D THE TOWN OF NORTHSTOWE

D1 THE STRUCTURE OF NORTHSTOWE

D1.1 Northstowe will be one of Cambridgeshire's largest towns. Apart from Cambridge the towns are relatively small market towns - St Neots, Huntingdon, St Ives, Ely, March, Whittlesey and Wisbech. Northstowe will be Cambridgeshire's first new town since medieval times. It should be planned in this context rather than as a detached suburb of Cambridge.

D1.2 As a new market town, Northstowe should be planned to have a town centre with a vibrant shopping and commercial centre at its heart, located where it will be most accessible to all its residents.

D1.3 With 8,000 dwellings (6,000 of which will be built by 2016) it will need a secondary school and five primary schools. The schools will be the focus for neighbourhood centres which will provide very local services and facilities within easy walking distance of all homes.

D1.4 The need to use cars for journeys within Northstowe will be minimised by the provision of a high quality dedicated public transport route through the town and local centres which will be taken off the guided busway along the St Ives railway line, which is programmed to be opened in 2007. The aim is for the majority of the town's residents to be within 400 m of a bus stop (i.e. 5 minutes' walk). Northstowe will be approximately 1 km wide for most of its length, so this objective should be capable of being met. The town will also have a network of pedestrian and cycle routes designed to maximise accessibility by the shortest distances to the town centre and all its local centres. This will encourage a high proportion of all journeys to be undertaken by modes other than the car, making Northstowe the most sustainable town in Cambridgeshire.

D1.5 Northstowe will have its own employment - in the services and facilities in the town and local centres - as well as more substantial business areas which will be located in, close to and around the town centre where workers will be able to contribute to its vitality and viability. Other employment will be catered for in a smaller area in the north of the town close to the Park and Ride site which will provide a wider range of employment facilities to serve the needs of the town.

D1.6 Northstowe must be interesting and attractive if it is to be a successful place in which to live and work. It will need a good range of shopping and all the other services and facilities of a town such as restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars, a library, cinema, faith centres, health centres, police and fire station, sports halls, swimming pool, community centres and meeting rooms.

D1.7 It will need to have sufficient variety in its built form to create a sense of different places within the town with landmark places and buildings to reinforce the identity of the town and its constituent parts. This can include larger buildings and structures which will help to create an attractive skyline within the town - making the town a positive feature in the landscape.

D1.8 The need to manage surface water in an area where nearby water courses are prone to flooding provides an opportunity to create a true fen-edge town where water management in the form of Lodes, Dykes or Canals within the urban fabric of the town will help to give Northstowe its distinctive character. Elsewhere, surface water attenuation lakes will help to create a fenland landscape on the lower parts of the site to which water will naturally drain. Water can be stored here if necessary before being released at a controlled rate into water courses which will take it to the river.

D1.9 Planning a sustainable new town is not just about the location of homes, jobs and shops and the transport networks which connect them. Development of housing at overall net densities of at least 40 dwellings per hectare (average) and higher in the town and local centres, and stops on the dedicated busway, will ensure that shops and other facilities including public transport will have enough people living nearby to make them commercially viable. The buildings themselves will also need to be sustainable - planned to take advantage of natural sunlight and manage internal temperatures, incorporating a high degree of energy efficiency. Opportunities for generating some of the town's own energy needs will need to be investigated to meet the requirement that 10% of energy should be from renewable sources.

D1.10 The character of the town will also be defined by the open spaces, sports and recreation facilities provided for its residents. Areas of Green Separation between Northstowe and the villages of Longstanton (St Michael's and All Saints) and Oakington will protect the character of those villages, while allowing access by foot and cycle to Northstowe's facilities to benefit village residents. Appropriate landscaping and public access will enhance this open space for use by the residents of Northstowe and these villages but care will need to be taken to protect the character of Conservation Areas or other areas of interest. With a population ultimately approaching 20,000, Northstowe will need to have good access to the surrounding countryside. In part this will be achieved by the creation of two country parks, one between Northstowe and Oakington and one west of Station Road to the north-west of Northstowe.

D1.11 The greatest potential impact on nearby villages is the traffic that Northstowe will generate, including construction traffic whilst it is being built. The A14 is proposed to be upgraded. The former St Ives railway line will be in use providing a high quality guided bus service between Huntingdon and Cambridge in 2007. Neither of these projects is dependent upon the development of the new town and both will be publicly funded. However, Northstowe will clearly benefit from these two projects and its developers will make an appropriate contribution to their costs. This could include funding the advance provision of the parallel distributor roads which are proposed as part of the upgrading of the A14 - to remove local traffic from the A14 itself which will have fewer junctions than at present.

D1.12 Whilst the proposed frequency of public transport along the guided busway will mean that significantly more people than is usual in Cambridgeshire will find public transport attractive, Northstowe will still generate a very large number of journeys by road. New roads will be provided from Hattons Road and Dry Drayton Road to take Northstowe traffic directly into the town without passing through either of the villages. To the north of Longstanton, the Longstanton Bypass will provide a third route into Northstowe.

D1.13 Rampton Road which passes between Longstanton All Saints and Longstanton St Michael's will remain a cul-de-sac and be closed in the vicinity of Magdalene Close. Beyond that, Rampton Road would become a footpath / cycleway / bridleway. Rampton Drift will take its vehicular access from the new road network within Northstowe. The airfield road between Longstanton and Oakington will remain closed to through traffic, and become a footpath / cycleway / bridleway. Design and traffic management measures, will facilitate movement by pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians and ensure that no motorised vehicular traffic, other that that for essential access, can use this route.

D1.14 The link roads to the A14 (or their routes before they are built) will also take construction traffic to Northstowe. Within the site, haul roads for construction traffic will be planned to minimise impact on Longstanton or Oakington. It will not be possible to guarantee that there will be no impact until the development closest to each village has been completed in order to provide a screen between the town and the villages. The phasing of development will assist with this. Initial phases of the development would commence with the construction of a local centre at the north and south of Northstowe and the neighbourhoods which surround them. These will be located on the route of the dedicated local busway through Northstowe. Housing construction is anticipated to be approximately 650 dwellings per year - within 5 years Northstowe will be the size of Sawston which supports a thriving shopping and commercial centre.

D2 THE TOWN CENTRE

Location

D2.1 In most towns, the town centre is to be found where the town was originally established. Where there have been no geographical constraints to development, many town centres are still to be found in the middle of the towns that have grown up around them. Sometimes, geography intervenes and towns such as St Ives have their centre to one side of the town because the original settlement was based on the river crossing.

D2.2 At Northstowe the town centre will be located broadly in the geographical centre of the site to ensure that its shops, services and facilities are as accessible as possible to the maximum number of its residents. Developed as a compact town, most parts of Northstowe will be relatively close to the town centre which will help to ensure the success of the town centre and allow a sustainable town to be developed with the car as least preferred mode of transport - i.e. maximise access by walking, cycle and public transport.

D2.3 Placing the town centre on the dedicated local busway though Northstowe will increase accessibility to those parts of the town furthest from the centre. The town centre will also provide shops and facilities not found in surrounding villages and therefore access by road to car parks to the north and south of the town centre will also be important, and by footpaths and cycleways linking across the areas of Green Separation.

D2.4 The centre of Northstowe will lie close to the main building complex at Oakington Barracks. Some of the present buildings may be capable of being incorporated into the development and others may have potential to be used on an interim basis by service providers and could even be converted to provide some local shopping during the early phases of development. However, a long-term view needs to be taken of the development of Northstowe. Once established, like any town Northstowe will be home to generations of residents. It is therefore important to ensure that the best possible plan is produced to ensure that it serves its residents as well as is possible.

D2.5 The presence of the existing housing at Rampton Drift will have a bearing on the location of the town centre as these houses are relatively centrally located within the site. The impact of the town centre on this local community will be minimised by the town centre being located somewhat to the east and separate from Rampton Drift.

Town Centre Form and Uses

D2.6 Creating an attractive and successful town centre for Northstowe will be challenging. The centres of Cambridgeshire's market towns have grown up over many centuries and their variety and number of shops and commercial premises owes much to the age of both the businesses and the buildings in which they are located. Without intervention, the commercial sector is likely to provide a few large retail units which are highly efficient for shopping but create very poor town centre environments.

D2.7 The town centre will be THE main defining feature of Northstowe by which it will be judged by its residents and visitors. It will be crucial to create a town centre where people want to be even when the shops are shut because it has the best environment in the whole town and provides a range of opportunities to socialise into the evening. It is also important that is offers locations and facilities to hold community events. The mix of uses will be crucial to this as will be creating a town centre where people live and will help support many of its facilities. Creating attractive landmark buildings and spaces will also be vital in order that Northstowe town centre will be a place worthy of its residents.

D2.8 Town centre uses will include shops, restaurants, public houses / bars commercial services (such as banks, building societies, post office) commercial leisure uses such as a cinema, library and lifelong learning centre, health facilities, cultural facilities, places of worship and public services including the administrative buildings for Northstowe (a Town Council will be needed) (see also chapter on Community Facilities, Leisure, Art and Culture including Community Development). Locating employment at the southern end of the town centre on the approach roads from the A14 will ensure that people working in Northstowe will have safe and convenient access to its shops and facilities and help support a viable and vital town centre (see also Employment chapter).

