be produced, so the study looks only at links from Cambridge East to key destinations and not at the transport layout within the site itself. It is expected that measures for transport within the site will be taken forward as proposals for the site are developed.
The study does not look at transport issues in the wider area. These are covered by other transport plans and strategies, including the Local Transport Plan, and are being considered through other emerging strategies including the Long Term Transport Strategy.
Further Information
If you require any further information,
please contact the Planning Policy Team on:
Tel: 01223 457200
Fax: 01223 457109
Email: policysurveys@cambridge.gov.uk
Write to: Planning Policy, Environment and Planning, The Guildhall, Cambridge, CB2 3QJ