Northstowe Community Forum

Please check our list of common Northstowe questions for a list of queries that have already been asked at recent Northstowe Community Forums. 

Aims

• To provide residents and stakeholders with regular updates regarding strategic development sites
• To provide an opportunity for residents and stakeholders to share their interests/concerns with relevant council officers, including those from the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service (‘Planning’) and Communications and Communities (‘Communities’) teams, Elected Members, developers and other key stakeholders such as Cambridgeshire County Council and Anglian Water

Scope and purpose

• The development covered by this forum is Northstowe
• To provide regular, accurate and timely information to residents regarding the above development
• To offer an opportunity for residents to raise issues of interest or concern for existing and new communities with a view to enhancing the quality of community life and the environment in Northstowe
• For council officers to share issues raised by residents with relevant parties and report back responses and/or that appropriate action has been taken
• To provide information and signposting on planning and growth matters
• To provide an opportunity for developer/s, residents, community groups, elected members and council officers to engage with each other
• From time to time, to provide opportunities for residents to be consulted and involved in the planning, co-design and management of associated facilities and services
• The forum does not have decision-making powers and cannot be held accountable for growth and related issues
• Minor developments may be covered by this forum from time to time, but the developments listed above will take priority

Structure, management and format

• The forum will be chaired by local ward member, Cllr Sarah Cheung Johnson
• There will be a maximum of 4 ‘open to all’ formal meetings a year, where appropriate, and other forms of engagement where necessary
• Venues, where appropriate, will be spread around the different catchment area/s for the new development(s) to ensure all residents have an opportunity to attend
• The frequency and format of individual meetings will be determined by senior Planning and Communities officers in consultation with the Chair based on the progress of each specific development and views expressed by stakeholders, including residents 
• Meeting dates will be set, wherever possible, on a rolling basis a year in advance
• A range of methods will be used to deliver the forum - the most appropriate format will be chosen for the meeting in consultation with attendees and in accordance with the circumstances and government guidance available at the time, that is to say in person forums (which will include drop-ins), virtual meetings or a hybrid of these, for virtual meetings Zoom Webinar will be used

Communication and publicity

• A range of measures will be used to communicate to residents about the forums, including local advertising via flyers, web page, existing parish publications, email and social media
• Where possible and practicable, Council officers will upload content within 10 days of a forum being held
• A rolling agenda will be posted online so residents are aware of proposed future topics for discussion
• Questions will be posted online so that attendees can see the issues that have been raised and addressed at past meetings
• Presentations, notes and recordings of the meetings will be published online. 
• A distribution list will be developed and maintained based on registered forum attendees and any others wishing to be kept informed. A registration form will be available on the relevant forum’s web page/s
• Surveys and feedback mechanisms will be employed from time to time to ensure forums are meeting residents’ needs and to facilitate continuous improvement
• Agendas will be published no later than 7 days prior to the meeting

Lead Officer

 Ellen Bridges – Development Officer  

Valuing diversity

All delegates attending Forum events must undertake to:

• Treat all people with respect and act in a way which does not discriminate against or exclude anyone
• Act in a fair and responsible way to all

Collective responsibility 

All people coming to Forum events agree by their presence that they will:

• Observe the authority of the Chair or facilitator at all times
• Listen quietly to and respect the views and experiences of other people contributing
• Agree to and follow the standard of behaviour expected at each event, according to what is happening at that event (e.g. no interrupting or shouting)
• Allow others to have equal opportunity and time to share their opinions
• Not use inflammatory language or behaviour of any kind

If the above values are not met during a meeting or event, the Chair, facilitator or nominated officer may take one or more of the following steps with the objective of restoring order.

Any person making offensive, insulting, threatening, provocative, slanderous or obscene remarks, or who becomes boisterous, or who threatens or harasses any person or property while at a Forum event, will cause the event to be suspended for the shortest period needed to allow order to be restored.

Any person or people causing an event to be interrupted by reason of behaviours identified above, who does so more than once, can be asked to leave the event by the Chair or staff at the event. This can be for a specific length of time to allow the person or people to cool off or for the rest of the meeting or event, depending on the judgement of the Chair or staff present.

Where the Chair believes that:

• The event has become unmanageable, unnecessarily interrupted, harassed or hindered more than once by the same person or people
• There has been behaviour which threatens the safety of him or herself or others present, the Chair may opt to suspend the meeting or event until order is restored or to end the meeting, or event, if they feel that it is appropriate
• Any person or persons causing through their behaviour, any other individual or individuals present at a Forum event to fear for their personal safety may be subject to immediate removal from the event and/or the event premises

Northstowe Temporary Community Centre and Phase 1 Sports Pavilion - Clare Gibbons, Growth Manager Communities, South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC)

Northstowe Temporary Community Centre and Phase 1 Sports Pavilion - presentation [PDF, 0.1MB]

Northstowe Temporary Community Centre

• SCDC intend to run this facility with the community. A Management Board will be established which will include representation from South Cambridgeshire District Council, Northstowe Town Council, Northstowe Hub and to which Cambridgeshire County Council has been invited.
• Since the forum the facility is now open, and we are taking booking enquiries. For more information about the rooms available to hire please visit our Temporary Community Centre page.

Phase 1 Sports Pavilion

• Construction work is progressing well. The operation of the building is complex. The Invitation to Tender is currently live on our portal and we hope to appoint a provider with a view to mobilise the contract from September. The latest construction work taking place on the Sports Pavilion can be found on our Northstowe Phase 1 Sports Pavilion page.
• Northstowe Town Council will still be engaged through the management board which will be created to provide oversight of the operator, alongside Northstowe Sports and Wellbeing Group, Longstanton Bowls Club and the district council, so ensuring that this facility is also run with community input.

Northstowe Permanent Community Building - Aga Podgajna, AR Urbanism, Adam West, CZWG Architects, Director

Northstowe Permanent Community Building - presentation [PDF, 2.5MB]

• AR Urbanism in conjunction with SCDC has been holding community consultations and plans have been evolving in response. AR Urbanism encouraged the community to give any further thoughts on the plans as soon as possible.
• The sustainability of the building will be very important, timber will be used and there will also be PV panels, green roof, ground source heat pump and water harvesting to ensure the building has a low carbon footprint.
• The building will also improve biodiversity – bat boxes/bird boxes possibly
• Aiming to submit a planning application this summer.

Homes England Update - Emma Brown, Planning and Enabling Manager, Philip Harker, Assistant Director Technical Services, Julian Chafer, Assistant Director Estate Management and H&S, Homes England. Katja Stille, Director, Tibbalds Planning and Urban Design

Homes England Update - presentation [PDF, 2MB]

• Southern Access Road West: Homes England are finalising the necessary paperwork and once this is complete a date will be able to be announced.
• A question was asked regarding access to the busway for cycling/walking. Homes England confirmed when the road is open these cycling/walking routes will also open.
• Lake: The landscaping around the lake needs to be established enough before the lake can be open. Unfortunately, due to the lack of rain this has impacted this and certain areas need further work.
• A question was asked regarding water activity. There will be a period of monitoring the water quality and during this time there will be no water activities able to take place. Once the water quality has been assessed water activities will then be considered.
• Eastern Sports Hub: Given sports pitches require 18 months to be embedded an early reserved matters application is going to be submitted. Homes England with their consultants Tibbalds would also like to programme some engagement activities with young people regarding the Future BMX track which will form part of the Eastern Sports Hub.