D2.9 The District Council will co-sponsor a study to establish how much shopping floor area should be located in the town centre and the types and mix of uses which will help to secure a successful and vibrant town centre. This study will lead to the production of a Town Centre Strategy which will be implemented as part of the planning obligation for the development of the new town and help in the determining of planning applications to ensure the staged development of the town centre as a whole, and in particular the early start to the development of the town centre in order to provide a heart to Northstowe as early as possible. An early start on the development of the town centre at Northstowe will be important not only to give Northstowe an identity but also to ensure that the rapid build up of population has available to it the services and facilities that its residents would expect to find in a growing town. After 3 years of development, Northstowe will have in the region of 2,000 dwellings and a population of some 5,000 persons.

D2.10 The form of the town centre will be crucial to its success in terms of achieving a place that is attractive and convenient as a destination for shopping and leisure. This will take the form of a market town high street, the typical form and character of Cambridgeshire's market towns, and will include a town square. The potential for a market to be held in the town centre will be explored. The generally elongated site for Northstowe lends itself to developing such a linear 'High Street' form of development. This could include a more concentrated centre that clusters around a town centre stop on the dedicated public transport route. It will have a larger town square as a key focal point for entertainment and gathering. The town square should be vested in the Town Council to ensure its availability for public events. The town centre will have water at its heart which is a typical feature of Cambridgeshire market towns and a very popular focus for activity.

Vitality and viability

D2.11 The vitality and viability of the town centre is likely to need support to ensure that sufficient custom is offered to retailers and service providers, particularly during the early years of development. In addition to the resident population of Northstowe as a whole, this can be assisted by:

• The town centre also being home to many of the town's residents - for example living above its shops, services and facilities;
• Mixing retailing with services and facilities such that undertaking one trip provides the opportunity to combine the journey with another purpose;
• Locating uses which can generate business activity in addition to the people normally living in Northstowe, most importantly locating the town business district in or adjacent to the centre will generate a significant amount of extra business during the working day.

D2.12 It is expected that residents of Longstanton and Oakington will find the town centre of Northstowe particularly attractive for its shops and services. In addition to the opportunity to visit the town centre by car, the cycle and footpath network in Northstowe will be extended to serve these two villages.

D2.13 It will be important to ensure that Northstowe's town centre is not so large that it threatens the viability of nearby towns and villages although it is inevitable that some changes elsewhere will occur. It is important that any such consequences are identified in advance and that change is managed. The study referred to above will also address these issues.

D3 LOCAL CENTRES

D3.1 Local centres will have only modest shopping facilities and will be developed around the primary schools which will be developed across the town. A town of 8,000 dwellings will need 5 primary schools. These primary schools will be located at the heart of their local catchment areas and provide the basis for small local centres which will include local shops meeting day-to-day needs such as a newsagent, hot food takeaway or a small convenience store typical of many local centres in Cambridgeshire's market towns. Some will also contain local services and facilities such as health care. These local centres will be located at stops on the dedicated local busway through Northstowe which will generate trade for the centres, be safe places to wait for a bus and be accessible for the greatest number of people. The development of each local centre will begin as soon as practicable after the first houses are available for occupation and completed well in advance of the completion of development of each neighbourhood in the town in order to ensure from the early stages of development that local services and facilities are available within walking distance of all homes. It will be especially important for community development to provide a local centre for the first neighbourhood (or each neighbourhood if the first phase of development covers two neighbourhoods).

D3.2 The secondary school will be located at one of these local centres. It is likely that having this type of facility with its wider community role attached to a local centre would generate a higher order of facilities and a wider range than would be supported at other local centres. However, it is unlikely to have significantly wider range of retailing facilities, and would not take on the role of a typical district centre. In this case it could be regarded as a "local plus" centre.

D3.3 In order to ensure that Northstowe provides for a mix of uses which will ensure that services, facilities and some employment is locally at hand, the local centres will also provide an opportunity for small scale office and other employment uses appropriate to a generally residential area. This is addressed by Policy NS/11 in the employment chapter.

Location of Services and Facilities

D3.4 Local centres should be located within walking distance of all homes. Each local centre is likely to offer different facilities and co-location with other service providers will also be explored. Each local centre is anticipated to include:

• Primary school, with community space associated mainly with pre and post school provision and also nurse practitioner services;
• Local commercial facilities, including convenience shopping, a nursery and café / takeaways;
• Flexible meeting space(s) probably adjacent to the primary school for a range of community activities;
• Children's play area;
• Neighbourhood recycling point;
• Car and cycle parking;
• Information access point.

D3.5 The other facilities will be located to serve the whole population of Northstowe, generally within the town centre area, enabling interaction between the users of the different services. The secondary school will need to be located away from the majority of the town centre services, to provide a more appropriate environment for pupils, at lunchtimes and before / after school, and better access to playing fields and sports provision.

D4 HOUSING

Housing Supply

D4.1 Northstowe will provide an adequate and continuous supply of land for housing to meet the strategic requirement for 6,000 dwellings at Northstowe by 2016.

Housing Density

D4.2 Creating a town which minimises the amount of land that will need to be taken for development and which provides a basis for sustainable living where services and facilities are nearby for most of its residents means development at densities of at least 40 dwellings per hectare. The approach should be design-led and seek to make the most effective and efficient use of land across the development.

D4.3 Higher densities will be appropriate in the town and local centres and around public transport stops where increased density and scale of buildings will also contribute to the design quality of Northstowe by providing opportunities for landmark buildings and different character areas.

D4.4 There will be some small areas that are less accessible and where lower densities may be more appropriate and also to provide variety in character and more typical family housing. Those housing areas which border the countryside between Northstowe and the villages of Longstanton and Oakington should also generally be developed at densities lower than 40 dwellings per hectare in order to help the area of Green Separation maintain the village character of these two villages

House Types and Quality

D4.5 One of the keys to the success of Northstowe will be as much the quality of what is provided as the nature of the uses, services and facilities themselves. Densities of 40 dwellings per hectare or more are quite normal in most towns and do not mean sacrificing quality. A high quality of design in both the buildings and the wider environment will be required at Northstowe, and the Strategic Design Guide that will be required will be a key tool in ensuring that high quality is delivered on the ground.

D4.6 In order to meet the need for smaller dwellings in the area and to respond to the density requirements for the town, a variety in dwelling types will need to be provided. This will also help provide interest in the character and design of the town. This will include modern apartments in the town centre and close to services and facilities and public transport nodes, imaginative use of town houses, terraces and other forms of high quality but higher density housing types. In the interests of providing a range of housing at Northstowe, it would also be desirable for land to be made available within the town for an element of self-build projects.

D4.7 The District Council will prepare a Travellers' Policy Development Plan Document which will include policies and proposals for the needs of travellers, including site requirements, which may include provision at Northstowe. It will be informed by a sub-regional Travellers' needs survey. The Document is provided for in the Council's Local Development Scheme.

Housing Mix

D4.8 Policy HG/2 of the Development Control Policies Development Plan Document sets out targets for housing mix that seek to ensure that developments provide a mix of housing sizes that address the high level of need for smaller 1 and 2 bedroom homes in the Cambridge area. For many years, the market in South Cambridgeshire has been providing a high proportion of larger properties of 4 bedrooms or more, at the expense of smaller properties. The district-wide targets aim to redress this imbalance, whilst at the same time are mindful of the need to create balanced communities. It proposes that affordable housing should be of an appropriate mix to respond to identified needs at the time of the development, in accordance with Policy HG/3. Market properties should provide:

1. At least 50% of homes with 1 or 2 bedrooms; and
2. Approximately 25% of homes with 3 bedrooms; and
3. Approximately 25% of homes with 4 or more bedrooms;

unless it can be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the District Council that a different mix would better meet local needs. As a key component of the housing strategy for South Cambridgeshire, the district-wide policy will apply to Northstowe.

Affordable Housing

D4.9 A key driver behind the growth area strategy for the Cambridge Sub-Region is to help provide more affordable housing in and close to Cambridge. The issue of affordable housing is addressed in the Housing section of the Development Control Policies DPD, which sets out affordable housing policy district-wide, having regard to the findings of the South Cambridgeshire Housing Needs Survey (Final Report June 2003), carried out by Fordham Research. Policy HG/3 requires approximately 50% of the dwellings for which planning permission may be given to be affordable. The strategic developments are key to addressing the affordable housing requirements in the area and, logically, the district wide targets, and therefore Policy HG/3, apply to Northstowe.

D4.10 The District Council is mindful of the significant infrastructure requirements of building a new town. If there is an issue about whether the development will stand the affordable housing target, that is a matter that needs to be addressed through the planning application process where all the policy calls on the development, together with other development related requirements, can be looked at comprehensively and relative priorities determined.

