ORTHSTOWE EWSLETTERNQuarterly (Issue 1)

2014

N Welcome to the first Northstowe Newsletter of 2014The joint Northstowe Team at the County and South Cambridgeshire District Councils provide summary updates on proposals for the new town of Northstowe. This quarterly Newsletter informs Council Members and local communities of progress and events as the development of the new town gets underway - and as we see the Vision for the town turning into reality over the next 25 years.

THE WEEKS AHEAD ...

19 FebNorthstowe Joint

Development Control Committee

19 FebNorthstowe Parish

Forum

8 MarchDrop-in

Ploughman Hall Willingham(Drainage)

19 MarchNorthstowe Parish

Forum

26 MarchNorthstowe Joint

Development Control Committee

16 AprilNorthstowe Parish

Forum

23 AprilNorthstowe Joint

Development Control Committee

10 MayDrop-in Longstanton

Village Institute

Creating the Brand of NorthstoweEveryone has different images of what Northstowe could be like. What will make Northstowe special? Who would like to live and to work there? How should Northstowe be marketed? How can we use social media to help build a sense of community? What kinds of feeling and image does Northstowe conjure up? These are some of the questions that Creative Concern, the branding consultants appointed by the Homes and Communities Agency, is trying to tease out. They have been having conversations with local people, politicians, officers and community leaders and are putting together ideas on the image, logo and emerging identity for the town. Everyone has a say in creating the Norhstowe brand!

Economic Development StrategyTo help us consider what kind of town centre Northstowe should have, economic development consultants Genecon are preparing an Economic Development Strategy. They will consider what kinds of businesses will be encouraged, what will the town centre look like and what public and civic uses should locate there. Genecon are running an evening workshop on 19th February with the Parish Forum and local councillors to find out how they see the economic role of Northstowe.

Consultation with Local PeopleThe Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) leads on the development of the second phase of Northstowe through its consultants, Arup. They held a Design Workshop for local councillors in January. Consultation on the proposed scheme for around 3,000 homes and the creation of the town centre will help local people’s views to be integrated in the proposals before the planning application is submitted later in the year. Look out for the informal consultation at local venues towards the end of March.

Item Outline Summary Sec 106 Provision

1,500 dwellings 20% affordable housing in a mix of tenure types

Local Centre with retail and other appropriate uses; Community building and informal MUGA (maybe at local park) by occupation of 900 homes c£1.5m. £300,000 for three years for community worker(s)

Three-form entry primary school provided by Diocese of Ely Funding from Gallagher of £8m to be completed in Autumn 20155 (ha) of employment land including a household recycling centre (HWRC) and foul water pumping station

HWRC to be provided by 1,400 homes and is funded by several developers including c£190,000 from Gallagher

Formal and informal public open space. Water bodies of approximately 5ha including a water park providing a recreational, ecological and drainage resource

Several play areas (NEAP, LEAP, LAP) totalling funding of £520,000 as well as land for the faith/voluntary /community sector. Maintenance and management of public realm to be the subject of a Management Strategy be agreed with Gallagher with a Community Endowment of £1.5m

1.5ha of allotments and community orchard Gallagher to lay out site for orchard and allotments £25,000

Sports hub To be provided by 500 homes at a cost of c £1.1m

Network of footpaths and cycleways Included in infrastructure provision and funding of c£930,000 for link to Bar Hill

Surface water drainage infrastructure for Phase 1 Exemplar drainage scheme involving re-profiled land, swales and water bodies with maintenance funding of c£1m

Hattons Road ponds Mitigation of the flood risk at Longstanton through the provision of two balancing ponds with ecological mitigation and enhancements

Household Waste Recycling Centre

Longstanton Park & Ride

Waterpark Balancing Ponds

Greenways with swales

Park

Primary SchoolSports Hub

Orchard & Allotments

Local Centre

Illustrative Master Plan - Phase 1

Progress on the Gallagher ApplicationThe release of the outline planning consent for the first phase of Northstowe includes a legal agreement made between the developers/land owners, the County and District Councils. This “Section 106 Agreement” sets out the range of community facilities and other requirements such as cycle routes and environmental management that are necessary to create a new town. Over £30m of community infrastructure is being provided in this way. The funding is brought forward at stages in the development process that are generally linked to the occupation of specified numbers of dwellings. These are called ‘triggers’ and will ensure that the provision of community facilities keeps pace with the creation of new homes and new households.In February Gallagher will be taking the opportunity outside of the bird nesting season to prune hedges and to cut the grass on site. This will be followed by archaeologists and a ground investigation team in March/ April.