Health Services for Northstowe - David Parke, Assistant Director Infrastructure and Sustainability (South), Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care System (ICS)

Health Services for Northstowe - presentation [PDF, 0.1MB]

• Residents are to continue to register with Willingham and Longstanton Medical Practice. Currently 2750 patients from Northstowe are registered.
• There is the capacity to take a further 5,550 patients – workforce and operational hours to increase as necessary (total of over 8000 patients).
• An NHS room will be provided within the Temporary Community Centre and discussion are being had to deliver mental health support, health visiting and midwifery services.
• David Parke reminded residents of the Enhanced Access service (44 hrs per week across the Cambridge Northern Villages PCN). If residents are struggling to get an appointment do enquire about this service.
• In the future there are plans to deliver a total of 1740 sqm for a Civic Hub which will be delivered in Phase 2 (1300sqm General Medical Services, 200sqm Community Trusts, 120sqm Pharmacy, 120sqm Dentistry).
• A question was asked regarding the availability of NHS dentistry. David Parke recognised the issue. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System has only taken on dentistry since April. Dentists are moving away from NHS services as the subsidy the government provides does not cover the cost of the treatment. Need to incentivise them to take on NHS contracts.

L&Q Estates, Phase 1 - Stephan Sage, Project Director L&Q Estates

L&Q Estates, Phase 1 - presentation [PDF, 2.5MB]

• H12 due to be complete June 2024
• H13 due to be complete end of 2024
• Southern Greenway under construction. Hope to be able to open this once the seeded area is complete (August/September). 
• LEAP 3 currently closed whilst the grass is established – hope this will be late autumn. LEAP 4 ahead of schedule.
• L&Q also read out a statement from Vistry regarding H5

  ‘In respect of our final phase (H5), I can confirm that we have placed a momentary pause, while we undertake a full review. In light of the current market conditions and economic uncertainty, it would be reckless if we were to carry on and build something that the buying public don’t wish to purchase. However, we are still fully committed to completing this phase of the development as soon as practically possible’.

Prior to the forum a question was received if house builders keep SCDC updated on their operations and plans. 

The frequency of updates will vary depending on the housebuilder. However, the local planning authority will contact each housebuilder as part of its annual monitoring programme, which is reported in the following suite of documents:

• Authority Monitoring Report – Monitoring is essential in order to establish what has been happening in Greater Cambridge: what is happening now, what may happen in the future - and what needs to be done to achieve policies and targets.
• Housing trajectory – A housing trajectory is used by Councils to calculate their 5 year housing land supply and also to demonstrate that anticipated housing delivery will meet or exceed their housing requirement.
• Housing Delivery Test – The Housing Delivery Test (HDT) is an annual assessment of actual housing delivery over the previous three years, measured against the housing requirement for the district for that same time period.

Stagecoach - Charlton Thornhill, Head of Commercial, David Bowden, Business Development Director, Stagecoach

Stagecoach - presentation [PDF, 1MB]

• The busway is at 93% of pre covid usage, which is above the average of the rest of the services. Other services are at 80%.
• Services are still facing major disruption due to the vast amount of roadworks in the City.
• £2 fare cap has been extended to 31^st
• Now have 30 electric buses. However, at the moment they are not for the busway as the mileage is needs to increase first however technology is advancing.

Northstowe Town Council - Cllr. Paul Littlemore, Mayor, Cllr. Carla Bros Sabria, Deputy Mayor

• Cllr Paul Littlemore and Cllr Carla Bros Sabria introduced themselves as Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
• Northstowe Town Council hope to bring Park Play to Northstowe next month, just finalising the licence agreement.

Northstowe Community Development Officers - Mihaela Stan, Michele Eidevik-Skinner, South Cambridgeshire District Council

Northstowe Community Development Officers - presentation [PDF, 0.2MB]

• Have enjoyed being involved with a range of community groups supporting activities taking place including The Great Big Green Week Community Action Day.
• Looking forward to the Temporary Community Centre opening and seeing new and familiar faces.
• Do get in touch if you would like support setting up a new group/session community@scambs.gov.uk

Questions received prior to the forum

If no one can be found to build the commercial/office area next to the green should there be a time limit set before the master plan is changed?

SCDC have undertaken considerable market testing and have every reason to believe that there is significant commercial interest in the Local Centre and Enterprise Zone. Work is ongoing to establish the best delivery route for the wider site.

There is already space allocated to many of the uses outlined in the question in Northstowe and the original designs included facilities that a new town would need. The intention is that they will come in stages and also that the offer could be complementary - it is important not to create too much of the same provision otherwise businesses and the private market would not be interested as it would impact on their viability. 

Northstowe Temporary Community Centre - Tom Smith, Area Hire Manager, Portakabin

Northstowe Temporary Community Centre - Presentation [PPTX, 30MB]

Temporary Community Building - Portakabin Update: Works so far

• Due to COVID-19, Tom Smith, Area Hire Manager, was not able to attend the Community Forum. Head of Housing Peter Campbell shared the slides and Tom Smith has since provided some additional notes.
• Portakabin specialise in Modern Methods of Construction which includes off-site construction. The majority of the temporary facility will be constructed and fitted out off-site in Portakabin’s local works depot. This will then be delivered to site in ‘slices’.
• The total floor area of the building will be 352m². There will be two assembly rooms which can be hired as well as some meeting space. The facility will also have a café and kitchenette area.
• The building is to be wrapped in a vinyl covering which will include some community artwork following a workshop which Northstowe Arts organised.
• Portakabin have already begun on site with some site fencing, welfare and trackway being delivered to the location. The groundworks teams will begin work setting out the building position and preparing the ground for the foundations.
• At present the plan is to have the area ready for the installation of the first modules from 27 April.

Question asked after the presentation:

What will the capacity of the assembly rooms be?

• The capacity of assembly room one and two together is 113 individuals seated.

Stagecoach - David Boden, Business Development Director

• Stagecoach have increased capacity during the morning peak. There will now be 144 more seats available during the morning commute. From April Stagecoach will be moving two of the buses from the C service into the A and B service.

Questions asked after the presentation:

The buses have been reduced to £2 a journey, is this continuing?

• The government has confirmed they will continue this until the end of July 2023.

Can Hills Road be informed of the bus changes so they can communicate this to their pupils who catch the Bus C?

• Yes, we have let Hills Road know and will be promoting this so students know which bus to get on.

Information on the app and website is sometimes different, can this be looked at?

• Yes, we will look at improving the information so residents are aware of the offers available to them particularly as a bundle of tickets can be cheaper.