D4.11 The other factor particular to Northstowe is that it is an entirely new freestanding settlement. It is not an addition to an existing settlement where the wider housing mix will be relevant in addition to that within the development itself. Here, it will be a new community and it is important that it achieves a balanced and sustainable community profile. In order to ensure this, it is important that the right tenure mix within the affordable housing is secured. It will be important to ensure the provision of social rented housing in recognition of the high level of need for this type of housing. However, it will also be appropriate to have a significant proportion of intermediate housing to ensure that all sectors of the population are able to live in the town. It is envisaged that a different tenure mix is likely to be appropriate for Northstowe, with:

1. Approximately 25% social rented; and
2. Approximately 25% intermediate housing, including for Key Workers;

giving a total of 50% affordable housing, unless it can be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the District Council that the local circumstances suggest a different mix would better meet local needs. The mix of affordable housing in terms of houses sizes will be determined in response to identified needs at the time of the development.

D4.12 In order to ensure that Northstowe develops as a sustainable community, affordable housing will be distributed through the development in small groups or clusters, with the appropriate cluster size being determined having regard to the location within the development e.g. town centre and residential neighbourhoods.

D4.13 Policy HG/4 of the Development Control Policies DPD provides for alternative approaches to the provision of affordable housing in the exceptional circumstances of insurmountable subsidy issues. It is appropriate at Northstowe to allow for the provision of a lower proportion of built units on site if exceptional circumstances were demonstrated by way of very clear evidence to the satisfaction of the local planning authority. However, having particular regard to the long period over which the town will be built, such evidence can only be provided at the time a detailed planning application comes forward in the light of circumstances pertaining at that time. This policy approach will therefore not apply at the outline planning stage when setting the overall affordable housing requirement, instead Policy NS/10 will apply to Northstowe. In view of the scale of the development and the importance of achieving a sustainable and balanced community, the provision in Policy HG/4 for making contributions for off-site provision of affordable housing will also not apply to Northstowe.

D5 EMPLOYMENT

D5.1 Northstowe must be a place where people work as well as live if it is not just to become a dormitory town that generates large amounts of daily traffic. However, Northstowe is also a crucial part of the Regional Planning Guidance (RSS6) and Structure Plan 2003 strategies to address the shortage of housing in relation to the number of jobs in and close to Cambridge, and as a result it is not intended to match the number of jobs in the town with the number of residents. This will ensure that people working in or close to Cambridge will also have the opportunity to live in Northstowe, served by high quality public transport links with the city.

D5.2 Employment development at Northstowe will be subject to Policy ET/1 of the Development Control Policies DPD, that reserves employment land for development that can demonstrate a clear need to be located in the area, to serve local needs, or contribute to the continued success of the Cambridge Sub-Region as a centre of high technology and research.

D5.3 The Structure Plan identifies Northstowe as being a Strategic Employment Location which will provide a key opportunity for new employment associated with high technology clusters in the Cambridge Sub-Region. Development will include a high technology, research and development business district located close to the town centre and linked to the main focus of research activity in and on the edge of Cambridge, Cambridge city centre, and Addenbrooke's by guided bus. Its location will ensure support for the town centre and be convenient for its employees, whilst maintaining separation from existing communities. Some activities such as bio‑ technology research may need more land and a more peripheral location that is well located to the surrounding road network and to the guided busway.

D5.4 The equivalent of 20 hectares of employment land will be provided at Northstowe. However, the crucial factor is numbers of jobs as opposed to land provision. There will be opportunities to provide employment at higher densities in this urban area, making more efficient use of land than on traditional low-density business parks.

D5.5 Northstowe, like all established towns, must be socially inclusive and offer a range of employment opportunities. Whilst the Cambridge research sector is not dependent upon any one technology and has proven itself to be resilient to change, it does require a highly trained workforce. To ensure that there is a balance of employment in Northstowe which will ensure that everyone living in the new town has the opportunity of finding employment, it will be necessary to plan for light industry and local services. An area for general industrial (B2) (including small scale pilot manufacturing), storage and distribution (B8) is also needed, serving a local function for Northstowe and its immediate hinterland and there will also be a need to take account of the potential for live-work units for small business owners. This location may also be suitable for a Household Waste Recycling Centre and associated bulking up and transfer facility for business and commercial waste to serve the needs of Northstowe and its immediate hinterland pursuant to Policy WLP20 of Cambridgeshire County Council's Waste Local Plan 2003.

D5.6 Employers in Northstowe will be required to prepare green travel plans to show how they intend to ensure that travel to work by car by their employees is not encouraged.

D6 COMMUNITY FACILITIES, LEISURE, ARTS AND CULTURE INCLUDING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Publicly and Community Provided Community Services, Facilities, Leisure, Arts and Culture

D6.1 The development of Northstowe provides the opportunity for community services and facilities providers to take advantage of emerging best practice in order to ensure that the new residents of Northstowe and the surrounding villages secure the greatest benefit from living in and close to the new town.

D6.2 Not all services and facilities will be provided by the public or commercial sectors. Some facilities at Northstowe will be best provided through the direct involvement of community groups e.g. facilities for faith and public worship, and associations including social and sporting clubs. Some of these would be considered essential to the development of a successful community and there will need to be some certainty that they will be capable of being provided and the development will be required to provide land for their provision.

D6.3 The principles that will guide the location of services and facilities in Northstowe are:

• Accessibility to the people who will be seeking services and facilities;
• Combining or linking services and facilities which will be mutually supportive and convenient for the public;
• Concentrating services and facilities in a few locations in order to ensure that a journey for one purpose provides the opportunity to serve another purpose, reducing the number of journeys, and providing opportunities for community interaction.

D6.4 The town and local centres will be the focus of services and facilities at Northstowe and will be linked together by the dedicated busway through the town as well as by the footpath and cycleway network which will provide safe and convenient public access.

D6.5 The service providers are investigating opportunities for closer integration of their services to offer a better overall service to the public and to make the best use of land, buildings and other resources. Co-location can provide substantial savings, operational efficiency and better customer service. This would be achieved by sharing buildings, car parks and other facilities such as receptions. Examples of shared provision which are being investigated are:

• A combined library, information and learning centre;
• Making the secondary school a focus of community activities including lifelong learning, a sports centre and swimming pool;
• Children's services being provided at primary schools along with nurse practitioner health care;
• Local centres providing multi-purpose facilities offering flexible space for a range of community facilities;
• Care facilities and services for older people could be integrated within the wider community and health care provision and linked to a range of housing options;
• A health campus comprising a number of GPs and other health specialists such as dentists, optometrists, physiotherapists, chiropodists sharing support facilities to provide a better service to the public;
• The faith needs of Northstowe are also still being investigated but could be met through an ecumenical centre for the Christian denominations but the needs of other faiths will also need to be considered - traditionally places of worship have provided important landmark buildings;
• A combined youth and community centre offering a wide range of uses for all ages.

D6.6 Before planning permission could be granted for Northstowe, the needs of the development must be determined in accordance with detailed assessments, prepared in consultation with service providers. Some of this work will be carried out in partnership with Cambridgeshire Horizons. This will lead to the preparation of strategies setting out the services and facilities required of the development and a phasing plan for the timely delivery of publicly provided community services, facilities, leisure, arts and culture, including the provision of key services and facilities for early phases of the development. This will form the basis of a planning obligation.

D6.7 In addition to the provision of services and facilities, provision will be needed for professional Community Development Workers to help establish a vibrant and sustainable community from the outset of development and also to provide support mechanisms in response to local need. This will involve a Community Development Strategy outlining roles, partnership working and the professional people needed to help establish the new community. This work will include support to help establish good communication and information for new residents, establishment of new groups, support mechanisms, sports clubs and community events. The needs of young people should be considered at the earliest stage of development, including the employment of youth workers. Early and ongoing development work can help establish a strong feeling of community ownership of facilities and community space.

Commercially Provided Services, Facilities, Leisure, Arts and Culture

D6.8 Not all services and facilities will be provided by the public sector. A large number of facilities at Northstowe will be provided commercially e.g. health and fitness clubs, cinemas, tenpin bowling, golf course, etc. Some of these are considered essential to the development of a successful community and there will need to be some certainty that they will be capable of being provided, and sustained long term. This will be particularly important in the early phases of development in order to ensure that Northstowe has a range of services and facilities which will help attract its first residents. Retail and related facilities e.g. restaurants and cafes are addressed in the Town and Local Centres chapters.

D6.9 The priorities for commercial leisure provision (for example, cinema, ten pin bowling, health and fitness clubs, golf facilities, snooker and pool rooms, public houses and a market) will be considered in consultation with potential service providers and other neighbouring local authorities in order that deficiencies and priorities can be identified. The needs of the development will be identified as part of the assessment and strategy referred to above for publicly provided services and facilities.

