The planned new village of up to 3,500 houses at Bourn Airfield took another step forward in its journey to become reality on Wednesday 2nd October 2019. The Cabinet approved the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) which sets out the design principles for the new village but without a direct access to A428 dual carriageway.
Readers of my blog will remember that people from neighbouring villages, including me, objected to this site being in the 2014 Local Plan. One of the main objections was the anticipated effect of new traffic from the development on local roads. There will also be rat running through villages. That fear remains and for good reason. But we think the solution is to have direct access to A428 at the Broadway end.
The SPD states that access will be from the Childerley roundabout and the Broadway. To be fair, this is what the Planning Inspector that examined the Local Plan stated in the final examination report. But I also reminded the Cabinet that she stated the site should be delivered with the right infrastructure.
I made a statement at the start of the discussion on Bourn SPD. Then left the table to sit with the public as I now have to do. This is my statement:
I wish to acknowledge the efforts made to address the concerns I expressed at the June cabinet meeting. However, residents of Bourn and Caldecote are still concerned about some issues. One of the reasons for the sustained objection to this site is the traffic issues it raises.
Access to new village
Access to the new village continues to be an extremely sore point. That Highways England continue to maintain this is not needed is deeply frustrating. It is still relying heavily on what we know is a flawed transport modelling carried out by the Cambridgeshire County Council as part of its Local Transport Plan that supported the Local Plan.
Direct Access to A428
The reference in the SPD to installing traffic calming measures in nearby villages is an obvious giveaway. There is an expectation that the villages will be used as rat runs. So why not prevent that happening in the first place and ruining the quality of life that people in those villages are currently enjoying?. We need a direct access to A428
From what I can gather, reasons include: it is too expensive at £10million or more to deliver a direct access to A428. There will be too much land take that will affect the viability of the new village. Air quality, pollution, noise etc.
It also states the inspector found the plan sound without the need for a new junction. And the Inspector also stated in her final report that the infrastructure necessary for the site must be put in place. We know she will not be here to help clear the mess if we don’t put the necessary road infrastructure in place.
I have read in a recent report from the new local plan we are now working on that sites like this are too far from Cambridge to be self sustaining. People will still need cars to get to places they need to go. I understand we want to be carbon neutral by 2050 but that does not mean we should punish those who live there.
The Broadway and Bourn
The issue of the Broadway is also of concern. The layout of that access road must be done properly to prevent rat running through Bourn. As you know, the road at the bottom of the village is quite narrow even for the current level of traffic. It cannot cope with any more.
Separation between new village and Highfields Caldecote
The second issue is that of the separation between the new village and Highfields. I am thankful to see the extended length of the 30m woodland separation. But I maintain that this is still inadequate and not what was promised by the previous portfolio holder. I was there and I heard him.
The fact that the playing fields have been moved away from that boundary is helpful. It will reduce the possibility of noise and light pollution to the owners of the gardens backing on to it.
It is also good to see that the area at the top of Highfields will not have any building on it. This is in line with the emerging Caldecote Village Design Guide.
Documentation and Media Coverage
The Cambridge news democracy reporter attended and observed the meeting. He has written about my intervention in his article here. It is largely correct, but without the details I have provided above.
Bourn SPD is item 11 on the Cabinet meeting agenda. You can find all the SPD papers presented at the Cabinet meeting here. You should find all the consultation comments/objections/support statements in Appendix A together with the council’s assessment.
Next Stage
Now that the SPD has been approved by the Cabinet, it will be adopted by Full Council at its next meeting.
Countryside Properties are making changes to the application S/3440/18/OL that they had submitted back in 2018. The revised application will then be subject to further consultation and it is at this point that further comments can be made by residents. The comments will be collated and presented in a report The Planning Committee will make the decision because this is a major application. So watch out for notification for the application in the coming months.