1.  CAMBRIDGESHIRE STRUCTURE PLAN 1999-2016

The County Council's Deposit Draft Structure Plan will be the subject of scrutiny at an Examination in Public (EiP) commencing in late October 2002. A very tight 5 week timetable has been established for the EiP which is a reflection of the importance and urgency attached to the need to determine a viable strategy for the area if we are to cope with population and housing growth in a sustainable manner.

  The Structure Plan deals with the whole County of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough but in accordance with Regional Planning Guidance for East Anglia (RPGG) looks separately at:

—  The Cambridge sub-region (the area around Cambridge which is under the economic influence of the city).

—  The more rural north of the county and the Peterborough city region.

  This note looks at the Cambridge sub-region as this is the part relevant to the Deputy Prime Minister's Statement on 18 July 2002.

2.  THE STRATEGY FOR THE CAMBRIDGE SUB-REGION

  For the local economy and the community to prosper in Cambridge, new high quality housing is needed to match the growth in jobs and also major transport investment to get people to and from work. More homes are needed, especially homes which are affordable, and meet the needs of key workers. These are at the core of the County Council's sustainable development strategy for Cambridge and the sub-region.

  Cambridge is the economic hub of the East of England. We recognise the need to develop the Cambridge high-tech sector because of the unique contribution it makes to the local, regional and national economies. But our planning and transport strategy will ensure the growth does not compromise the quality of life and quality of environment.

  The strategy concentrates on locating housing close to Cambridge so people have the opportunity to live close to where they work. At the same time the strategy seeks opportunities to spread the benefits of economic growth out from Cambridge to the rest of the county and beyond.

  Employment forecasts predict an increase of 50,000 jobs in the wider Cambridge area over the next fifteen years. The County Council wants to support this level of growth by:

—  encouraging the continued expansion of high technology and knowledge based industry;

—  securing investment in new infrastructure;

—  the selective management of employment which does not need to be located close to Cambridge.

  The long term viability of the area will be supported by encouraging a wider range of businesses into the local economy and by developing the skills of the workforce.

  The City is set to grow considerably and that means the Green Belt has to be redrawn to a limited extent. A significant Green Belt will still be maintained around Cambridge to define the extent of its urban growth whilst preserving its unique character and preventing communities in the environs from merging into one another.

  30% or more of new housing needs to be affordable housing.

3.  IMPLEMENTING THE STRATEGY

  The County and District Councils face the challenge of delivering some 48,000 additional dwellings in the sub-region to house an additional population of 100,000 by 2016. A comprehensive range of infrastructure must be in place to support this additional population and economic activity.

  It is not just the scale and cost of the infrastructure to be provided which represents a challenging target for the public sector. It is also the speed with which it is to be delivered. Implementation of the spatial development strategy for the Cambridge sub-region, in just 15 years from now, represents an extremely difficult target. It is unlikely that the targets will be met without significant and radical changes in the arrangements for securing implementation.

  The sub-region is not starting from a `clean-sheet' position. There is a backlog of infrastructure delivery to make good even before a wide range of additional infrastructure provision is implemented to service the planned expansion of the sub-region.

  The scale of the task is like developing a new town without any New Town powers. However, there are no New Town Development Corporation Powers, no unified planning and delivery agency and no priority focus for central government funding. Moreover, development will take place over a large sub-regional area.

  It is essential that the development which takes place must conserve the quality, character and environment of the area. This is essential for the continuing economic prosperity of the sub-region as the quality of life and quality of the environment are key factors in its economic success. But this has to be achieved in a context of:

—  a 40 per cent increase in total housing output above that achieved in the last decade;

—  a threefold increase in affordable housing if the RPG target is to be met and for the sub-region to achieve its goals for social inclusion. Furthermore, the lack of affordable housing is now probably the single most important constraint on the economy of the area because of its impact on recruitment and retention of key workers in both the public and private sectors.

4.  INFRASTRUCTURE DEFICIT

  The aggregate cost of the necessary infrastructure is estimated at £2 billion of which the lion's share is taken by transportation works; however it is also essential that a long term affordable housing programme is established.

