Longstanton Village

Local developments

NORTHSTOWE ?

Joint news release from South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridgeshire Horizons

Released on 01 December 2009

Local authorities in Cambridgeshire have welcomed news from Housing Minister John Healey that Northstowe has been short-listed in the second wave of eco-town proposals.

The announcement, made on Tuesday 1 December 2009, is a response to proposals put jointly to Government by Cambridgeshire Horizons, Cambridgeshire County Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council, and lists Northstowe as one of the 'potential second wave eco-towns proposals' due to the 'opportunity to redesign elements of the existing project(s) to meet even higher sustainability standards'. The second wave of eco-towns stand to share up to £10 million worth of funding to help deliver the highest standards of sustainability.

Cllr David Bard, South Cambridgeshire District Council portfolio holder for new communities, said,

This announcement is extremely welcome. South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridgeshire Horizons have long argued that Northstowe should be built to the highest possible standards of environmental sustainability and being accorded full eco-town status would significantly increase the likelihood of this aspiration being translated into reality.

Cambridgeshire County Councillor Roy Pegram, cabinet member for growth, infrastructure and strategic planning, said,

This is welcome news. We and our partners have been fighting hard against proposals for eco-towns in the wrong place, such as Hanley Grange and lobbying Government even harder to look at including the planned development of Northstowe in this second round of the eco-town plans. I am glad Government has listened to us and our arguments and agreed to include Northstowe in a list of potential sites for eco-towns. Now the Minister must make sure the right amount of funding is delivered to make this a reality and we will be working with our partners to secure that. We want Cambridgeshire to be at the forefront of creating communities that are environmentally friendly, well served by transport and have all the right facilities for residents to call them home and Northstowe has a key part to play in that.

Sir David Trippier, chairman of Cambridgeshire Horizons, commented,

Our ambition for Northstowe has always been to deliver a truly modern community, showcasing excellent sustainability standards, high quality design, and cutting-edge public transport that will inspire people to want to live and work there. The potential inclusion of Northstowe in the second wave of eco-towns provides us with the opportunity to stretch that ambition further and access additional funding to turn the vision into reality.

- Ends -

LATER START FOR NORTHSTOWE: 

 Statement issued on Wednesday 19th November  2008 by the Northstowe Delivery Board which comprises representatives from Cambridgeshire Horizons, Gallagher, English Partnerships, South Cambridgeshire District Council, and Cambridgeshire County Council. 

DEVELOPERS AND COUNCILS WORKING TOGETHER TO COMBAT DIFFICULT ECONOMIC CLIMATE

Unfavourable market conditions, the difficulty and cost of obtaining credit, and the complexity of the project have combined to defer the start date for Northstowe, the proposed new town five miles north west of Cambridge, it was announced at the Northstowe Delivery Board.

A revised housing trajectory has been put forward, which shows a delay for work commencing onsite of at least a year from first estimates. A start was originally planned for the latter part of 2009.

All the Northstowe partners (English Partnerships, Gallagher, South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, and Cambridgeshire Horizons) have agreed to work together closely to ensure plans for Northstowe can continue to move forward, despite the current challenging economic climate. Moreover, all remain committed to delivering the right result for the people of Cambridgeshire - a high quality, sustainable new town for the 21st century.

The Joint Promoters, Gallagher and English Partnerships, are currently undertaking an extensive and complex programme of work to address and respond to the local authorities’ comments on the Northstowe planning application, which were received in May. The new housing trajectory forms part of this ongoing work.

To assist the delivery of the new town, Cambridgeshire Horizons has submitted a refreshed programme of development to Government, including a request for further investment in the up-front infrastructure that is necessary to allow Northstowe to begin being built. A response to this bid is anticipated in December.

Alex Plant, Chair of the Northstowe Delivery Board and Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Horizons, said: "This delay is nobody's fault, it is simply the consequence of a much more difficult economic climate which is affecting the whole of the country, and also the time required to plan an exemplar new town. We hope that Government can respond to our bids for additional pump-priming money for Northstowe, to enable this exciting development to move forward as quickly as possible and to help reduce the acute housing shortage in our region.

