CBC SPD

A draft of a new ‘Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for the Biomedical Campus (CBC) has been published. I have notified you of the consultation previously. The deadline is 24 January and the link to respond is here: https://oc2.greatercambridgeplanning.org/document/1316

The document summarises the position of the CBC from a planning perspective and then outlines the 6 overarching principles it seeks to establish. I will summarise this here.

Planning background

The Campus has published a document called Vision 2020, recently updated to the Vision 2050, but these are the aspirations of the site owners and are being considered by the Council in the development of the new local plan. From a planning perspective, the following considerations are relevant in terms of planning constraints on developers:

• The 2010 Masterplan. This is out of date and not helpful anymore.
• The National Planning Policy Framework states that there is a presumption in favour of sustainable development. This means that if a developer comes forward with a plan that qualifies as sustainable development, the balance of approval is tipped very heavily in their favour.
• The Local Plan 2018 is also relevant but is not very detailed. This SPD document seeks to address this.

Therefore, currently, developers have a relatively free hand in what they propose. This document seeks to bring overarching principles to bear so that development within the local plan outline is appropriate. Once the document is approved, developers will have to conform to its principles. This is helpful because it means that decisions on connectivity for example, do not need to be negotiated individually with developers and there will be consistency across the site.

This document does NOT change the boundaries of development. Any changes to the green belt beyond what is already approved in the 2018 Local Plan must come with the new local plan.

Current position in the CBC

The current makeup of the CBC consists of 4 hospitals, education, university and research institutes e.g the Heart and Lung Institute, with small amounts of retail, food and cafes. There is also a leisure centre, nurseries and a chapel.

The SPD sets out 6 overarching principles to guide future development which are designed to deal with the current issues within the CBC. These are (very summarised):

1. Open spaces and landscape.

Under this category proposals include:

• Provide a range of open spaces
• Look for places to plant trees and provide Biodiversity Net Gain.

2. The public Realm

• Encourage walking, wheeling and cycling, creating routes and opportunities for people to encounter nature.
• Ensure that the retail, leisure and sports services are available to all
• Provide cultural facilities

3. Built form

• Ground floors should contain cafes, nursery and other leisure facilities and those that exist need to be made more visible. There should be a clear definition between public communal and private spaces.
• New buildings should relate to existing ones and be ‘human scale’.

4. Connectivity and movement

• Streets need to be accessible to all users i.e. also pedestrians and cyclists.
• Connections to the surrounding communities needs to be improved.
• Promote active travel measures together with Cambridge South railway station and CSETS.

5. Sustainability

• Buildings should be made from sustainable and energy efficient materials
• Prioritise a retrofit
• Exceed water efficiency targets

6. Phasing and delivery

• Deliver in accordance with the need demonstrated by the local plan.
• Infrastructure to be delivered early rather than after the build

I consider this to be a very sensible framework for future development of the site. It will make the work of the planning committee easier and proposes measures that will make enliven the site bringing retail and other public benefits to the site including community hubs and cultural sites. I think this will help integrate the site into the wider community and provide benefits beyond just the CBC site itself.

It does leave open however, who will build the community facilities which I think would be a very good thing to have. Unfortunately, this is not within the remit of this document and will have to be politically decided later.