...council staff sat down with the senior crew at Tesco to put forward their case. ‘We told the management we would much rather have a development which fitted into our strategic plan.’
One day later, plans for Mereham were thrown out by the secretary of state.

The Cambridgeshire CC cabinet member for growth, Matt Bradney, described the two decisions as ‘the final death knell for attempts by developers to force through schemes that aren’t needed or wanted’.

Eco-town warriors win Cambridgeshire

9th September 2008

LocalGov.co.uk 

Refusing a development is not always about NIMBY-ism. Heather Jameson looks at two sites rejected by Cambridgeshire, because they were not part of the bigger picture.

If you examine local government, in most parts of the country you could be forgiven for thinking that regeneration is the only game in town.

From the Northern Way to the Thames Gateway, urban authorities throughout the country are fighting for cash to build the economy and expand their housing – and infrastructure to match. Or, at least, that was the case before the economic downturn.

But what happens when development is not welcome? In Cambridgeshire, the county council was confronted with plans for two new developments that were simply not wanted. Last week, it won its fight against both.

This may not mean that a policy of short-sighted NIMBY-ism is enough to fight off the march of progress. While Cambridgeshire CC is fiercely protective of the quality of life in its area, the planning battle was not just a case of protecting the status quo.

On the contrary, the county has a strong plan for growth – all of which has been laid out in its strategic plan. And, with a new development under way at Northstowe, the council was keen not to allow extra sites to jeopardise its strategy – and risk the success on the existing development.

Northstowe was already in progress when the Government unveiled its plans for eco towns. Cambridgeshire’s chief executive, Mark Lloyd, describes the new town as an ‘eco town prototype’. However, since it is already being built, the Government claims it can’t be classed as an eco town.

Plans for a 13,000-home eco town at Hanley Grange were drawn up – and vehemently opposed by both the council and locals. A further 5,000-home development – Mereham – in east Cambridgeshire also met with local opposition.
Last week, Cambridgeshire won its battle when one of the main investors, supermarket giant Tesco, backed out of the plans.

Mr Lloyd tells The MJ council staff sat down with the senior crew at Tesco to put forward their case. ‘We told the management we would much rather have a development which fitted into our strategic plan.’
One day later, plans for Mereham were thrown out by the secretary of state.

The Cambridgeshire CC cabinet member for growth, Matt Bradney, described the two decisions as ‘the final death knell for attempts by developers to force through schemes that aren’t needed or wanted’.

He adds: ‘Growth is something that will never go away, but if it is managed with local people becoming part of the process, as has happened at Northstowe, then we can build a future that is welcomed by all.’

Mr Lloyd says that Cambridgeshire’s strategic plan is about to start a ‘refresh’ and that it ‘will consider other developments’.

So, perhaps the new strategic plan could see Tesco return. But for the moment, Mr Lloyd says : ‘Nothing should knock Northstowe off-track.

Northstowe

Northstowe is a new development of up to 10,000 homes, built on a former airfield, five miles northwest of Cambridge, in South Cambridgeshire DC.

Developed by English Partnerships and Gallagher, the project aims to be a low-carbon development, using mainly renewable energy.

A network of roads will be complemented with cycle and walking. The centrepiece of the public transport infrastructure for the new development is the longest guided busway in Europe – to be completed next year.

The busway, a concrete track, will run alongside the A14, and is due to be completed next year. It will operate  from Cambridge to Huntingdon and St Ives, via Northstowe.

 

Read the article in LovGov.co.uk here .