5.  WORKING WITH GOVERNMENT

  The Cambridge sub-region cannot sustain the predicted rates of growth unless the infrastructure issues are addressed. We therefore believe it is essential for government to work with us to overcome the growth pressures by investing in success. In particular, we have asked government to work with us in:

  1.  implementing the Cambridge-Huntingdon Multi-Model study involving national roads, local roads and public transport investment;

  2.  developing solutions to the affordable housing dilemma in an area of very high-cost housing;

  3.  developing an `accord' between central government and local partners on how best to apply planning gain(S106) resources across the sub-region;

  4.  working with the construction industry to ensure resources and skills are available to achieve the very demanding housing and other construction targets;

  5.  creating a memorandum of understanding on a 15-year investment plan, including a common understanding of phasing, especially for transport investment.

  The Cambridge area has a unique contribution to make to the national economy. There is also a real commitment across the public and private sectors to pursue growth policies, which will result in large increases in population, jobs and housing. This combination provides an ideal environment for Government to work with local partners to:

—  show how spatial strategies, planning and housing policies can be used to further economic competitiveness;

—  use Cambridge as a case study to learn lessons for other areas in the UK facing high growth pressures.

6.  SUSTAINABLE DESIGN IN BUILT DEVELOPMENT

  A major contribution to the achievement of sustainable development can be made through good design. This requires that every aspect of a development proposal is examined to ensure that its performance is as sustainable as possible. Detailed design is as important as overall strategy in achieving sustainable development objectives.

  Hence the County Council's Structure Plan policy states, "a high standard of design and sustainability for all new development will be required which:

—  Minimises the need to travel and reduces car dependency;

—  Provides a sense of place which responds to the local character of the built environment;

—  Makes efficient use of energy and resources;

—  Takes account of community requirements by involving the local community and the providers of community services in the design process."

  (Headings only are given above each of these points contains further elaboration in the policy statement.)

7.  NEXT STEPS

  The Cambridge sub-region was defined in existing RPG and its future considered in detail in the Cambridge sub-region Study. The study's proposals, as they affect Cambridgeshire, are now being considered through the Cambridgeshire Structure Plan, to establish a long-term strategy to 2016 and beyond. The Consultative Paper on the new RPG14 says "It is important that the Cambridge sub-region should not be disrupted by new or revised proposals in RPG14, so we consider that the current proposals for the area should continue as presently embodied in existing RPG."

  However the Cambridge sub-region inevitably features in other sub-regional issues, such as the London-Stansted-Cambridge corridor. These issues should affect the Cambridge sub-region only after 2016, and any proposals should be designed to avoid conflict with existing planning of the sub-region, and to enable a logical progression of strategy.

8.  CONCLUSION TO BE DRAWN

  1.  The Cambridge sub-region is already coping with a very high level of growth despite many years of under-investment in transport and other aspects of the community infrastructure.

  2.  The planning system is showing that it is robust enough to cope with the task of developing appropriate spatial strategies but the processes for implementing these strategies are simply not adequate.

  3.  A much more explicit `accord' is needed between central and local government and other local parties if the sub-region is to deliver the planned growth. Such an "accord" must address the funding of the infrastructure to support high housing growth levels.

  4.  The main infrastructure investment needs are:

a.  transport;

b.  affordable housing.

  The levels of investment needs are far in excess of the resources likely to be generated from planning obligations (s.106) or traditional mainstream public expenditure programmes.

  5.  The Cambridge sub-region clearly has a very important role to play in meeting the economic and housing growth needs of the East of England region and indeed the whole greater South-east. However a long-term strategy to 2016 has been established through RPG6 and the Cambridgeshire Structure Plan. There is an established mechanism (RP14) for looking beyond 2016 and that work is in hand according to an ambitious timetable. It would be counter productive to disrupt existing strategies (RPG6 and the Structure Plan) or the established process (RPG14) for post 2016.

Alan Barnish
Chief Executive, Cambridgeshire County Council