The Range of Services, Facilities, Leisure and Community Infrastructure

D6.10 The range of services and facilities and community infrastructure that will need to be provided at Northstowe is still being investigated by the service providers, but for a town of 8,000 dwellings, the following is an indicative but not exclusive list of services and facilities to be explored:

1. Education - Primary and Secondary

• One secondary school, with 6^th Form provision
• 5 primary schools
• Nursery provision
• Pre-school provision (0-4)
• Out of school care (0-14 year olds)
• Special education
• Further education in co-operation with the Learning and Skills Council

2. Lifelong Learning

• Public Library, information and advice centre, including accommodation for voluntary sector and with the potential to co-locate a one-stop shop and public sector caller office in the building
• Adult and Community Learning

3. Social Services

• Social services
• Children and families services
• Services for older people
• Mental health services
• Services for the disabled
• Family centre
• Extra care housing
• Nursing home provision

4. Fire Services

• Fire services

5. Police

• Police services including Police Community Support Officers

6. Community Facilities

• Community centres / meeting places
• Town Council office facility
• Arts and cultural facilities
• Place of worship (provision for a number of different faiths)
• Burial ground
• Allotments
• Youth Centre
• Public conveniences
• Neighbourhood recycling centres
• Information points / notice boards

7. Community Development

• Arrangements for involvement of existing local communities and service providers in the design process;
• Plan for community development (residents and workers in the new town) as settlement grows. Interim arrangements for community meeting place;
• Establishment of residents representative group and communication between new residents;
• Arrangements for establishment of Town Council, and district / county electoral areas review;
• Arrangements for Town Council administration;
• Arrangements for involvement of residents in management of community facilities, including sports;
• Community Development Worker(s) and Youth Workers.

8. Recreation Facilities (see Recreation chapter)

• Swimming pool and leisure centre
• Dedicated children's play areas
• Outdoor sports facilities including tennis courts, bowls greens and artificial turf pitches
• Informal youth facilities (e.g. skateboard parks, youth shelters)

9. Commercial

• Shops - including early support for local shopping provision (including unit shops);
• A market, including provision for a locally-based farmers' market;
• Pubs / takeaways / cafes / eating places;
• Post Office / banking facilities;
• Leisure e.g. cinema, bowling, fitness;
• Extra care housing
• Nursing home provision.

10. Healthcare

• Care facilities for older people;
• A health campus offering general medical services including GP Practice(s) plus a number of health specialists such as dentists, optometrists, physiotherapists and chiropodists plus dispensary;
• Enhanced services including minor surgery and specialised clinics;
• Nurse Practitioners based at each primary school;
• Ambulance facility.

11. Faith

• Provision of land for place(s) of worship (for a number of different faiths), including worship space, administrative office, meeting room(s), prayer space, catering and support facilities, and accommodation for a minister. The needs of other faiths will also need to be considered, possibly using facilities in other building

12. Waste

• Temporary inert waste management facilities to deal with construction waste during the development of the new town.

Location of Services and Facilities

D6.11 Services and facilities will generally be located at the town centre and local centres. This is addressed at those individual chapters.

Management of Community Services and Facilities

D6.12 It is important that not only are the community services and facilities needed by the town provided, but that they are properly and effectively managed and maintained if they are to provide high quality facilities for the community in the long term. It is also important that a feeling of community ownership is developed for all community facilities and that they are managed to ensure accessibility by all. The strategies for both publicly and commercially provided community services and facilities will therefore need to develop appropriate management strategies to ensure high quality, robust and effective implementation, adoption and maintenance arrangements are in place ahead of any planning permission being granted. This is dealt with in the Phasing and Implementation policies.

Public Art

D6.13 Provision should be made for public art in Northstowe to help provide a sense of place and distinctiveness. Policy SF/6 of the Development Control Policies DPD sets out the Council's policy to see the provision of public art in larger developments. The provision of quality visual arts and crafts as part of new developments can bring social, cultural, environmental, educational and economic benefits, both to the new development and the community at large. It is considered particularly important that public art is integrated into the overall design of the town including landmark works such as sculpture as well as functional elements e.g. lighting, landscape, street furniture, floor designs and signage.

D6.14 The District Council has adopted a Public Art policy that provides guidance for developers implementing large-scale developments, including residential and commercial. It encourages developers to allocate a proportion of the budget for the implementation of a carefully considered public art scheme.

D6.15 Whilst public art is normally sought though negotiation rather than being a requirement of development, in view of the scale of Northstowe and that it will be an entirely new community, the provision of public art as an integral part of the development will be a key part of ensuring the creation of a high quality and distinctive new town. Whilst the Area Action Plan does not prescribe a level of public art provision, it does require that a strategy for public art is prepared, with the appointment of (a) lead artist(s) at an early stage in the planning and design of development and a significant level of provision for public art will be required as part of any proposals.

D7 TRANSPORT

INTRODUCTION

D7.1 For Northstowe to be a truly sustainable place it will be important to ensure that the transport infrastructure encourages the use of more sustainable forms of travel - public transport, cycling and walking. The compact, higher density form of development proposed will also favour journeys to be made by these modes. At the same time provision will have to be made for cars and goods vehicles. It will be important to integrate the various modes, providing interchanges to encourage maximum use of the sustainable modes.

ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE

A14 Improvements

D7.2 The A14 is proposed to be improved to a dual three-lane carriageway, with associated parallel local roads. The Highways Agency consulted on a proposed scheme during Spring 2005, with a view to the Secretary of State announcing the Preferred Route early in 2006. The improvements should be completed in the period 2011-2015.

D7.3 Development of Northstowe needs to be carefully phased to ensure adequate infrastructure improvements along the A14 road corridor are in place in order to avoid exacerbating the existing congestion and safety problems, and that local highway conditions are not materially worsened. This may include the provision of measures such as the early provision of parallel local distributor roads.

Primary Road Access

D7.4 Links from an improved Hattons Road and from Dry Drayton Road will provide access onto the A14 / parallel distributor roads so as not to increase traffic passing through local villages.

D7.5 A link to the Longstanton West Bypass / Station Road, Longstanton junction will provide additional access onto the local road network to the north, allowing adjoining villages to access the facilities and services at Northstowe.

Local Road Access

D7.6 There is a need for emergency vehicles to gain access into Northstowe from the Cottenham Fire Station. There are a number of ways this could be provided. Access could be from Station Road, Oakington or Cottenham Road, Westwick or Longstanton road, Oakington. For the first two of these options, it may well be able to make use of the maintenance track of the guided busway, linking into the town via the dedicated busway within the town. The route of this access will be determined through Masterplanning. If it makes use of Longstanton Road, Oakington, design and traffic management measures, will facilitate movement by pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians and ensure that no motorised vehicular traffic, other that that for essential access, can use this route. Any solution will pay particular regard to the need to ensure that the Green Separation between Oakington and Northstowe is not fragmented or otherwise adversely affected.

Mitigating Traffic Impact

D7.7 Careful consideration will need to be given to the design of access roads and junction layouts to minimise their impact on local residents, for example noise, and ensure there will be no resultant rat-running in the villages. Consideration will also need to be given to the adequacy of existing traffic calming measures to deal with the impact of additional traffic. This should be informed through the use of before and after traffic studies and, where necessary, developers will fund additional improvements, having regard to best practice at that time.

D7.8 Traffic flows on the B1050 through Longstanton have already caused a Longstanton bypass to be required as part of a development at Home Farm, Longstanton. The requirement for a bypass for Willingham will be explored by the County Council as local highway authority and if traffic forecasts demonstrate that these measures will be needed over the lifetime of the development of Northstowe, the developers of the new town will be required to make a contribution related to the percentage volume of traffic which will be generated / attracted by Northstowe.

ALTERNATIVE MODES

Public Transport

D7.9 High Quality Public Transport (HQPT) will form a fundamental part of making Northstowe a sustainable new town and minimise its impact on the environment. The most significant connection for public transport for Northstowe will be the guided bus, offering services to the main centres of attraction in Cambridge and St. Ives / Huntingdon, and various points in between.

D7.10 Northstowe will be served by a dedicated local busway connected to the main through route along the disused railway line at either end of the town. Unlike the through route, it will not be guided as this would create a barrier to movement within the town, but should take the form of a dedicated busway, segregated from other traffic, ensuring bus priority and better integration into the urban form of Northstowe, serving the main centres of attraction. The dedicated local busway will be supplemented by a local bus network with additional bus stops which will enable total public transport coverage within Northstowe.

D7.11 All development within Northstowe will be within easy access of a public transport stop. The dedicated local busway should maximise coverage within Northstowe, with the aim that all areas will be within easy walking distance of a stop (no more than 600m walking distance, equating to a 5-10 minute walk). However, it would not be desirable to achieve total coverage if this would compromise the quality of service that could be provided. Therefore, a careful balance must be struck between coverage and quality of service. The Council will seek as much of the development as possible to be within 600m of a stop on the dedicated local busway, but where this is not possible, it should be within 400m of a local bus stop. In high density development areas all properties should be within 400m of the dedicated local busway providing High Quality Public Transport.

Park and Ride

D7.12 A Park and Ride facility is planned as part of the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway proposals on the north western edge of Northstowe, to be served by buses on the guideway and dedicated local busway. The dedicated local busway will serve residents of Northstowe, so there will be no need for residents to travel by car to the Park and Ride facility.

D7.13 The Park and Ride facility will be easily accessible by foot and cycle from Northstowe, as it will be the closest bus stop for residents in the northern part of the town. Direct road access from Northstowe will not be provided in order that car parking will be available for more long distance travellers, with vehicular access from Station Road, Longstanton. Design and traffic management measures will facilitate movement by pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians and ensure that no motorised vehicular traffic, other that that for essential access, can use this route.