Northstowe Phase 1 Permanent Community Centre - Aga Podgajna, Senior Urban Designer, AR Urbanism. Adam West, Director, CZWG Architects

Northstowe Phase 1 Permanent Community Centre - Presentation [PPTX, 4.5MB]

• In January 2023 a planning application was submitted for the temporary facility. This was approved and will be open summer 2023.
• Work is now being undertaken on the Phase 1 Permanent Community Centre.
• It will be located on Parcel 6, adjacent to the temporary facility. This is due to good visibility across The Green and Station Road, easily accessible from the surrounding residential area and opportunity for the building to provide a local landmark.
• The facility will include a main hall, foyer/café, kitchen, community co-working space, a messy activity space, meeting rooms, storage, outdoor spaces and a range of toilet facilities including a family toilet and Changing Places toilet. The main hall will accommodate 270 people in a conference style.
• A plan of the facility was shared (see presentation) and AR Urbanism and CZWG encourage the community to share their thoughts on the initial design. Now is the time for the community to tell us what you think. Comments can be sent to northstowe@ar-urbanism.com

After the presentation residents fed back that some covered outdoor space would be useful and the sustainability of the building important too.

Prior to the forum we also received a question asking how the temporary facility will cope when the permanent building is constructed given the construction noise.

• We are of the view that the need for a temporary community centre was significant enough to outweigh any challenges that it would create for delivering the permanent centre. The planning application for the permanent centre will need to include a Construction Environment Management Plan and this will take into account the adjacency of the temporary centre. Once we have a contractor on board for the delivery of the permanent centre (through the tender process) we will be working to ensure that operation of the temporary centre is as unaffected as possible.

Northstowe Phase 2 and 3 update - Emma Brown, Planning and Enabling Manager, Homes England. Dean Harris, Senior Planning and Enabling Manager, Homes England

Northstowe Phase 2 and 3 update - Presentation [PPTX, 7.5MB]

• Phase 2 Southern Access Road West and water park (lake) are now scheduled to open by July 2023. Delays have been caused by a number of factors including footpath failure issues and climatic conditions.
• Following House by Urban Splash going into administration Homes England will be commencing remarketing to find a new development partner.
• Keepmoat have now started on site and will be delivered 300 homes (expected to deliver 48 homes a year).
• Homes England have chosen their development partner for Central One and hope to be able to announce them at the next community forum.

Will the southern access road be able to deal with the anticipated traffic from the development?

• As well as the southern access road west in the future there will also be the southern access road east.

Cycle lanes are often used by residents for parking. What can be done about this?

• At the forum there was a request for symbols and double yellow lines to be painted. Homes England will take this away and speak to Highway officers and discuss.

Residents also raised the concern about the queuing of Martin Bacon taxis and their speeding.

• County Councillor Firouz Thompson stated Cambridgeshire City Council (CCC) organise these taxis and is happy to raise this with colleagues. If residents have information which can be shared do get in touch with Cllr Firouz Thompson

Please could Homes England expand on the Phase 2a timeline

• Homes England hope to have chosen a partner by Spring 2024 and with them to start on site 2026. This long timescale is due to Homes England having to go through a lengthy procurement process.

Northstowe Town Council, Events and Markets, Warm Hub, the Town Council Looking Forward - Cllr. Carla Bros Sabria, Cllr. Shola Delip, Cllr. Richard Owen, Mayor

Northstowe Town Council - Presentations [PPTX, 2.5MB]

• Northstowe Town Council are working with Living Sport and ParkPlay to bring ParkPlay to Northstowe. ParkPlay is organised games taking place every Saturday morning. Northstowe Town Council are currently looking for a Play Leader and a team of volunteers to run the activities. If you would like to involved do get in touch.
• Northstowe Town Council have been organising a monthly market which has been extremely popular. They are now planning a weekly outdoor market starting on 15 April on The Green. There will be a small number of stalls selling food and the monthly indoor markets will continue with greater variety of food and non-food and craft stalls.
• Warm Hubs have been another popular initiative. They have been taking place on Wednesday 9.30am-12.30pm and Thursdays 6pm-8pm. A range of activities have taken place including board games, colouring, knitting, table tennis, language café, yoga and wellbeing walk to the warm hub.

Questions asked after presentations:

Has changing the name of the Warm Hubs been considered?

• Yes, the name will be changed and will be now know as Community Living Room.

Community Development Officer Update, Mihaela Stan and Michele Eidevik-Skinner

• The defibrillator has been relocated from David Wilson show home to Pathfinder Primary School and is now being managed by Northstowe Town Council.
• The Language Exchange Café recently launched and was very successful. Now looking to evolve this into a Cultural Exchange café where residents will have the chance to experience different cultures from around the world.
• Following the launch of the Kickstart fund we have been approached be several groups and individuals looking to start new initiatives including a football coaching who will be starting some junior football sessions Sunday 30 April.
• Will be supporting the recently formed community group Northstowe Hub with a series of Appreciative Enquiries to understand how residents may wish to use the temporary facility. We will also be attending a range of community events including the Half Marathon, 23 April, Emmanuel Church’s 5 year celebration on 29 April and supporting Sustainable Northstowe to prepare the Great Big Green Week 10 to 18 June, including the Community Day on 17 June where residents will be able to recycle small electrical items, wood and metal.

Q&A Section

What are the plans for the Waste Recycling Centre land now the recycling centre is no longer required?

• Planning permission for Milton Recycling Centre to be expanded has been approved so there will not be a recycling centre at Northstowe. As L&Q are the owners of the land, this will now go back to them, and they will need to make a decision on how it is used.

A further question was asked if the land could be used for a skate park?

• Homes England confirmed a skate park will be delivered as part of Central One within the Neighbourhood Equipped Area of Play and a pump track will be delivered as part of the Southern Eastern Sports Hub.

A further question was also asked if the aesthetics of the land allocated to the local centre be improved.

• SCDC will take this away to discuss.

Who is responsible for the temporary Park and Ride path as there are potholes in the path and it is unlit?

• The permanent Park and Ride path is now open, and the temporary path will be being closed. The lighting still needs to be installed and Cambridgeshire County Council will provide an update as soon as possible.

In the temporary community centre plans a travel plan was submitted. How are SCDC going to ensure this is implemented?

• Hirers of the facility will be asked to advertise to their service users/attendees how they can access the building and where there is appropriate parking.

Who is responsible for the rubbish in the Phase 1 lake?

• Anglian Water are now managing the Phase 1 lake. Update: Anglian Water have carried out a litter pick in and around the lake.

There are some abandoned vehicles along Heron Road. Who is responsible?

• At the forum reporting to the Police was advised, however this relates to vehicles abandoned in a dangerous place. Abandoned vehicles can be reported here.

We also received some questions for stakeholders who were unable to attend the forum and below are their answers:

There is a need for dropped kerbs down Heron Road. There are makeshift drop kerbs with tarmac up against the kerbs, but you cannot push a double buggy safely up it.

• We are ensuring by mid-April there are such a need for dropped kerbs down heron road. The final course and block paving to raised tables hasn’t been installed yet to Northstowe Parcel H12, as there is remedial work to be carried out. We currently anticipate commencing all footway and carriageway remedial work early 2024. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.

When is Phase 1 due to be finished and road completed? The cycle paths are not suitable for cycling?

• Current predictions for completion of house building works are the end of Q3 2024. The finishing works to the roads will be completed following completion of the house building works.

When will the gym in the Secondary College open?

• The College is working with the Local Authority and other agencies to try to open a limited gym facility and a fully functioning café. We are at the very early stages of this process, but feel positive that we will be able to share more with the community by the summer’.