“We believe further Government investment would make good sense, as in the long-term it will represent value for money, and help to deliver Government's own policy objectives around housing delivery and low-carbon development. Public money put in now to help Northstowe get under way will yield a positive return as the development gathers pace and market conditions improve, as well as ensuring that local jobs connected to the construction of the new town can be created to counteract the effects of jobs being lost elsewhere in the economy. The strong partnership working arrangements between the joint promoters and the local authorities leave us well-placed to ensure rapid delivery if the investment we need is put in place."

During the autumn and coming winter months, the Northstowe Joint Promoters’ team will continue to undertake further work on changes to aspects of the planning application. In due course, these amendments will be submitted to South Cambridgeshire District Council. This is expected to take place in the Spring and will be followed by public consultation on the amendments.

Pre-recession vision

Longstanton's nearest neighbouring community in the years to come will be the new town of Northstowe.  The town will have an important impact on the way of life and the future of the existing surrounding communities, particularly on Longstanton.

Northstowe's Masterplan developed by the joint promoters English Partnership and Gallagher Longstanton Ltd, shows that the development will cover 482 hectares. The proposals presently being worked on by the promoters show that the new town will provide for just over 24300 residents, occupying 9500 dwellings.

Northstowe has a target in the Northstowe Area Action plan of 10,000 dwellings on the main site. Should it fail to meet its target then the current plan allows an expansion of Northstowe to land west of Station Road, in order to meet that target. 

Over the past six years, and over many rounds of statutory consultation, Longstanton residents and local representatives have been lobbying for the village identity to be respected and for existing open spaces, ancient fields and conservation areas to be protected. In particular, a majority of residents who responded to the Parish Plan survey asked that a substantial area of green separation be set between the town and the village to act as a buffer against the impact of adjacent urbanisation upon the village ancestral rural character, and that  their concerns about roads infrastructure, drainage issues and flood risks be fully addressed in the ongoing planning process.  The Parish Plan questionnaire gave residents the opportunity to express their views on how they wished their community to evolve in the future: the results were published in 2005 in the Parish Plan full Technical Report and the Summary Report, giving rise to the Parish Council Action Plan 2005-2015's wish list:  click on our main menu entry 'Parish Council' and then on the 'Parish Plan Publications' page to consult them.

Today, village group leaders and representatives of Longstanton are given the opportunity to contribute to the Northstowe Community Development Plan, participating, with other recognised stakeholders, in regular consultation events to forward this programme into a viable reality for the wider local community.  

The Northstowe Community Development Plan

Local Authorities' Officers in charge of this unique project are  considering an ambitious programme linked to South Cambridgeshire's Strategic Partnerships Community Development Strategy: the deployment of a social infrastructure and services that should meet the future needs of all ages and sectors of society. The programme underpins the ethos of aiming to facilitate the evolution of socially, economically and environmentally sustainable communities in the District.

Six primary Schools and one secondary school are planned for up to 9500 households.

Northstowe would include employment areas and a mix of shops, restaurants, offices and building for civic uses. 25% of the development site has to be reserved for public open spaces. Three multi-functional, multi-purpose Community Centres are planned  to cater between them for artistic and cultural activities, community gatherings such as meetings and worship, community groups such as parent and toddlers groups, pre-schools, youth  centres and senior citizens groups, social gatherings, indoor sports, information and training facilities.

It is anticipated that a Town Centre's Civic Hub innovative building would accommodate a health campus, a library and information services, civic authority, Community Development Trust, Registered Social Landlord, cafe, small retail units, ICT access and more. As part of the cultural strategy for the new town, a contemporary building committed to arts and cultural activities would also provide a multifunctional space  for a broad range of cultural and communal activities, including a cinema audience space for up to 150 people, and space for the performing arts.

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  For information about Northstowe Stakeholders' Events:

E-mail: susannah.harris [at] scambsgov [dot] uk 

New Communities's Teams (2007)

• Community Services: supports and promotes community arts, sports development and community engagement
• Growth Projects: coordinates the input from other council services and works to tackle climate change, improve the local economy and provide affordable housing 

• Major Development Planning: works with the Joint Planning Director and Planning Services Team to manage the planning applications for the major developments

  New Communities Corporate Manager: Jo Mills

  Contact: heidi.weight [at] scambs [dot] gov [dot] uk  Tel: 08450 450 500