The Table below summarises some of the main Section 106 obligations:

Community DevelopmentHow do we create a sense of identity for a new town? How do we turn a group of buildings into a neighbourhood that people want to live in and feel a part of? These are the questions I’m thinking about as the new Community Development Officer for Northstowe. I believe that the building blocks of the new community should be given equal weight with the physical environment: social networks are as important as drainage networks. I look forward to meeting with local residents and finding out more about people’s ideas for creating a sense of community. My background is in arts development and I have seen first-hand how the arts can help to create a sense of place and give meaning to people’s lives. There are exciting possibilities for bringing art into the design and culture of Northstowe, not just as stand-alone pieces of sculpture, but also within the entire surroundings and environment of the settlement. There are good precedents for this e.g.: the school gates at Orchard Park primary school, with their iron floral motifs that relate to the horticultural past of the site. Additionally, street parties, community choirs and Am-Dram productions can all play a role in developing social ties. As the Arts Development Manager attached to Swavesey Village College I am tasked with creating opportunities for the students and the local community to engage in high-quality arts events. The secondary school in Northstowe will be part of the Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust and share Swavesey Village College’s senior leadership team, staff and curriculum plan. Henry Morris said that education, both formal and informal, should be a lifelong process; schools belong to the whole community, not just the pupils and parents. Northstowe presents a unique opportunity for embedding these values and my job is to make sure that the local community has the opportunity to be involved in the process of making this happen. To get in touch please email me, Ellen Nowak, at enowak@swaveseyvc.co.uk.

Parish BoundariesAs many residents will know, we have been working with the local community and parish councils of Longstanton, Willingham and Oakington & Westwick to explore what might be the best way for Northstowe to be governed. This may mean changing the parish boundaries for Longstanton and Oakington & Westwick. As well as meeting residents from Rampton Drift, officers are visiting Parish Councils that surround Northstowe to seek their views so that we make sure we have the best possible solution for our local residents, old and new. Come along to the Saturday morning Drop-In sessions to find out more.

Education ProvisionA new primary school will be ready from the early days of the new development. It will also be the focus for community activities until the new community centre is built at the Local Centre. The design work for the primary school is in its final stages. Since the public meeting in September at Hatton Park Primary School representatives from Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT) sponsor of the Northstowe secondary school, held two further meetings last year to engage in more detail with the residents of Longstanton, in particular the cohort of parents whose children will be amongst the first pupils at Northstowe secondary school. Chris Holmwood, the Principal of Shenley Brook End School in Milton Keynes, spoke about the challenges and excitement of leading and managing the establishment and development of a new 1600 place secondary school. We will be holding further meetings at different stages to help keep residents involved.

Northstowe Community ServicesWork is underway to put together a plan for the delivery of community services for Northstowe’s new residents. Community services include community development and support for children, young people and families, library services, as well as health services such as community nursing and health visiting. The plan will suggest what services need to be in place and when so that new residents are welcomed to Northstowe from day one and existing residents receive at least the same level of service.

For information please contact the Northstowe Resource Officer, Elaine Sargent Tel: 01954 712908 Email: elaine.sargent@scambs.gov.uk

Urban Design and Design CodesThe draft of the Design Code for Phase 1 was tested at an event held on 7th October 2013, facilitated by Sue McGlynn, Urban Design Consultant and author, formerly a Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University. Sue provided guidance as to what a design code should be and how it should work i.e. a set of instructions for the design of that part of the development that is precise, positive, prescriptive (where it needs to be) and prioritising.Three architectural practices tested the draft Design Code, with each testing a different location exhibiting different conditions and characteristics. Each practice presented their scheme, commenting on how the design code had hindered or helped them. There then followed a discussion about each scheme in relation to the draft design code.In the afternoon the three schemes were assessed by Members and officers from Cambridgeshire County Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council, from the perspective of the quality of designs delivered. Each team fed back their views followed by a further discussion.The final draft of the Design Code for Phase 1 is currently being amended to address issues raised and will be presented to the Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee for approvallater in the spring.

TransportThe Highways Agency (HA) conducted a public consultation exercise in September – October 2013 on proposals for the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme. The Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee (NJDCC) expressed concerns regarding the traffic provision for Northstowe, including the capacity of the Bar Hill junction on the A14, the capacity of local access roads, and provision for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders. In summary the HA have responded that the new junction at Bar Hill would provide full access between the local road network and the A14, via a new junction built to modern standards providing adequate capacity. This would take into account predicted traffic flows from future developments, including Northstowe. The HA also intend to improve conditions for non-vehicular traffic where practicable to do so. Local Authority officers will continue to work closely with the HA to review the proposed road links and location of junctions as to their suitability, and ensure that future traffic demands from Northstowe are considered fully, including provision for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. The HA will undertake a further consultation in Spring 2014 with on the detailed proposals, they will then obtain a Development Consent Order (DCO) for the Scheme. The report on the 2013 consultation is available on the HA’s website (see https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/a14-cambridge-to-huntingdon-improvement-scheme).

Saturday morning drop-ins Find out more about what is being planned for Northstowe - come along to our Saturday Drop-Ins! These are informal sessions, sometimes with Q& A, that officers run in one of the local village halls or sports pavilions. Sometimes we have a theme, such as the new parish of Northstowe, and local people are warmly invited to come along and find out more. The next drop-in is on 8th March 10-12 noon at the Ploughman Hall, Willingham, where there will be an exhibition on the drainage scheme for the first phase of development and opportunity to ask questions of Gallagher’s drainage engineer and the Environment Agency.