Northstowe Interim and Permanent Facilities Update - Anne Ainsworth, Chief Operating Officer (Senior Responsible Officer), South Cambridgeshire District Council

[PPTX, 0.7MB]Northstowe Interim and Permanent Facilities Update, SCDC - Presentation [PPTX, 1.5MB] [PPTX, 0.7MB]

Interim Community Facilities 

• A modular building will be located next to The Green, Pathfinder Way. 
• Will sit alongside the area earmarked for the permanent community centre. 
• Will include provision for a wide range of activities for all ages including Community Cafes, baby and toddler groups, children and youth activities and meeting spaces for activity groups. 
• Contractor procured December 2022. 
• Planning Application submitted 10 January.  

Since the forum the application is now live on the Planning Portal. Reference: 23/00113/FUL 

Permanent Community Building 

• Working towards a planning application being submitted for decision in the Autumn. 
• Have reflected on feedback from previous consultation exercises.  
• Aim to undertake further public consultation around March/April. 

 Sports Pavilion 

• Work on-going at the site. 
• Additional work associated with piling and challenges of winter working has led to a delay in completion. 
• Currently anticipate completion early August, but will try to recover some lost time.  

Civic Hub 

• Next step is to develop the specification for the building.  
• Conversations with partners on-going. 

Health Services for Northstowe - David Parke, Associate Director for Primary Care

Health Services for Northstowe - Presentation [PPTX, 0.7MB]

• Northstowe residents can register with Willingham and Longstanton Medical Practice. This sits within the Cambridge Northern Villages Primary Care Network alongside 8 other Practices. They share a workforce including community pharmacists and social prescribers.  
• Currently 2,504 patients are register from Northstowe and Willingham and Longstanton Medical Practice have the capacity to take a further 5,500 patients. Workforce and operational hours to increase as necessary.  
• Through the Cambridgeshire GP Network there is an extra 44 hours of appointments per week during evenings and weekends delivered across the Cambridge Northern Villages PCN. If patients cannot access an on the day emergency appointment residents are encouraged to enquire about the Enhanced Access scheme.  
• Within the Temporary Community Centre there an NHS room is planned, which will enable health visitors/social prescribers and other services to support residents.  
• Civic Hub will contain 1740 sqm for health provision. The Civic Hub needs to be flexible to accommodate both traditional healthcare and services that address the wider determinants of health including housing, social care, social prescribing, health initiatives, social groups, leisure and active pursuits.  
• There is also more integration to deliver services through mobile services such as diagnostics.  

Questions asked after the presentation: 

Could the mobile services come to Northstowe before the permanent facility?  

There are 3 diagnostic hubs. When we build a new facility, we ask for a plug and play service as the diagnostic hubs require access to water and other services, so this may not be possible currently. 

Can we manage communications re. Willingham/Longstanton Medical Practice taking on new Northstowe patients as Longstanton/Willingham residents think Northstowe patients are impacting their service? 

Happy to speak with the Medical Practice and provide some communication for the surrounding villages to emphasise that Northstowe patients are not adversely impacting on the service and that they have capacity to take further patients.  

The branch at Willingham is currently only open during certain times so these hours will be increasing as patient numbers increase further.  

Vision sounds great but how will you ensure the vision becomes a reality?  

For some of the space uses will be restricted (due to infection control requirements) but other spaces such as the therapy rooms can be shared with other services.  

How are you going to attract GPs/other services? 

The biggest problem is attracting the right workforce. Things we are doing include: 

• GP Fellowship to undertake portfolio roles.
• For GPs close to retiring, providing incentives for them to stay.  
• More flexible working patterns.  
• Subsiding housing for professionals to locate here, given the high house prices in Cambridgeshire.  

Northstowe Education Campus Phase 2 Expansion - Alan Fitz, 0-19 Area Education Officer, People Services, Cambridgeshire County Council and Mark Rowney, Pre-construction Manager, Kier Construction

Northstowe Education Campus Phase 2 Expansion - Presentation [PPTX, 54.5MB]

• Northstowe Secondary College is currently open for 600 pupils. This will be extended to 1,200 places from September 2024 and finally to 1800 pupils. 
• As well as the Secondary College being expanded a new primary school will open which eventually will have 630 places. Initially it will open with one class in Reception to help minimise the impact on surrounding schools. There will also be 78 Early Years places. The Council is considering whether it should be full day care or another pre-school. 
• In addition, a Sixth Form centre with 400 places will be delivered. 
• Plans within the presentation illustrate the design of the buildings.  
• Planning Consultation will be open February/March.  
• Planning application determined April 2023.  
• Phased Site Commencement: July 2023.
• First School Occupations: August 2024.
• Full Completion: December 2024.

Questions asked after the presentation: 

Given the expansion of the campus how will parking be dealt with given the school car park is already full at times. 

Additional parking for the Primary School will be provided which will be a planning requirement.  

There isn’t sufficient childcare provision currently and no more planned until September 2024. Do the County have any have plans to deal with this? 

CCC acknowledged that there is a lack of childcare provision and are liaising with stakeholders on this.  

Added further since the forum: The absence of child-minding places in Northstowe, which accounts for part of the demand, results from the restrictive covenants on the properties that prohibit any form of trading from the premises. Homes England has been advised of this issue. 

Northstowe Kickstart Fund - Scott Liddle, Joint Place Coordinator, Cambridgeshire County Council and Lawrence Zeegen, Northstowe Resident

Northstowe Kickstart Fund - Presentation [PPTX, 55Kb]

• The Kickstart Fund aims to remove financial barriers to setting up community groups and events and to help with start-up costs for example, buying equipment or renting space. 
• Community Groups can apply for up to £1000.
• Please see poster for more information about projects which can be funded. 
• Deadline for applications for the first panel meeting is Monday 13 February. 
• For more information or to discuss a potential project email northstowe.community@scambs.gov.uk  

Northstowe Community Development Officers, Michele Eidevik-Skinner and Mihaela Stan, South Cambridgeshire District Council

Community Development Officers - Report [PDF, 97Kb]

• Please do get in touch if you have ideas regarding future community projects or events in Northstowe.  
• Community Development Officers are available in person in Northstowe on a Wednesday and are also holding monthly drop-in evening events. 
• The defibrillator which was previously located at the David Wilson show home has now been relocated to Pathfinder Primary School in Northstowe. 
• We are supporting the Northstowe Horticultural Association to identify volunteers who would like to take over some of the raised beds they are building. Volunteers will also be needed for the Community Day at the orchard and allotment land on 4 February.  
• Supporting the Town Council with the Warm Hubs on a Wednesday 9.30am to 12.30pm and Thursday 6pm to 8pm, Northstowe Secondary School. The Children’s Centre is also hosting a Family Warm Space, on Thursday mornings at Pathfinder Primary School. 
• Contact details for Mihaela Stan and Michele Eidevik-Skinner northstowe.community@scambs.gov.uk  

Greater Cambridge Local Plan - Jonathan Dixon, Planning Policy Manager, Greater Cambridge Shared Planning

Greater Cambridge Local Plan presentation [PPTX, 0.8MB]

• First proposals consultation was held November to December 2021.
• Representations received to the first proposals were published June 2022.
• Updated Greater Cambridge Local Development Scheme published August 2022.
• What it means for Northstowe: Northstowe is growing at a faster rate.
• One small new development site proposed – 20 homes, Mansel Farm, Oakington.
• Next steps: Series of Joint Local Planning Advisory Group meetings October 2022 to March 2023. Formal Committee Meetings in Jan 2023.Full draft Local Plan to be considered by Members in summer 2023 and then be subject to public consultation in Autumn 2023.