D7.14 The Council will also seek to explore opportunities for shared use of the car park with other nearby uses, in accordance with the strategy in the Travel Chapter of the Development Control Policies DPD.

Non-motorised Modes

D7.15 Cycling has the potential to substitute for short car trips, particularly for journeys under 5km. Northstowe presents an opportunity to design at the outset a town where distances to facilities and services are minimised, and accessibility is maximised by walking and cycling.

D7.16 External rights of way routes will be provided to:

• Surrounding villages within a 5km radius including Oakington, Longstanton, Willingham, Rampton, Cottenham, Histon, Impington, Girton, Dry Drayton, Bar Hill, Swavesey and Over;
• The National Cycle Network - Route 51 (along the guided busway);
• The wider rights of way network of byways, bridleways, cycleways, footpaths.

D7.17 Internal routes will be provided linking the residential areas and main destinations such as the town centre, local centres, schools, employment, open spaces and other services and facilities.

D7.18 Routes will be segregated, high quality, safe, direct, connected and convenient for all users, including the less able, such as partially sighted, hearing impaired, and wheelchair users. These routes will also be complemented with quality infrastructure, such as signing, secure cycle parking, seating and lighting (of a level appropriate to the location).

Car and Cycle Parking

D7.19 It will be important to establish a culture within the development which accepts that whilst the car has an important role in providing for some journeys, for those journeys within Northstowe and to other key destinations such as Cambridge it should be the least preferred option.

D7.20 In part, this will be influenced by the scale of provision of car parking both in residential areas and at key destinations. There will be a need for a certain level of car parking to enable people to park without causing social or amenity problems and to enable the town to function effectively. This will include making adequate and convenient provision for disabled parking.

D7.21 Maximum car parking standards are set out in the Development Control Policies DPD and will apply to the development at Northstowe. In addition, given that Northstowe will be served by HQPT, opportunities for reduced levels of parking will be explored in locations close to transport interchanges (including bus stops) facilities and services, and for car pooling and shared parking, for example on mixed-use sites, particularly where there is a suitable mix of day and night time uses.

D7.22 Car parking will be designed to minimise the impact on the urban form. Development at higher densities may require more innovative design to incorporate off-street car parking, for example through integrating garages within the footprint of dwellings and underground parking. In terms of visual impact and lighting, and should design out crime and the potential for "cruiser" gatherings, which have presented problems in other areas.

Travel Plans

D7.23 Employers and schools in Northstowe will be required to prepare travel plans to show how they intend to ensure that travel by car is not encouraged, and travel by other modes is positively promoted.

D8 LANDSCAPE

LANDSCAPE PRINCIPLES

Landscape Strategy

D8.1 It will be important for the landscape within the built-up area of Northstowe to be determined at an early stage in the planning process in order to guide the development of the town and to allow structural planting and landscaping to be implemented at the earliest opportunity. The Landscape Strategy will assist in delivering a quality environment to meet the needs of residents and visitors. Connections between the landscaped open spaces will add to their overall value for both people and wildlife. There is a considerable existing tree and shrub cover on the site which can be incorporated into the overall design of the town. Effective maintenance and management is essential to the long-term strategy. The level of detail required in a Landscape Strategy will be different at the outline and detailed planning application stages, with a strategy at the outline stage being more strategic in nature.

D8.2 In general, the structural landscaping areas and Green Corridors which are created should be characteristic of the locality in terms of drainage, topography and species and habitats and thus, by virtue of their semi-natural nature, be robust and require minimum maintenance.

Construction Spoil

D8.3 There will be a significant amount of construction spoil generated by the development of buildings and roads. Only a limited amount can be used to form new ground features as these would be an alien feature in the otherwise flat or gently contoured landscape. Construction spoil should therefore be distributed over a wide area within the site such that new ground levels do not adversely affect water tables, visual amenity or the landscape character of the area. It would not be sustainable to transport construction spoil away from the site.

Water as a Defining Feature in the Landscape

D8.4 Water is a key element in the landscape of the fens and fen-edges. It is also an important feature in Cambridge and in many Cambridgeshire market towns. The use of water as an urban feature in this new fen-edge town therefore would be consistent with these characteristics and would enliven and enhance the built environment. In some cases water features will form extensive areas in the form of lakes and ponds, but there is also the opportunity for the green corridors to include linear features reflecting the canals, dykes or lodes in the Cambridgeshire fenland tradition. To be effective water features they will need to contain water permanently rather than only in certain seasonal conditions. There will be a variety of treatments for water features depending on their location. Within the urban fabric a more formal approach may be appropriate whilst in other areas such as on the edges of the town an informal and naturalistic approach may be appropriate.

Existing Landscape Features

D8.5 Within the built-up area there will be opportunities to incorporate existing tree belts, groups, individual trees and hedges and lakes and ponds where such features can make a significant contribution to the urban environment. The design of the town should therefore be guided by the need to incorporate this important resource. In the exceptional circumstances where this is not possible, every effort will be made to transplant existing trees to new locations within the development. This will apply particularly to the oak trees currently growing on the MoD site. This will allow a more mature landscape to emerge within the town at an early stage in the development.

Management Strategy

D8.6 The landscaping of Northstowe will not be effective if it is not managed to the highest standards. In order to achieve this, it will be necessary for all landscaped areas to be maintained by the same organisation. This will need to take into account the varying requirements of the different functions which open space has to perform. It will only be successful if the local communities using this open space recognise its needs and are fully involved in its development and maintenance as key stakeholders. There will therefore be the need to develop appropriate management strategies to ensure high quality, robust and effective implementation, adoption and maintenance arrangements are in place ahead of any planning permission being granted. This is dealt with in Chapter E1 Implementation.

LANDSCAPE TREATMENT ON THE EDGES OF NORTHSTOWE

D8.7 The landscaping of the edges of Northstowe will be addressed through a variety of measures to integrate the town into its surroundings and also to protect the amenity of existing residents surrounding the site and the new community of Northstowe. The landscape treatment of the areas of Green Separation between Northstowe and the villages of Longstanton and Oakington to maintain the character of those villages will also provide an attractive setting to the town. On the northern outer edge of the town, the proposed water park following the line of the former St Ives railway will also provide the opportunity to create an attractive landscape treatment along that edge of the town.

D8.8 There are also two other boundaries to the town which also require a suitable edge treatment: on the airfield road between Longstanton and Oakington and on the B1050 Station Road Longstanton. Both these areas also include areas of housing outside the village frameworks of Longstanton and Oakington, which are physically detached from the villages. Specific landscape treatments are proposed to provide appropriate edges to the town and protect the amenity of those existing properties.

The Eastern Water Park

D8.9 Most of the site for Northstowe drains to the north-east and there is a need to attenuate surface water as part of the drainage strategy. This offers the opportunity to create a water park along the boundary of Northstowe where it meets the guided bus route along the former St Ives railway. This will have a number of functions, as well as drainage, as a landscape resource, for informal recreation and for improvements in biodiversity. Although the width of the water park will vary, it will need to be in the order of 100m to create an appropriate landscape character, capable of fulfilling its functions for recreation and biodiversity, as well as drainage. There will be a series of balancing lakes which will contain water under all conditions to enhance their landscape and biodiversity value and which may be joined together at times of greater rainfall. The extent and depth of water will vary according to rainfall and the time of year.

Airfield Road Between Longstanton and Oakington

D8.10 Along the airfield road between Oakington and Longstanton St Michael's an existing tree belt screens the southern part of the Airfield and forms a major feature in the landscape. However, the opportunity needs to be taken to enhance this feature to make a more positive contribution to the landscape, given the changes which will occur as a result of the development of Northstowe.

Sporadic Linear Development on the B1050 Station Road, Longstanton

D8.11 There is sporadic linear development on the B1050 north of Longstanton both north and south of the railway line. This is separate from and outside the village framework. South of the disused railway line, the majority of properties lie on the west side of this busy through route to the fens. The amenity of these properties can best be protected by a narrow woodland belt of 40m on the western edge of Northstowe where it adjoins the B1050.

LANDSCAPING WITHIN NORTHSTOWE

Green Corridors

D8.12 A number of Green Corridors will penetrate into and through the urban area, drawing upon the character of Cambridge, and based on drainage infrastructure, existing landscape features and the opportunities to create new landscaped character areas. As well as having a visual amenity, these will offer varied recreational opportunities and will also act as wildlife corridors. For all these functions it is important that they connect to other key internal open spaces within the town and to the larger green areas on the periphery and the surrounding countryside. Water will be a central feature of these green corridors thus enhancing this aspect of the character of the new town.

D8.13 These Green Corridors will offer landscape and biodiversity value as well as recreational use and are likely to range in width from approximately 15m to achieve cycleways, footpaths, verges, planting and water / drainage features to around 100m of informal open space, recreation and children's play areas. There may be potential for the wider areas of the corridors to accommodate some formal sports provision without detracting from their overall landscape and biodiversity role.

