Northstowe: eco town precursor council chiefs are 'disappointed with proposals put forward by developers'

Concerned council chiefs say they are disappointed with proposals put forward by developers for a new town and have more than 70 objections to the plans for Northstowe.

Councillors said the proposals were unsatisfactory and felt the joint promoters had failed to share sufficient information at the pre-submission stage.

However, the Council will continue to work with developers to improve the proposals and look forward to delivering a sustainable community.

Members heard how officers had tried to work closely with developers to avoid some of the pitfalls of schemes such as Cambourne but it seemed that their concerns were not fully addressed. They also claimed promoters had failed to address comments made on the limited documents officers had seen.

Councillors agreed the development is unambitious in terms of environmental sustainability and water management. They also said there are insufficient community facilities, especially for early Northstowe residents.

Among the objections councillors also said the proposal for 35 per cent affordable housing is unacceptable and that there are inadequate sites for schools.

Other objections include:

• No information on construction workers and the possible effects they may have on services
• Numerous archaeological issues
• No information on construction traffic plus other transport concerns
• Conflicting uses of green infrastructure
• Lack of detail of how services will be phased
• Lack of community development strategy and associated detail

Cambridgeshire County Councillor Matt Bradney, Lead Member for Planning and Regional Matters, said: 'We must all get Northstowe right and at present these proposals are not good enough for Cambridgeshire. We must learn the lessons of Cambourne to make sure all the right community facilities are in place and at the right time.

'Equally we owe it to the future generations of Cambridgeshire residents to make sure this development is as environmentally friendly as possible. The developers are not just building brick boxes for people to live in; they are building communities that need essential facilities such as affordable homes and schools. We are strongly objecting to these proposals but are happy to continue to work closely with developers to help get this right.'