Homes England - Emma Brown, Planning and Enabling Manager

Homes England presentation [PPTX, 1.5MB]

• Central One developer has been selected. Homes England hope to announce the development partner in January 2023. The Development Partner hopes to submit Reserved Matters planning application early 2023 and start construction late 2023.
• Question asked regarding opening of the Southern Road Access Road: some remedial work has been required and there is currently no date for when the road will be open.
• Question asked about delivery of the remainder of Phase 2a: Homes England confirmed that they are finishing the House by Urban Splash peninsula and will then be going out for tender for the remainder of the parcel. The chosen developer may want to implement the approved plan. However, if the developer wishes to depart from the approved plan, another planning application will be required. Therefore, it is not possible at this stage to be certain as to what extent the delivery plan will be impacted. 

Keepmoat - Joe Harrison & Ashley Wray

Keepmoat presentation [PPTX, 6MB]

• 300 homes, mixture of 1 & 2 bed apartments and 2, 3 & 4 bed houses.
• Plan to start on site in November, with materials being brought on site early next year.
• Houses likely to go on sale Q1 2023. First homes to be completed by Q3 2023.
• Question asked about the tenure spilt. 121 open market homes, 119 discount to market sale (80% market value) and 60 affordable rent.

Heritage Annex - Quinton Carroll, Cambridgeshire County Council, Head of Service: Natural and Historic Environment

Heritage Annex presentation [PPTX, 5.5MB]

• The Heritage Annex will provide a building to showcase the finds and artefacts from the excavations carried out prior to Northstowe and the upgrades to the A14 being built.
• It will also feature the history of Longstanton and RAF Oakington.
• To be built next to Northstowe House (Homes England) and made from repurposed shipping containers.
• It will provide space for hanging exhibitions and displays and be a great resource for Northstowe, bringing in visitors from across the district and beyond.
• Timetable -Foundations begun October 2022. Module fit is underway. Module delivery end of January 2023. Assembly and fit out February 2023. Exhibition installation March 2023. Open Easter 2023.

Planning Update - Luke Mills, Principal Planner, Greater Cambridge Shared Planning

Planning update presentation [PPTX, 2MB]

• Phase 3A (20/02171/OUT): Outline permission has been granted. Judicial review in progress.
• Digital Park (S/3854/19/OL): Resolution to grant, finalising s106.
• Northstowe Education Campus Extension at Prep-app stage and initial consultation is open until 22 November https://northstowe.education/consultation/. Cambridgeshire County Council hope to submit a formal planning application in December.

Greenbelt - Nick Upton, Customer Liaison Officer

Greenbelt presentation [PDF, 0.4MB]

• Greenbelt updated residents that they will be receiving their bill for the new year in the coming days. 
• Due to Greenbelt now taking on the Northern Greenway which will include more street lighting, waste bins and general management there will be an increase in bills. The new bill will be £118.53 (including VAT).
• If anyone has any questions please do get in touch with Greenbelt

Stagecoach - David Boden, Business Development Director

Stagecoach presentation [PPTX, 0.6MB]

• Citi 5 has started to go through Northstowe. The bus will go in via Pathfinder Way, onto Links Lane then onto Stirling Road, before joining Station Road. The route will then be reversed coming back into Cambridge City. The route will be extended to the Town Centre once the development is further developed.
• Questions asking why buses cannot start at Longstanton Park and Ride were put, and concerning the reliability of busway services: Stagecoach agreed the quality of service is falling short, but attributes this in part to an acute shortage of drivers. To combat this, they are offering the best pay deal possible and adjusting shifts to try and improve work-life balance to recruit more drivers. It takes time to recruit and train new drivers, particularly to operate Busway services.
• Question asked about the cost of bus fares: Stagecoach offer a range of fares, the Flexi 10 ticket which is £2.40 a day was mentioned, amongst other products, but Stagecoach acknowledged that improved promotion of these fares may be needed.

Council Delivery Update - Anne Ainsworth, Chief Operating Officer (Senior Responsible Officer) South Cambridgeshire District Council

Council Delivery Update presentation [PPT, 0.6MB]

Sports Pavilion.

• Work has begun on site and is due to be completed mid-June 2023.
• Piling due to start mid-November. Newsletters have been sent to neighbouring properties.
• A question was asked about the piling. Pentaco, (the contractors) have confirmed the piling will be CFA Piling which, unlike alternative methods such as displacement piling or drive piling, is quick to install and the excavation and filling techniques cause minimal noise or vibration. Piling will start 14 November with an anticipated installation period of 6 working days.

Interim Community Facility

• Now looking at a modular temporary building.
• Expressions of interest will be going out this week.
• Lots of technical work taking place, including Procurement.
• Have a Pre-Planning Agreement.
• Aiming for spring 2023, but still a lot of work to do.
• Phase 1 Community Centre (Permanent).
• Designers appointed to design Phase 1 Community Centre and wider Local Centre.
• Appointed designers to support delivery.
• PPA in place to ensure efficient route to planning consent.
• Expect Planning Application to be submitted spring 2023.
• Consultation in the New Year.

Civic Hub

• Working with partners and stakeholders to establish a vision for the building.
• Next step is to work with partner organisations to translate vision into detailed spatial requirements.
• Key dependency on the delivery of Central One, so working with Homes England.
• Timescales: Focused on getting the detailed specification as soon as possible. This will be used to procure design and build team to take project through to delivery in 2025.

Enterprise Zone

• Received £117k of Proptech funding from DLUHC to kickstart business engagement for the Employment Zone.
• The survey is aimed at businesses from a wide range of sectors who can help inform the design. They will share their experience of what will make the Employment Zone a great place to work in.
• Survey opened 12 September and closes 14 November.
• Survey results so far -
• 99 respondents, of which 34 have registered to receive further updates.
• Majority from SME’s with 1-49 employees.
• 6 companies with 250+ employees.
• Sectors include: IT, R&D, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Automotive, Construction & Retail.
• Link to survey PlaceBuilder | Index

Question asked about the gym and café area. There is a gym and cafe planned as part of the Education Campus, in spaces already built within the secondary school. There is money for them in the s106 developer agreement, but unfortunately this is set back until later in the development. However, officers at SCDC are working closely with the Meridian Trust to find a way to bring this forward, as both the school and the community are keen to see them made available as soon as possible.