D8.14 The Green Corridors will be accessed from areas of built development by public rights of way including footpaths and cycleways and connect to each other, to the Green Separation with neighbouring villages and with the surrounding countryside in order to maximise their value in creating a complete network. They will also link to other neighbourhood community facilities, and in particular the primary schools, offering recreational amenity for children and parents between home and school. In addition they can offer sustainable access links to areas of formal sports pitches and facilities.

D8.15 In order that the Green Corridors can safely fulfil their landscape, recreational and biodiversity functions for both people and wildlife, the number of road crossings of these will be limited. Any crossings must be well designed and complement the local landscape character.

Rampton Drift

D8.16 Rampton Drift is an area that will effectively lie within Northstowe and will therefore be surrounded by urban uses. It will need a specific treatment which allows it to be sensitively integrated into the town whilst ensuring that an adequate buffer is provided in order to maintain its residential amenity.

The Landscaping of the Built Environment

D8.17 Within the urban area high quality streetscapes should be created through the use of attractive, durable materials which reflect the character of the locality and include sufficient practical space to incorporate green landscape elements, such as avenues and formal ornamental planting primarily in the public areas to create a varied and legible environment.

The Town Park

D8.18 Although primarily a recreational resource, the town park will be a crucial element in the design and setting of the town centre. The town centre will be the focus of the highest densities of development and therefore this open space will be one of the most defining features of Northstowe and it will have an important amenity value for those living or working in or visiting the town centre.

The Landscaping of Open Spaces

D8.19 Open spaces such as playing fields, play areas, burial grounds and allotments will need to be designed and landscaped to a high standard and link to and integrate with other landscaped and amenity areas so that they contribute to the overall quality of the setting for the urban fabric of Northstowe.

LINKING NORTHSTOWE TO ITS SURROUNDINGS

Access Roads

D8.20 It will be important to minimise any adverse landscape and visual impacts of the highway infrastructure and associated drainage areas including balancing lakes by means of appropriate tree and shrub planting and unobtrusive earth shaping. The new roads linking Northstowe to the existing network should be appropriately landscaped consistent with the existing landscape character so that the roads and their landscaping do not appear as alien features.

Connecting to the Wider Landscape

D8.21 The value of the landscaped areas within the town will be enhanced by linking them together to form a network with the landscapes created on the periphery of the town, in the country parks and through to the wider countryside. Such landscaping should respect local landscape character.

D9 BIODIVERSITY

INTRODUCTION

D9.1 The Area Action Plan lies within a mainly arable farmland landscape that supports few hedgerows, copses, woodlands, major water courses or water bodies. This has led to the biodiversity of the area being relatively poor by national and regional standards. There is no land within the Area Action Plan that is statutorily designated for wildlife protection.

D9.2 However, the site itself includes as well as arable land, rough grassland on the disused airfield with associated hedgerows and woodland plantation, Oakington and Longstanton Brooks, a network of ponds and a disused railway embankment. These key habitat areas provide good shelter, food and commuting resources for a range of protected species known to be within the area. The key protected species recorded within the Area Action Plan are badgers, bats, amphibians, reptiles, birds, water vole, otter and brown hare. The key principle will be to achieve a net increase in biodiversity.

EXISTING BIODIVERSITY FEATURES

Biodiversity Surveys

D9.3 In order to protect and enhance the biodiversity of the area it will be essential to undertake full programmes for ecological survey and monitoring before, during and after construction. This will identify key areas of value to inform the design process and to develop strategies for:

• Key species, particularly badger, bat, great crested newt, barn owl, common lizard, grass snake, invertebrates, water vole and brown hare; and
• Key habitats, including woodland, individual trees of merit, open water, mosaics of grassland, hedgerow and associated ditches.

D9.4 It will be important to draw up strategies for the creation, retention and management of key habitats important for foraging and shelter, and mitigation for protected species to ensure and encourage their continued presence within the new development.

Management Strategy

D9.5 As with landscape, a Biodiversity Management Strategy will be needed to maintain and fund biodiversity (see NS14 - Landscape: Management Strategy). The landownership structure of public open space should be as simple as possible and subject to a single agreed management strategy in order to be comprehensive and all embracing. It will be important that any Biodiversity Management Strategy receives the full support of the local communities who should be involved in creation and care of habitats. This can be achieved by informing the residents of the town about the biodiversity of the area through community / wildlife groups, on-site information boards and local newsletters.

Retention of Existing Features

D9.6 Existing biodiversity features will be incorporated into a green network to facilitate the movement of people and wildlife between them and prevent them becoming isolated.

D9.7 The existing features are mature and support a relatively rich range of wildlife for the area. It is important to retain these habitats where possible. The Biodiversity and Landscape Management Strategies will consider how to enhance this resource through extensive woodland management including thinning, replanting and establishment of a diverse scrub and herb under-storey.

NEW BIODIVERSITY FEATURES

New Biodiversity Features

D9.8 A Landscape Strategy is being developed for Northstowe (see Landscape section) which envisages the creation of a water park along the boundaries of the new town where it meets the guided bus route, and the creation of two country parks, between Northstowe and Oakington and to the north-west of the town to the west of Station Road (the B1050). The country parks offer significant opportunities to create wildlife habitats over a wider area.

D9.9 The Landscape Strategy suggests that green corridors would penetrate into and through the urban area, based on drainage infrastructure, and existing landscape features will also act as wildlife corridors. For biodiversity it is the connectivity between these open areas and the links to the larger green areas on the periphery and thence into the open countryside which will enable wildlife to spread and flourish.

Creating Habitats Within the Urban Area

D9.10 There are a number of ways in which biodiversity can be maximised within urban areas, such as by incorporating green roofs, erection of bat bricks and boxes, bird nest boxes, installation of mammal tunnels and other means of crossing points along severed routes. All of these will need to be designed and installed at appropriate locations to gain maximum net gains. The urban design and landscaping of the town can also contribute through the establishment of a network of open spaces planted with indigenous species which will support a wide range of wildlife.

D10 ARCHAEOLOGY AND HERITAGE

D10.1 Whilst there are no Scheduled Ancient Monuments at Northstowe, the site contains a rich buried archaeological resource. Several archaeological sites are identified on the Cambridgeshire County Council Sites and Monuments Record including large cropmark complexes of Iron Age / Roman /Anglo-Saxon date. Other buried archaeological sites may also await detection, in accordance with Policy CH/2 in the Development Control Policies DPD.

D10.2 At Oakington Barracks / Airfield there are a number of World War II buildings and structures of historical military interest including the Officers' Mess and a number of pillboxes, for which sustainable uses will be sought.

D10.3 The built heritage in areas which will lie close to Northstowe is also significant and consists of a number of Listed Buildings in surrounding villages (some of which provide landmark buildings in the wider landscape) and Conservation Areas:

• At Longstanton based on All Saints Church and The Manor together with important village setting between Longstanton All Saints and Longstanton St Michael's;
• At Longstanton St Michael's based on its church;
• In Oakington village;
• At Westwick including the parkland setting of Westwick Hall.

D11 MEETING RECREATIONAL NEEDS

URBAN RECREATION

D11.1 Northstowe's residents should be able to find that their sport, leisure and recreational needs are met locally so that they can lead a healthy lifestyle and enjoy a high quality of life and leisure time. Whilst some higher order and commercial leisure activities can only be met in Cambridge as the sub-regional centre, every opportunity should be taken to allow people from Northstowe and the surrounding villages to meet as many of their needs as possible without the need to travel further afield.

Public Open Space and Sports Provision

D11.2 A high standard of public open space provision will be required in Northstowe consistent with its role as a town of significant size. Policy SF/11 in the Development Control Policies DPD sets a minimum standard for outdoor play space and informal open space in the district. This standard will apply to Northstowe. The standard comprises:

• Outdoor Sport - 1.6 ha. per 1,000 people;
• Children's Playspace - 0.8 ha. per 1,000 people;
• Informal Open Space - 0.4. ha per 1,000 people.

Strategy for Formal Sports Provision

D11.3 A Strategy for Formal Sport will enable comprehensive planning of facilities at Northstowe, taking account of the needs of the Cambridge Sub-Region. The Strategy will be completed in partnership with Cambridgeshire Horizons along with other partner organisations and professional bodies such as Sport England and the Governing Bodies of Sport. It must also include an assessment of local and national sporting trends. A Major Sports Facilities Strategy for the Cambridge Sub-Region is being prepared by Cambridgeshire Horizons. The Strategy for Formal Sport must consider the implications of this Strategy for Northstowe.

Location of Formal Sport

D11.4 Cambridgeshire has a well developed network of community colleges and village colleges which provide "dual use" sports facilities for both school and community use. This works well in South Cambridgeshire where the existing policy is to base its main indoor sports centres and swimming pools at secondary schools managed under a service level agreement with the school. This offers a good value approach and ensures that all people have access to good quality, local sports facilities. It also encourages greater after-school sport for young people and gives priority to community use in the evenings and weekends.

D11.5 The service level agreements include all indoor sports facilities plus outdoor tennis courts and multi-use games areas. They do not include grass pitches as this leads to over use of school pitches and regular access cannot always be guaranteed by the schools. Grass pitches located close by can, however, offer some joint usage.

