Broadside at men from the ministry

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GOVERNMENT housing and transport bosses took the stage at a top-level conference in Cambridgeshire - and left with two angry messages ringing in their ears.

Broadside number one, spelled out in front of Sir Bob Kerslake, the head of the new Homes and Communities Agency, was that the controversial Hanley Grange eco-town scheme should be ditched.

And broadside number two, reserved for Mark Lambirth, director of planning and performance at the Department for Transport was: what are you doing about the A14?

The two men were the main speakers at the annual conference of Cambridgeshire Horizons, the body working to secure much needed new infrastructure for the county, such as roads, and overseeing the building of thousands of new houses.

Sir David Trippier, chairman of Cambridgeshire Horizons, told delegates that since 2001, more than 16,600 new homes had been built in the county, just under 30 per cent of the number required to be completed by 2021.

He said Cambridgeshire Horizons would be working closely with its partners - the county's local councils - in delivering other key developments, including the new town of Northstowe on the edge of Cambridge.

But he blasted the Government's decision to include Hanley Grange - the site of which is only a few miles from Hinxton Hall where the conference was taking place - on a list of potential eco-towns.

Sir David said: "It is an unwelcome distraction from the business of delivering our existing programme of development. We tried to head it off, and we put clear arguments to the Government as to why it would be undesirable, explaining the damage it could do to the delivery of the existing planned sites, in particular Northstowe.

"We are now working hard to co-ordinate a combined response that will see Hanley Grange removed from the shortlist of eco-towns."

In an interview with the News, Sir Bob said he was aware of the strength of feeling about the development, but insisted that whether it went ahead or not was a decision not for his agency, but for Government ministers.

He said: "The Government is undertaking a process of consultation about where eco-towns should be built, and the panel considering the issue will take people's concerns into account."

However, Sir Bob, whose newly formed agency will have a budget of £5 billion a year to spend on creating new homes, pledged it would "work closely" with Cambridgeshire Horizons, which he described as a "strong local delivery vehicle, well led".

He said: "Cambridgeshire is a key regional and national economic driver, and we need to support it by ensuring an appropriate supply of housing."
Mr Lambirth told the conference that congestion on local roads would have "a serious impact on economic growth" and one delegate asked him: "What are you going to do about the A14?"

Mr Lambirth said that he could say nothing more than Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly said when questioned by the News about the long delayed revamp of the road.

Ms Kelly said she was hoping to make an announcement about the future of the A14 "soon".

Mr Lambirth said: "I fully appreciate how much people want to see the road improved. It is a key national artery, and a mission critical to the national economy".

Alex Plant, chief executive of Cambridgeshire Horizons, said the county was facing a huge challenge in the next three years to meet the need for new homes and supporting infrastructure.

He said the credit crunch would undoubtedly have an impact on "the speed of housing delivery, especially in the short term".

"But Cambridge and its immediate environs seem likely to be less affected than elsewhere," he said.