Community Development Officer's Report - Mihaela Stan & Michele Eidevik-Skinner

CDOs Report [PDF, 83Kb]

• Latest Occupation Counts: Phase 1: 1131, Phase 2: 24, Northstowe Newbuilt Total: 1155, Northstowe Overall Total (including Rampton Drift): 1254
• Michele introduced herself as the new Phase 2 Community Development Officer.
• A new Neighbourhood Watch group is being set up by residents, please get in touch if you’d like to get involved.
• A reminder that the Food Larder food is now available on the Olio app. 
• Second year of the Winter Festival is taking place from November 2022 to February 2023. It is being led by Northstowe Arts and includes: Lantern workshops during November, a lantern parade on 3 December, followed by the Christmas Tree Lights switch on, a Christmas jumper swap, a craft fair, Festive Carols, Wellness Walks and Running Challenges.
• Details of the Winter Festival events are on the Northstowe Winter Festival website.
• E-bikes which can be rented, they are by Pathfinder Primary School and are provided by Cambridge Electric Transport.
• Also an electric car in Northstowe which can be booked through the Enterprise Car Club, their website gives details of membership fees and hiring prices.

L&Q Update (Master Phase One Developer)– Stephen Sage, Project Director

L&Q Presentation [PPTX, 25.5MB]

• 13 housebuilder plots. 
• 5 complete, 7 in progress and 1 (H5) not yet started. Will start on site in September. 
• Anticipated all parcels except H13 and H5 to be complete by Q4 2023. H13 and H5 anticipated to be complete by Q2 2023, subject to market conditions. 
• LEAP 2 – Grass now established and since the forum the LEAP has now opened.
• LEAP 3 – Planning now approved.  
• Footpaths will be topped out when the building works are complete along Wellington Road.  

Homes England Update – Dean Harris, Senior Planning and Enabling Manager, Emma Brown, Planning and Enabling Manager

Homes England Presentation [PPTX, 41MB] 

• Homes England has let the strategic works contract which is on track to complete in 2022. 
• Unable to provide a specific date for the opening of the access road. Although works are nearly complete, there are some technical processes that need to be followed to ensure the road can open permanently and safely. Hope to be able to open the road towards the end of the summer (2022). 
• Urban Splash – the group fell into administration and this affects ‘Inholm’ on Phase 2a Northstowe. Homes England is in discussion with the administrators and is hoping to agree a position that will clarify uncertainty for all residents.  
• Phase 2b – Keepmoat (300 homes) – hoping to get on site later this year.
• Central One - First part of the Town Council which will include the market hall, convenience store, mixed use space, town gardens and play area. Hope to select a development partner September 2022. Reserved Matters Planning Application submission – early 2023, construction start late 2023 and complete early 2027. 
• Heritage Annex – Planning Permission was approved in May 2022. It will be a modular build. At the time of the forum it was hoped that it will open winter 2022. 
• Lakes – hope to open Lake 2 by the end of the year. A lake naming competition was organised and the 3 names are - Lake 1: Bug Hunter Waters, Lake 2: Unity Lake, and Lake 3: Halcyon Mere.  

South Cambridgeshire District Council Planning Update – Mike Huntingdon, Principal Planner

Planning Presentation [PPTX, 6.5MB]

• Phase 3A (4000 homes)– Permission granted. Judicial Review in progress. 
• Phase 3b (1000 homes) – Permission granted. 
• Endurance Estates – Permission granted.  
• Digital Park – Resolution to grant, finalising s106. 
• Heritage Centre – Permission granted. 
• Important to report breaches on planning control.

Health Update – Sharon Unwin and Lisa Smith – Practice Manager and Deputy Manager, Willingham Medical Practice

Health Presentation [PPTX, 0.6MB]

• Overall patient population – 10,841. 
• Patients registered from Northstowe – 2257 (20.7%). 
• Willingham is not unique. The Primary Care Network, Clinical Commissioning Group and the whole of Primary Care are facing challenges following the pandemic. Northstowe is not impacting Willingham surgery. 
• Experiencing a very busy winter after previous lockdown.  
• Continuing to focus on reducing waiting times.  
• Now holding more face-to-face consultations.
• Introduction of 48hr appointments. 

South Cambridgeshire District Council Delivery Update - Anne Ainsworth - Chief Operating Officer, Senior Responsible Officer 

• Anne Ainsworth, SCDC’s Chief Operating Officer introduced herself as the new Senior Responsible Officer who is now overseeing delivery of the Council’s projects at the town.
• Anne said her focus is on getting things up and running; and spades in the ground. 
• The buildings she is focused on are: Phase one Community Centre; Phase two Civic Hub and both Sports Pavilions. 
• Anne explained that with all building projects, there will be phases when it feels like it may have gone quiet – even though lots of work is going on. We are committed to keeping you informed and being open and transparent.  
• Councillors have just agreed nearly £15m to ensure we can get cracking. There were funding shortfalls. 
• A new Delivery Group, which Anne will report to, is being set up. Their remit is focused on the buildings, but partnership working is crucial. The group involves District Councillors and Cabinet Lead; Town Council and County Council representative - and we will engage with partners who may attend meetings as appropriate. 
• Officers updated on the current timelines for key buildings:
• Phase one Sports Pavilion – Contract being awarded. Work start on site October 2022, expected to be completed by end of May 2023. 
• Phase one Community Building – Our aim is to submit a planning application and procure a main contractor by end of 2022. 
• Phase two Civic Hub – Detailed blueprint required. This is work being progressed. 
• Phase two Sports Pavilion - Work has not yet commenced, owing to delivery of this facility coming in a later stage of Northstowe's development.

Community Development Update - Mihaela Stan and Kathryn Beck (SCDC)

• 1,121 occupations (1101 Phase 1, 20 Phase 2). 
• Have resumed delivering welcome packs. If you would like to get involved and meet your neighbours, do get in touch.
• Northstowe Day marked 5 years since the first resident moved into Northstowe. Local community groups and partner agencies came together to showcase their work and to offer a day of family fun activities. It was wonderful to see such energy and enthusiasm, and we are hopeful that the tradition will continue each year. 
• Heritage Annex: Lots of partnerships working to deliver the Heritage facilities: Cambs County Council, Longstanton District Heritage Society, Homes England and Northstowe Town Council. Our role is to consider how to integrate facilities within community. We are working with Northstowe Arts and Homes England to deliver community activities. And, with Homes England office to create mosaics, sculpture etc. from broken Roman pottery excavated from Northstowe and surrounding area, to be used at the heritage facility.  
• Youth Hive: Volunteer led group to ensure that young people in Northstowe have a voice and help shape their community. Funding was sought and granted for the “Connections Bus” to come along every Thursday (until 1 September). In addition, Living Sport have provided additional funding for free sports activities to coincide. Looking for more volunteers to help. 
• The railings outside Pathfinder school are no longer available as a community noticeboard. All not for profit and up-to-date posters have been transferred to the official Noticeboard located on The Green (near the post box). In addition, a new poster has been put up with list of open Facebook pages, websites and CDO contact information. Along with the Town Council, we are happy to keep this up-to-date with not for profit posters etc. 
• A couple of events to look forward to: Running Festival, 3 to 4 September with live music and fun for the whole family. Sustainable Northstowe will celebrate The Great Big Green Week (24 September to 2 October) presenting upcycling workshops and fun activities around the themes of sustainability and action on climate change.  
• Continue to welcome contact from the community with any ideas, and suggestions of how to get involved. From September, weekly drop-in sessions at the NSC from 9.30am to 3.30pm will commence. We are available virtually via email and we continue to update the Northstowe Community Facebook page. 