D11.6 Dual use sports facilities also work well in neighbouring local authority areas where they are located in more urban environments including Huntingdonshire and East Cambridgeshire.

D11.7 The location of one cluster of outdoor pitches supported by appropriate ancillary facilities, adjacent to the secondary school, will allow for flexibility of use by the school and community. Any group of pitches must not be of such a scale that it is detrimental to the design of the town. It is therefore likely that an area of more than eight pitches will not be suitable. Grass pitches at the secondary and primary schools will not be included as part of the community provision. However, artificial turf pitches and courts that are subject to a Dual Use Agreement can be counted as both community and school provision.

Accessibility to Outdoor Sport Pitch Provision

D11.8 Planning Policy Guidance Note 17 Paragraph 7 states that local standards should include consideration of accessibility. Whilst in the majority of South Cambridgeshire villages provision of formal sport pitches is at a single location, for a settlement the size of Northstowe this could make access to formal sports facilities difficult. A minimum accessibility standard for formal sport is required. 1,000m is the equivalent of 10-15 minutes walking time.

Location of Children's Play Areas

D11.9 A Play Strategy will be produced for Northstowe which will include a mixture of formal and informal provision. Formal provision will include:

• LAPs - Local Areas for Play;
• LEAPs - Local Equipped Areas for Play;
• NEAPs - Neighbourhood Equipped Areas for Play; and
• SIPs - Spaces for Imaginative Play.

D11.10 The total land space required will be based on the Council's proposed standard for inclusion in the Development Control Policies DPD of 0.8 hectares per 1,000 population of which up to 50% will be in the form of LAPs LEAPs, NEAPs and SIPs. However the distribution of play spaces is also important if they are to properly serve local needs.

D11.11 LAPs will not be formally equipped but will provide soft and hard landscaping to provide a natural meeting place and play space for children and adults. The National Playing Fields Association recommends that no home should be more than 100m from a LAP.

D11.12 LEAPs offer formal equipment for children up to 8 years. They should incorporate at least 8 pieces of equipment including a minimum of 3 pieces suitable for toddlers. The National Playing Fields Association recommends that no home should be more than 240m from a LEAP. LEAPs should be located close to local centres and en route between primary school and residential areas.

D11.13 NEAPs will cater for unaccompanied 8-14 year olds and will include equipped play areas and youth sports facilities including informal multi-use areas and provision for a range of wheeled sports areas. SIPs are more natural areas using local features. The National Playing Fields Association recommends that no home should be more than 600m from a NEAP or SIP.

Town Park

D11.14 A formal town park will be provided in the town centre where the highest densities will be developed and which will be a focus for activity. This will be a town centre use, serving a wider function than meeting the needs of the residential development. Therefore a town park does not fit into the definition of types of open space required in Policy SF/11 of the Development Control Policies DPD.

D11.15 The town park will ensure that those living in, working in and visiting these areas have easy access to high quality open space, and it will act as a peaceful / vibrant area close to the centre of activities. It will also offer the opportunity to provide an outdoor venue for entertainment such as concerts and fetes close to the heart of the town thus contributing to its community development. To fulfil this function it is important that it is one continuous space rather than a series of interlinking green areas around the town centre which would not provide the same focus, attraction and opportunities for community events as a single larger high quality park.

Green Corridors

D11.16 The landscape strategy being developed for Northstowe includes a series of Green Corridors connecting the surrounding countryside with the town and penetrating into and through the urban fabric. These Green Corridors have potential for recreational use and are likely to range in width from approximately 15m to achieve cycleways, footpaths, bridleways, verges, planting and water / drainage features to around 100m of informal open space, recreation and children's play areas. There may be potential for some formal sports provision to be provided alongside the Green Corridors which would have the effect of widening them, thus increasing their value.

Water Features

D11.17 To meet the objective of water forming an integral part of the design of the town, advantage should be taken of the need for substantial surface water drainage and incorporate this as an amenity. The layout of this water based amenity will take a number of different forms ranging from a linear canal type feature akin to the lodes which are a drainage feature typical of the fens landscape, to a number of linked small linear lakes.

D11.18 A linear water formation forming part of the surface water attenuation measures for Northstowe will be located adjoining the guided busway which could take the form of a water park providing a recreation and amenity feature and which could link with other open areas. This will offer the greatest overall community benefit to the new population of Northstowe.

Phasing of the Delivery of Open Space

D11.19 It will be important for the new residents to have access to both recreational facilities and informal open space to meet their needs at a very early stage. Phasing is particularly relevant to the provision of sports pitches as they need to be established for up to 2 years before they can be used. The early implementation of these areas should therefore be conditions of any planning permission.

Management of Public Open Space

D11.20 With a wide variety of public open space and facilities being planned for Northstowe, it is important that appropriate long-term management arrangements are planned and implemented at an early stage. This includes ensuring that parcels of land are not fragmented and that it is clear which body is responsible for their maintenance and care. This is particularly the case for incidental open space within housing development and roadside verges. Appropriate management systems will be required to ensure high quality, robust and effective maintenance of open space. This is dealt with in the Phasing and Implementation policies.

COUNTRYSIDE RECREATION

Country Parks

D11.21 As a town with a considerable population living at densities which overall are higher than in the existing market towns, it will be important that residents have the opportunity to connect with the surrounding countryside. One advantage of Northstowe being developed in a compact form will be that the countryside is never far away and should be reachable on foot and certainly by bicycle. However, the intensively farmed nature of the countryside around Northstowe means that the opportunities for informal recreation are limited.

D11.22 The County and District Councils have developed the concept of Strategic Open Space (SOS). SOS provides more than a local function and spaces are generally larger, more varied, and provide a different visitor experience to open spaces within built up areas. There is currently a shortfall in terms of quality, accessibility and quantity of Strategic Open Space in the Cambridge Sub-Region. A standard for the provision of SOS has been developed. This will be used to ensure that new developments provide or contribute to appropriate levels of Strategic Open Space. The standard for strategic open space, as included in the Development Control Policies DPD, is 5.1ha. of Strategic Open Space per 1,000 people which reflects the level of SOS in 2004 and seeks to ensure that levels of provision per head of population are not reduced as a result of development. This should be provided within 5 miles of people's homes and be accessible by means other than just by car.

D11.23 At Northstowe, this is translated into a need for areas of open access, accessible by foot, cycle and public transport from Northstowe, where people could find the facilities which would enable them to experience informal countryside leisure activities. Such facilities could include a visitors' centre, areas for picnicking, barbeques, kick about areas, kite flying and so on, as well as supporting facilities such as car and cycle parking, toilets, etc. Such areas are normally defined as country parks. In addition, country parks will also provide publicly accessible wildlife areas and habitats, and areas solely for nature conservation. If it is intended to meet an existing deficit in this part of the district, it would not be appropriate for the entire burden of a new facility to fall on the developers of Northstowe.

D11.24 The Green Separation between Northstowe and Oakington is a suitable location to form the focus of a small country park. This should include managing an area adjacent to Oakington village for wildlife with less public access in order to maintain its rural village character and protect residential amenity. The development of a small country park in this location would be well related to the southern part of the town and would have the potential to connect with the water park and the Green Separation between Northstowe and Longstanton.

D11.25 To the west of Station Road another country park is proposed. It would be well related to the northern part of the town and to Longstanton, particularly the new development at Home Farm on the west side of the village. It would also have the advantage of being accessible to the wider area through the access road to the A14 and proximity to the stops on the guided bus route and the dedicated local busway. Station Road would need to have some form of safe crossing for cyclists and pedestrians, and horse riders if required as part of a bridleway.

D11.26 With the location of country parks at both ends of the town, there is potential to connect these facilities by providing links via the Green Separation, Green Corridors and the water park to provide a countryside experience encircling Northstowe. Making use of green routes to link countryside open spaces is an effective way of maximising the countryside experience without needing vast areas of dedicated open space.

Access to the Countryside

D11.27 There will also be a need to develop a strategy whereby there would be improved access from Northstowe into the wider countryside through footpaths, cycleways and bridleways, connecting wherever possible to other areas of Strategic Open Space. This should be developed having regard to the Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP). This is a statutory plan required by the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act 2000. The ROWIP will support improvements to the Rights of Way network over the whole county, and it is anticipated that the County Council will work with districts and other partners to achieve this. There may be potential for joint provision of public access routes and wildlife corridors.

Golf

D11.28 The existing Cambridge Golf Course is a low budget 18 hole facility with driving range which will be lost as part of the development. The existing golf course will be replaced by a suitable alternative in the immediate vicinity that will make available affordable golf for existing users and the new residents of Northstowe. Sport England advice indicates that a town the size of Northstowe will support a golf course.

