Northstowe?
Local developments
NORTHSTOWE ?
Northstowe draft planning application will be submitted on 27th Feb 2012
Public consultation will be held at the Pavilion on 13th 15th & 17th March (tbc)
Longstanton Parish Council supports the proposed phased development of Northstowe and the relocation of the Town Centre further North.
The Parish Council comments for consideration are as follows;
Traffic Impact & Village Access
As it stands the B1050/A14 suffers heavy congestion. Information is vague as to the provisions for improvements to both the B1050 and A14 to cope with the additional traffic from construction workers, suppliers, agencies and domestic vehicles that will be generated.
The Northstowe Area Action Plan adopted by SCDC July 2007 – Policy NS/3 C1.3 states “As a further steer to the development of the new town, the Structure Plan also requires that provision is made in the AAP for new or improved road links from the town to the A14.” And C1.5 states that this requirement has “provided the basis for the policies and proposals in the AAP for Northstowe and will be included in the Master-plan”.
Proposed access to Northstowe phase 1 is shown at Crabtree Corner on the B1050. Residents leaving Northstowe may turn left and drive through Longstanton rather than take the Longstanton bypass on the way to the A14. This principle seems to follow existing models (e.g., the Papworth and Caxton bypasses on the B1198). However the Parish Council remains concerned about traffic (especially morning rush-hour traffic). The Parish Council should be included in the planning of traffic calming measures and restricted access plans from Northstowe into Longstanton, particularly at School Lane, Station Road/High Street and Hatton’s Road. The Council is concerned that the Airfield Road traffic use will increase as a short cut and ‘rat run’.
NAAP Policy NS/10 Road Infrastructure states
“ Adequate highway capacity will be required to serve all stages of
development. Planning permission for Northstowe will be subject to conditions
requiring that sufficient highway capacity is available in the A14
corridor between Bar Hill and Cambridge throughout the development of Northstowe for the traffic forecast to be generated by each phase of new town development and
ultimately for up to 10,000 dwellings.
Primary Road Access:
Northstowe will be accessed by existing and new roads which may include an improved Hattons Road from the A14 or its parallel distributor road and a new road into the southern end of Northstowe;” and
“Mitigating Traffic Impact: All roads will be designed and located to minimise and where possible avoid any adverse impacts on the landscape and existing residential properties.
Traffic management measures will be funded by the development to minimise traffic impacts on nearby villages.”
Consideration must be given to the provision of a safe crossing place on the Northstowe phase 1 access road at Crabtree Corner.
There must be explicitly limited traffic potential into the existing conservation areas from Northstowe.
NAAP C2.2 – “Proposals for Northstowe will be required to respect the openness of the existing conservation area and to propose appropriate landscaping treatments.”
Longstanton Golf Course/Community Facilities
The Joint Developers should consider supporting the development of community facilities in Longstanton to mitigate the loss of the Golf Course and driving range.
One of the key features of Longstanton is its golf course, which is the proposed site for phase 1 of Northstowe. It is used not just for golf, but as a key amenity through which a well-used footpath makes its way. Consideration should be given to the land allocated as open space, being densely planted with trees, which would provide several key advantages:
· It would partially compensate for the loss of a key aspect in Longstanton, the village character, which is meant to be preserved.
· It would provide a key outdoor recreational facility for Northstowe as well as Longstanton and Oakington (there is no other woodland in walking or easy cycling distance).
· Dense planting would offset the increased traffic noise due to the access roads, and would greatly reduce noise from the A14.
· Such sites would instill confidence in Longstanton and Oakington residents that the South of Longstanton and Oakington is not merely reserved for future development that would fully encircle the villages.
· Woodland planting would act as a highly attractive feature for a new town.
NAAP Policy NS/15 states “Linking Northstowe to its Surroundings -
New roads linking the town to the existing network will require landscaping which is consistent with local landscape character and which mitigates any adverse impact on the landscape. This will include planting beyond the highway boundary, for example
in association with balancing ponds, as well as planting trees and hedgerows along the highway boundary. The landscaped areas and Green Corridors within Northstowe
will be designed to connect to each other and to the green areas on the periphery of the town and the wider countryside beyond to create a comprehensive green and landscaped network.
Early in the development, community facilities will be sparse and early residents will rely on surrounding communities. Longstanton requires substantial improvements to its community facilities in order to cater for these additional people (including the numerous construction workers that will be with us for many years).
Such provision also acts as a concrete way to partially offset the devastating effects of the loss of the golf course to the village. It will also provide early relief for first phase Northstowe residents that would otherwise have no such infrastructure.
Secondary School
The provision of a Secondary School in the first phase is an ideal but we appreciate the impracticality and loss of development area. The Council support the secondary school site.
Local Centre
There needs to be clear conditions relating to at what stage of development the local facilities will be provided.
Consideration should be given to the provision of dental, medical and policing facilities, as well as shops with adequate parking and cycle bays. The Centre should be designed with character. The Parish Council support the site of the Local Centre.
Construction Traffic
Construction traffic must be expressly forbidden from travelling through any road in Longstanton except the B1050 bypass.
Approval should be contingent upon construction traffic being monitored by an independent body that is given incentive to find deviations. The construction traffic that arose from the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway and that which continues to come from the Home Farm development, in Longstanton, has resulted in no penalties or changes in behaviour despite assurances from Developers and house builders.
Consideration should be given to a mechanism such as number plate recognition along village routes, with confirmation upon arrival, seem more reliable and enforceable. The approval of construction routes could include specific fixed penalties for violation that are sufficient to deter future violations rather than be low enough to make it cost effective to pay the penalties (e.g., £1,000 per violation, doubling for subsequent violations in a year, is a good starting point). Penalty fees should be provided to the village that was violated as partial compensation for the destruction of their quality of life by traffic that violates the agreements. The Parish Council suggests an escrow lodgment be placed by each developer from which penalties may be removed, since it is be practically difficult to extract payments for each offence.
Regulations on construction traffic must apply to any traffic that is bringing materials to Northstowe, whether the vehicle is owned or operated by a developer, a contractor, a subcontractor, or a delivery service. Agreements must be sufficiently clear that if a gravel company delivers their own goods, they must comply with the rules even though they are not a contractor. The developers themselves must bear responsibility for enforcement and agree to pay all penalties, recouping from any contractors as and when needed.
Renewable Energy
The Parish Council support that the houses should be oriented generally with southward-facing roofs to facilitate solar panels.
Burial Site
Consideration should be given to access to the burial site ensuring it is attainable by public transport and that there is adequate provision of private car and funeral procession spaces. The Council has concern on the walking distance of the burial ground from Northstowe which could limit residents attending who may be unable to travel by transport.
The Airfield
The Parish Council supports the retention of some of the Airfield buildings and we look forward to the buildings being brought into use.
Promotion of Northstowe
The Parish Council suggest that there is restriction on the use of the land around Longstanton being used for large bill boards and flags etc., advertising the property for sale (as was seen on the Longstanton Bypass advertising the Home Farm Development)
Yours faithfully,
Pauline Haywood
Parish Clerk
For & On Behalf of
Longstanton Parish Council
LATER START FOR NORTHSTOWE:
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 Master-plan 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.
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 wish list: click on our main menu entry 'Parish Council' and then on the 'Parish Plan Publications' page to consult them.