For those with accessibility needs, YouTube has a "captions" feature that can be enabled when the embedded videos are watched on their platform.

Chair's Welcome - Cllr Bill Handley - Over and Willingham

• Apologies from Cllr Sarah Cheung Johnson
• Attendees were invited to pose questions via Q&A function

Homes England- Phase 2 and 3 Update - Dean Harris - Senior Planning and Enabling Manager

• Phase 3a: 4000 homes, 2 primary schools and local centre
• Phase 3b 1000 homes and 1 primary school - both phases include 40% affordable homes

Heritage Annex:

• To be situated next to Northstowe House, Rampton Road
• New modular design based on reused shipping containers, planning response expected soon
• Aiming to start on site this spring, open end of this year (subject to planning permission)

Central One

• To be located next to the secondary college
• Seek a developer partner this year, apply for planning permission and aiming to start on site end of 2023
• Market Hall – Independent retail, food and beverage
• Convenience store - 500 sq meters
• Aiming for first facilities in Central One be available between 2024-2027
• South Cambridgeshire District Council are to deliver the civic hub to include provision of library, health and community space
• Southern Access Road West, targeting end of April for opening

Planning update from Greater Cambridge Planning - Luke Mills, Senior Planner

• Both Phase 3a and 3b s106 agreements are being finalised
• Phase 3a 20/02171/OUT
• Phase 3b 20/02142/OUT
• Endurance Estates 20/03598/OUT: Separate but connected to Phase 3b – 107 homes and employment use finalising s106 agreement
• Digital Park – 80 homes S/3854/19/Ol: Separated but connected, pending consideration

Heritage Annex 22/00742/FUL

• Pending consideration (submitted Feb 2022)
• Temporary use will expire after 5 years
• Consultation deadline 1 April 2022
• Decision to be made 11 April 2022

• Concerns raised by Residents about cycle paths being blocked by parked cars, causing obstruction and visibility issues
• Request from Cambridgeshire County Council Highways Officer for all Residents to park in their designated car parking spaces
• Roadways due to be completed and adopted by Cambridgeshire County Council 2024/2025

Education Campus update - Andrew Daly, Executive Principal, Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust

• Secondary College – looking at Phase 2 which will include post 16 due to open 2024
• Working with partners to bring the gym and café forward which will be available for the community
• Booking system is now live on the website and opening up current facilities at the weekend. Lots of activities including clubs
• Different rates offered through the booking system – local community groups and clubs gets a reduced rate

Town Council Election, Market update and Jubilee celebration - Mark Nokkert - Town Clerk / Cllr Carla Bros Sabria

• Elections – 5 May – 15 seats – all seats up for election for a 4 year term
• Nomination form can be found online [PDF]
• Has to be handed in on person between 28 March – 5 April (by 4pm)
• Town Clerk in be in the wing – Thursday 31 March 2022 6.30pm to 7.30pm and Friday 1 April 2022 10am to 11am, to collect nomination forms to deliver on their behalf
• Reminder to register to vote – have until Thursday 14 April to register to vote

Market:

• Looking at establishing a regular market in Northstowe
• A community wide survey was launched to gather residents views on general interest in a market such as frequency, type of stalls, location. Deadline for surveys 27 March 2022
• Next steps – prepare proposal and business plan
• Further preparatory work – further research, liaising with local stakeholders, purchase of equipment etc
• Aim of having first pilot market Summer 2022

Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – Sunday 5 June 2022

• From noon – in partnership with community groups
• Bring your own picnic event outside The Community Wing
• Further updates on Town Council website and facebook page

Council Delivery Update - Adele Gritten - Head of Economic Delivery and Investment / Kate Swann - Project Delivery Officer / Clare Gibbons - Growth Manager

Enterprise Zone- Adele Gritten

• Informal and formal consultation ongoing as development plans evolve
• Ensuring community, commercial space and local amenities are developed soonest remains our priority
• Delivering on a placemaking brief that champions exemplar, green and healthy new town credentials is key

Civic Hub - Kate Swan

• Will provide health, library and community facilities

• We’ve commissioned an impressive and thorough piece of work from Civic and we are currently waiting for the final draft of this. The report details extensive consultation that has taken place with health care, library and community organisations with a view to using this as the basis of the next design phase

• SCDC have appointed project managers to deliver the next phase and will continue to engage all stakeholders in the process

Sports Pavilion - Kate Swan

• Tender is currently active. Subject to a successful procurement building work could start summer/autumn 2022 and is expected to take 12 months to construct

The Wing - Clare Gibbons

• The Community Wing at Pathfinder Primary school, which has served as a temporary community facility, will be reclaimed for classrooms towards the end of the summer term, to be fitted out in readiness for the Autumn term, September 2022
• To provide continuity for services and community groups, South Cambridgeshire District Council is working behind the scenes in conjunction with the County Council and Northstowe Secondary College
• Looking at a collective solution to meet the needs of users, including storage requirements
• The District Council have on 23 March 2022 approved acquisition of additional space to supplement that available at the secondary college. South Cambridgeshire District Council will be contacting all users shortly in relation to this
• As soon as the acquisition process is completed, more information can be shared in the public domain via the Town council and social media

Community Update - Mihaela Stan - Northstowe Community Development Officer / Kathryn Beck - Northstowe Community Development Officer

• As of 25 February 2022, 1105 homes occupied
• Northstowe Community celebrating fifth anniversary of first new build occupant- celebratory event scheduled for Saturday 7 May 2022. Invitation to residents to get involved
• Lots of community groups working well on different inclusive projects
• SMART Journeys have launched travel survey
• Community groups all seeking volunteers, various opportunities available such as digital website, admin, walking, cafe and young people. Training, guidance along with associated volunteering wellbeing benefits guaranteed
• Any queries for any community matters please email us

Question and Answers Session - Panelists

• Questions raised responded to during the forum
• Chair's Summary

Prior to forum a question was asked if a bin could be installed by the outdoor gym on Pioneer Park as there is increased littering at the north side of the park as the gym attracts a lot of kids after school that play with the equipment. There are no bins located at the north of the park and the rubbish usually ends up in the ditch. Greenbelt are now liaising with South Cambridgeshire District Council on this. 

For those with accessibility needs, YouTube has a "captions" feature that can be enabled when the embedded videos are watched on their platform.

Chair's Welcome - Cllr. Sarah Cheung Johnson, SCDC

Cllr. Sarah Cheung Johnson introducing the panelists

Northstowe Town Council: Our work so far, plans going forward and elections - Richard Owen, Mayor, Northstowe Town Council / Mark Nokkert, Town Clerk, Northstowe Town Council

• First tier of local government 
• Fifteen independent councillors 
• Five committees: Planning, Personnel, Assets and Asset transfer. Finance and Governance, Events and Markets
• Next election: 5 May 2022 (for a 4 year period) 
• Nominations need to be received before the 5 April 2022, the clerk can be contacted for more details of the process by anyone interested in standing for election to the Town Council
• The Town Council hopes to hold some taster sessions ahead of nominations to help residents decide if they would like to nominate themselves

Greening the Green: Public Spaces and Greening Strategy - Riccardo Bobisse, Urbanist, AR - Urbanism

• Keen to build on the Healthy New Town priorities, encouraging walking and cycling, by separating pedestrians from vehicles for example
• It is important the employment zone and the Local Centre are integrated together
• Maximise the green spaces and reuse water as much as possible 
• Create biodiversity and by integrating green technologies and ecology in the buildings and public realm, by having green façades, insect and bird boxes etc
• Currently testing different layouts for the buildings

Question: Who will pay for management of these new public spaces? 