D12 AN INTEGRATED WATER STRATEGY

LAND DRAINAGE, WATER CONSERVATION, FOUL DRAINAGE AND SEWAGE DISPOSAL

Surface Water Drainage

D12.1 The majority of the site drains naturally north-eastwards as ground levels fall towards the Fens. Draining Northstowe will be by means of a sustainable drainage system comprising a network of piped drains and open watercourses (greenways) taking surface water eastwards to a series of balancing lakes or lagoons parallel to the former St. Ives railway line to hold any surface water run-off within the site of Northstowe so that discharge into existing watercourses will be controlled at a rate no greater than if the site was undeveloped. This will include a robust worst case scenario to determine the size of balancing ponds and could include swales, reed beds and other forms of filtration drainage within the development where practical.

D12.2 An extensive, multi-functional linear water park will be created at the eastern edge of the town as a foil to the built development, the character of which will both reflect the fen‑ edge location and complement the built form. This water park will also allow the creation of a diverse environment to provide both a visual and recreation amenity for the residents of the new town and surrounding villages as well as opportunities for biodiversity.

Foul Drainage and Sewage Disposal

D12.3 Anglian Water has advised that the flows from the development could be treated at Uttons Drove Sewage Treatment Works (STW), which would require upgrading. In addition during times of heavy rainfall there are existing problems draining into the River Great Ouse. Anglian Water is currently undertaking a study to investigate outfall options with a view to agreeing suitable outfall arrangements with the Environment Agency, Internal Drainage Board and the District Council. The foul drainage and sewage disposal systems for Northstowe must be available at all times to ensure that there is foul drainage and sewage disposal capacity to permit the continued development of Northstowe at a rate of 650 houses per year together with associated employment, recreation, community services, facilities and all other development required for this new town.

Mitigating Flood Risk at Oakington

D12.4 The Structure Plan requires that the development of Northstowe provides mitigation of flood risk to Oakington and should not exacerbate the existing flood conditions in Longstanton or any other part of the catchment area serving Northstowe. At Oakington the Beck Brook has been liable to flood and parts of the village have flooded as a consequence.

D12.5 The preferred approach is to manage existing flows in Oakington Brook by using a large balancing pond, or series of ponds, between the A14 and Oakington village which will be oversized significantly beyond that required to accommodate surface water from the new roads providing access to Northstowe. In addition, the Environment Agency is investigating the provision of a bypass channel to the north of Oakington village. Should the environmental impact of such a channel prove unacceptable because of the depth and width of the cut through the green separation, an underground pipe will be required.

Mitigating flood risk at Longstanton

D12.6 Longstanton and Oakington villages both regularly experience flooding. The Area Action Plan proposes that flood risk in Lonstanton village also must also be mitigated by the developers. This can be achieved by the surface water attenuation ponds and the creation of a new channel for the Longstanton Brook alongside the Longstanton Bypass. Policies concerning foul drainage will ensure that flood risk from sewage treatment is avoided.

Management and Maintenance of Watercourses

D12.7 Northstowe's surface water drainage systems must be managed and maintained in perpetuity, during and beyond the lifetime of construction. The options for this are for maintenance and management to be the responsibility of one or more of the following:

• The District Council;
• A water company such as Anglian Water;
• A publicly accountable trust.

D12.8 It is important to ensure that the body or bodies made responsible have adequate expertise and are financially stable in perpetuity. It will be the responsibility of the promoter of Northstowe to secure and fund a suitable management and maintenance body / bodies.

Water Conservation

D12.9 East Anglia is the United Kingdom's driest but fastest growing region and the Cambridge Sub-Region will be the fastest growing part. Even allowing for the impact of climate change, careful husbandry of water resources will be crucial if the economic potential of the sub-region is to continue to be realised. The development of an entirely new town with a completely new infrastructure provides an almost unique opportunity to design water conservation measures into the infrastructure and buildings of the whole town in order to reduce the overall demand for water. This important issue should be considered as part of the Northstowe proposals.

D13 TELECOMMUNICATIONS

D13.1 Effective telecommunications are of great benefit to both the economy and the community, and the technology is developing rapidly. It is closely related to information technology, where broadband access is becoming increasingly important to businesses, as well as enabling home working which can contribute to reducing the need to travel. It is important that infrastructure can respond to changes in technology over the period of the development.

D13.2 The development of an entirely new town provides the opportunity to ensure that all telecommunications infrastructure is designed and installed as an integral part of the development. This is in addition to the requirements of all developments as set out in the Development Control Policies DPD.

D13.3 In terms of underground cables, these should be provided as part of the development of the town and located to ensure ease of future maintenance with minimum disruption, including to landscaping.

D13.4 For surface infrastructure, the scope to share existing telecommunications masts should be maximised and potential to utilise existing buildings should also be explored to help minimise visual impact.

D14 AN EXEMPLAR IN SUSTAINABILITY

Exemplar Projects

D14.1 In addition to the application of the district wide policy at Northstowe, the Area Action Plan also requires the provision of exemplar developments at Northstowe which respond to the Structure Plan requirement that the development "will be an example of excellence in the creation of a sustainable settlement ...and will promote the sub-region as a leader in technological innovation...".

D14.2 This aspiration could be met in various ways. It could be achieved by a proportion of the development being built to advanced practice and pushing at the boundaries of technology. Alternatively, and potentially bringing a greater level of overall sustainability benefit, an increased level of sustainability above current requirements could be provided across the whole development. This would need to be at a level that was materially higher than could normally be required of the development. This approach would have the advantage of bringing benefits to a wider number of people and promote more effectively the principles of sustainable development.

Energy Provision

D14.3 The Structure Plan envisages that Northstowe will be an "example of excellence in the creation of a sustainable settlement" (Policy P9/3).

D14.4 A major development of the scale of Northstowe, and the fact that it will be a freestanding new settlement, enhances the potential for a comprehensive approach towards the provision of energy. It offers the opportunity for innovative measures, including the use of renewable energy. Policy NE/3 of the Development Control Policies DPD requires the provision of technology for renewable energy to provide at least 10% of predicted energy requirements.

D14.5 The recent report "Delivering Renewable Energy in the Cambridge Sub-Region 2004" by Energy for Sustainable Development with Global to Local Ltd for Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridge City Council, and South Cambridgeshire, East Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire District Councils assessed the potential and capacity at the major development locations proposed in the Structure Plan to implement renewable energy systems. It identified that Northstowe offers the greatest technical potential for incorporating a range of renewable energy sources, including photovoltaic energy (PV), solar, thermal, biomass and wind. It also suggests that it is likely to have the greatest potential for planned development of infrastructure, such as heat grids and private wire electrical networks needed to provide energy independently of the National Grid.

D14.6 The District Council, in partnership with Cambridgeshire Horizons and the Energy Savings Trust, is carrying out a study of opportunities for generating some of the town's own energy needs by harnessing renewable energy. As part of this work, the potential for setting up an Energy Supply Company (ESCO) for Northstowe is being considered. The aim is to achieve a forward thinking approach to maximising renewable energy provision in the new town.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation

D14.7 Similar considerations apply to energy efficiency and energy conservation as to energy provision. The Development Control Policies DPD includes Policy NE/1 which seeks a high level of energy efficiency and energy conservation measures in all new development. It requires a high degree of measures to increase the energy efficiency of new buildings through, for example, location, layout, orientation, aspect, internal and external design and the use of improved insulation. It also encourages developers to reduce the amount of CO₂ m² / year emitted by 10% compared with the minimum Building Regulation requirement. Applying this policy at the new town will help ensure that the performance of Northstowe over the long period of its implementation will always remain challenging and forward thinking.

Water Conservation

D14.8 Policy NS/24 in the Land Drainage and Water chapter requires all development in Northstowe to incorporate water conservation measures. Within Northstowe there will be exemplar projects in sustainable development in response to the Structure Plan policy. Improvements upon the standards for water conservation would contribute towards such exemplar projects.

Materials

D14.9 The Development Control Policies DPD Policy DP/1 criterion 5 suggests, where practicable, the use of sustainable building methods and verifiably sustainable, locally sourced materials, including recycled materials, and the inclusion of a Travel Plan to address the needs of labour during construction. Making these matters integral to the development would contribute towards exemplar projects.

D15 WASTE

D15.1 It is not the role of the Area Action Plan to include policies for waste. Waste policies are contained in the Structure Plan and the Waste Local Plan. These plans form part of the development plan for South Cambridgeshire and will need to be read alongside the Area Action Plan for Northstowe.

D15.2 The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Structure Plan 2003 says that Northstowe should include an appropriate waste management facility and that the town will include social infrastructure and local facilities to meet the needs of the settlement and the immediate surrounding area rather than the wider sub‑ region.

D15.3 The Waste Local Plan 2003, prepared by Cambridgeshire County Council as the waste planning authority, identifies Northstowe as a suitable location for a major waste management facility and a household waste recycling centre.

D15.4 Whilst the Area Action Plan cannot make policies for waste, waste uses can be suitable on industrial estates. The Employment chapter suggests that the employment area adjacent to the Park and Ride site off Station Road, Longstanton, which provides for a wider mix of employment uses to serve the needs of the town, would be a suitable location for a Household Waste Recycling Centre and associated bulking up and transfer facility for business and commercial waste to serve the needs of Northstowe and its immediate hinterland.

D15.5 The Masterplanning process for Northstowe will need to take account of all components of the development plan, and will be the vehicle for bringing together the overall policy framework for the new town.