CAMBOURNE PLANNING HISTORY

Brief development history of Cambourne

The concept of a new settlement near Cambridge was first aired in 1986 when Cambridgeshire County Council published its consultation into the draft Structure Plan. Planning consent consent for the development was granted on 20th April 1994. Fifteen years later and Cambourne is still some way from completion, but new residents continue to be welcomed every week and construction work is well underway in Upper Cambourne. There are now over 2600 properties occupied across the three villages.

Since the Cambourne was originally conceived national planning policy for housing development has placed greater emphasis of making the most efficient use of land, and requires higher minimum densities from new development. The Council therefore has proposed through its Site Specific Policies DPD that the remainder of Cambourne should be built to higher densities than was envisaged by the Masterplan. The Council proposes that the overall net density should be approximately 30 dwellings per hectare. The exact number of new dwellings would be established through detailed design work. The Council ran a consultation workshop with residents and interested bodies during March 2007.

In August 2007 an outline planning application for 950 additional homes was submitted to the Council. The Council requested a number of amendments to the application these were submitted by the developers in May 2010. A period of negotiation and consultation on these changes followed. The application is yet to be determined.

Date	Development stage
Winter 2010	Cambourne receives award for landscaping Preliminary work commences for the Sports Centre on Back Lane
Autumn 2010	Work commences on Fire Station
Spring 2010	Police Station Opens
Winter 2009	Permanent Church Building Opens
Autumn 2009	Construction works starts on Police Station. Third Primary School - Jeavons Primary School opens (in temporary building)
Summer 2009	Cambourne's 10th Birthday celebrations
Spring 2009	Inaugural Cambourne 10km Run
Winter 2008	Great Cambourne southern greenway and spaces for imaginative play landscaped
Spring 2008	First homes in Upper Cambourne occupied
Summer 2007	MCA Developments Ltd submits application for addition 950 dwellings neighbourhood / community building, ancillary open space, formal play areas, internal access roads, pedestrian and cycle routes and associated drainage and engineering infrastructure including, electricity sub-stations. First cricket match on cricket ground in Lower Cambourne
Spring 2007	Cricket Pavilion in Lower Cambourne opens
September 2006	Pub opens
2006	Vets opens Dentists opens in the building that was previously used as the temporary school and doctors surgery. Youth building is completed Three estate agents open Construction starts on the pub to be known locally as the 'Monkfield Arms' Cambridgeshire Building Society opens on the High Street
September - October 2005	The Vines Inter-Church School in Upper Cambourne, opens with children being taught in mobile classrooms. Work commences on the dualling of the single carriageway parts of the A424 between Caxton Common and Hardwick. Caxton House on Broad Street is completed and Fish and Chick opens
June 2005	MUGA opens. Planning permission for pub is approved
March 2005	68 new allotments open on Good Friday.
Feb - June 2004	Planning permission is granted for the construction of offices, flats and shops along the High Street The Council's offices move to a purpose built building on Cambourne Business Park Hotel opened A library and health centre within Sackville House and a community centre called The Hub open along the High Street. The Parish Council was formed, with the first elections on the 10th June 2004
Winter 2002	Temporary community centre / church opens in portakabin Morrisons supermarket opens
Summer 2002	Lower Cambourne playground opens
January 2002	Supermarket begins construction
December 2001	Northern arm of Caxton bypass complete, providing second access into Cambourne
Autumn 2001	First housing for rent under construction
Summer 2001	Phase two of Monkfield Park School begins construction First building in second phase of Business Park occupied
July 2001	One more resident elected to Management Liaison Committee Second play area opened Eco-Park and part of Country Park formally opened
March 2001	The Day Nursery opens
February 2001	The temporary GP's surgery opens up in the building that was formerly the temporary school
December 2000	First residents move into Lower Cambourne
Autumn 2000	Footpaths constructed in Eco-Park and Country Park
September 2000	First two units let on Business Park, Second phase of Business Park under construction
August 2000	First residents join 'proto' Parish Council (known as the Management Liaison Committee)
July 2000	First childrens' play area opened
April 2000	Monkfield Park Primary School moves into permanent building Over 130 families now resident at Cambourne
Spring 2000	Second phase of structural planting carried out First phone box, post box and notice board installed in Cambourne on Gt. Cambourne Village Green School bus (for secondary school children) collects from Gt. Cambourne
February 2000	1st edition of Cambourne Village newsletter (The Cambourne Crier)
December 1999	First 'low cost' homes ready for occupation
Autumn 1999	School Lane extended into Lower Cambourne
September 1999	Primary School opens in former farmhouse on temporary basis
August 1999	First residents move in. Construction of first phase of Business Park begins
June 1999	Construction begins on first primary school (Monkfield Park Primary School)
May 1999	First show houses open. Information / Concept centre opens
June 1998	Work starts on site
September 1997	Initial Reserved Matter Applications for Infrastructure approved
November 1996	Masterplan and Design Guide for Monkfield Park approved
22nd May 1995	Masterplan and Design Guide for Monkfield Park formally submitted as required by conditions of planning consent and provisions of legal agreement
20th April 1994	Outline planning permission given for the new settlement at Monkfield Park (later to be renamed Cambourne)
8th December 1993	Planning Committee considers all the applications and the officer recommendation is for the application on the same site as preferred by the Inspector, and which has now benefited from improvements to the weaknesses identified by the Secretary of State. Planning Committee however rejects the recommendations and grants consent for Monkfield Park, the adjoining site, subject to necessary conditions and legal agreements.
November 1992	South Cambridgeshire District Council receives duplicate applications for Great Common Farm.
September 1992	South Cambridgeshire District Council receives application for Monkfield Park.
March 1992	Secretary of State rejects all applications. Disagrees with the Inspector who wanted to approve Great Common Farm. Instead the Secretary of State accepts this is the best choice in 'site specific terms' but rejects some of the details including the over-sized business park and the lack of clarity regarding access arrangements in relation to the Broadway. He indicates that a revised application which addresses these problems would be acceptable.
February 1990 - July 1991	Public enquiry into the applications is held in Ely. One application (Crow Green) drops out of the inquiry.
May 1989	Department of the Environment advises District Councils that all A45 new settlement applications (ultimately 6 along the west and 2 along the east) are called in for the Secretary of State to determine after a public enquiry. The October 1989 South Cambridgeshire Local Plan goes on deposit. Does not include an allocation for the new settlement since applications have already been called in.
March 1989	Secretary of State approves Structure Plan with an A10 north new settlement and one of 3000 dwellings (2000 dwellings up to 2001) along the A45 west or east (operative April 1989)
July 1988	Secretary of State proposes modifications to the Structure Plan Review. Agrees with Panel that there should be two new settlements, A10 north and A45 west.
January 1988	Panel's report is published. Panel concludes that a smaller settlement is appropriate for the A10 north and that there should be a major new settlement on the A45 west corridor.
October 1987	Government Panel holds 'Examination in Public' at Ely into Structure Plan Review. New Settlement in the Cambridge sub-area is one issue considered.
March / May 1987	County Council approves form of structure plan review to be submitted to the Secretary of State (submitted May 1987). Proposes a single new settlement of 3000 dwellings on the A10 in East Cambridgeshire.
August 1986	County council publishes Consultation draft of Structure Plan Review. Two new settlements are proposed - near Swavesey on the A604 and on the A10 north of Cambridge.

Cambourne Development Update

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