• Management arrangements for the public realm are to be determined, but the businesses occupying the area would likely contribute to costs, as opposed to  being covered entirely by residents

Phase 1 Update - Stephen Sage, Project Director, L&Q Estates / Tam Parry, Principal Transport Officer, CCC

• L&Q is still responsible for the maintenance of LEAP (Local equipped area for play) 1 and 2 and the waterpark
• LEAP 2 remains closed as some amenity grass needs to be reseeded 
• The majority of the Western Park, local centre and Pioneer Park has been handed over to Greenbelt
• As part of the handover of Western Park to Greenbelt, L&Q was required to carry out a condition survey of the trees, which highlighted a number of trees which are required to be removed due to being unsafe or dead - these will be replaced
• LEAP 3 Reserved Matters Application has now been submitted and the Southern Greenway also still needs to be approved
• Roads, cycle ways and footways should all be complete by the end of 2024

Phase 2 Update - Dean Harris, Senior Specialist, Homes England / Tom Hustler, Community Engagement Manager, Homes England 

• First residents have moved into the Inholm development (Urban Splash)
• Housebuilder, Keepmoat to start the next parcel, Fenways in spring 2022
• Homes England are seeking a development partner for the Central One parcel, to include part of the town centre plus a housing parcel adjacent to the Education Campus
• B1050 works to last 3 months
• New access road to open April 2022
• Phase 2 Waterpark to open April 2022
• Cricket pitch will be part of the Phase 2 sport offer. Should be open and operational 2026
• A new Community Engagement Team are now in post, who are keen to work with residents and officers to continue to build the community at Northstowe

Northstowe Community Buildings - Peter Campbell, Head of Housing, SCDC

• Sports Pavilion - Planning permission was granted in November. SCDC are currently out to tender and once have appointed a builder will negotiate a start date
• Local Centre – AR Urbanism’s work will result in a masterplan. Hope to seek planning permission in Q2 of the next financial year
• Civic Hub – The Civic Hub will provide health, library and community space. Progress has been hampered as key partners have dealt with the pandemic. However, consultants have helped draw together a blueprint of requirements for the building and a report is expected shortly. Once approved by elected members further progress can be made

Greenbelt Update - Nick Upton, Greenbelt / Robin Waddell, Greenbelt

• Site wide Greenbelt currently manage the local centre, Pioneer Park and Western Park (except 3G)
• Greenbelt also have contracts with 4 house builders, with a further 2 to exchange mid-January and the others will then come later on
• Some residents may have paid a contribution to their house builder, once Greenbelt has secured a contract with the relevant house builder any monies the house builder has collected will be passed to Greenbelt but this takes time, once Greenbelt have received the money Greenbelt will provide a credit to residents
• This year the billing period will be 1 November to 31 October

Northstowe ICAN Study - Kate Ellis, Research Associate, University of Cambridge / Emma Lawlor, Research Associate, University of Cambridge

• STEP – School Travel Environments Project. The aim of this project was to find out how families make decisions about school travel and experience the environment on their way to and from school 
• 10 families participated with at least 1 child (8-12) – 13 children in total
• The children took photos of the obstacles they tackle, the surfaces of the road as well as positive changes to their school route

ICAN  

• Surveyed 99 residents (out of 450 houses who hadn’t taken up the financial incentives)
• Aim: To explore whether financial incentives have the potential to influence travel behaviour in Northstowe
• 1 group had to email for incentives (as is the normal process), 1 group received incentives directly and 1 group received greater incentives directly
• Incentives included decathlon vouchers, stagecoach vouchers, cycle service, e-bike credit, payment of a contribution to the Greenbelt management charge
• 15 participants have taken part in zoom/telephone interviews 
• Researchers will be following up at 3/6 months to see if issuing these incentives has influenced the travel behaviour of participants in the study

Community Update & New Faces - Jon London, Northstowe Community Development Officer, SCDC / Mihaela Stan, Northstowe Community Development Officer Phase 1, SCDC / Kathryn Beck, Northstowe Community Development Officer Phase 2, SCDC / Cllr. Sarah Cheung Johnson, SCDC

• Jon London, Phase 1 Community Development Officer, thanked the community and gave a summary of the things achieved in Northstowe since he joined in January 2018. Jon is leaving SCDC but Mihaela Stan joins SCDC as the Phase 1 Community Development Officer and Kathryn Beck joins the team as the Phase 2 Community Development Officer
• From 56 houses in January 2018 there are now 1084 houses occupied (NB: this figure does include Rampton Drift)

For those with accessibility needs, YouTube has a "captions" feature that can be enabled when the embedded videos are watched on their platform.

Chair's welcome - Gareth Bell - Communications and Sustainable Communities Service Manager, South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC)

Gareth Bell chaired the forum as Cllr. Sarah Cheung Johnson was unfortunately unavailable. This evening is the last event to be streamed on Facebook.

The issue of missing post was raised, and the requirements for a new defibrillator and post-box. Please contact northstowe.community@scambs.gov.uk if you are affected.

Northstowe Travel Plan Steering Group: Smarter Journeys - Prajina Baisyet, Travel Plan Plus Project Manager, Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC)

Smarter Journeys have been awarded the Travel Plan coordinator role for Northstowe Phase 2. An E-Car Club will be going live shortly, with a bookable e-vehicle at Longstanton Park & Ride. A bicycle repair station will be installed on The Green by the end of November, with tools available to repair most common issues. Travel benefits are currently paused due to the ICAN Study (See below.)  Dates for bicycle repair sessions will be promoted via Facebook. Following 3 e-bike thefts a request has been made that the bikes be returned, and the hub codes not shared.

Northstowe Travel Plan Steering Group: Northstowe ICAN Study - Kate Ellis, Research Associate, University of Cambridge / Emma Lawlor, Research Associate, University of Cambridge

Northstowe Travel Plan Steering Group: Voi's potential expansion plans update - Mehmet Ahmet, Transport Programme Manager, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority

Northstowe Travel Plan Steering Group: Stagecoach update - Darren Roe, Interim Managing Director, Stagecoach East

Shaping the Green: engagement update - Riccardo Bobisse, AR-Urbanism

Piling on Parcel H9 - Alex Szarawarski, Technical Director, David Wilson Homes / Asa Chittock, Development Director, David Wilson Homes

Phase 1 update - Stephen Sage, Project Director, L&Q Estates

Town centre update - Tim Watts, Senior Design and Development Manager, Homes England

Planning update - Andrew Thompson, Principal Planner, Strategic Sites, Greater Cambridge Shared Planning (GCSP) / Will Holloway, Principal Planning Enforcement Officer, GCSP

Local Plan - Hana Loftus, Engagement and Communications Lead, Strategic Sites, GCSP