 So, hello everybody and welcome to our first ever virtual consultation webinar for North East Cambridge Draft Air Action Plan. My name's Paul Frainer and I'm the Assistant Director for Strategy and Economy and I'm going to be presenting tonight with a number of my colleagues to help you understand what the consultation is all about. Just to say this is quite a strange experience because I can't see any of you, so I don't know who's there and I feel like I'm talking to myself a little bit and this is a bit about a test and see really because it's our first ever session with this kind of this kind of version of consultation. So this is one of eight sessions that are going to be running over the summer and supporting this 10 week North East Cambridge AAP consultation and to remind you all that that ends on the 5th of October and the last webinar will be on the 21st of September. So firstly we've got a few housekeeping bits and then I'll introduce you to the team and let you know the set up for the evening. The question and answer is an hour long and I'm pretty sure that seems like quite a short time but there will be opportunities to ask questions and all of those questions that we have not answered by the end of the session will be picked up through the function on Zoom and we'll be answering them on the website afterwards. And we're going to try to throw because of the short amount of time we have experts for each particular session on each of the panel topic. So we're going to try and keep the topic as far as possible but there will be people who have to answer most of your questions and so there's a slide presentation first which gives a bit of a topic overview followed by some initial question and answer slides which we've had already come through and then there'll be opportunities for attendees to ask questions which will be answered live and the question and answer session is being recorded and will be available on both the city and the South County District Council YouTube channels and social media after the session for those who can't make the event and you're all invisible from view. I'm not so I hope I've got any dogs or children coming into the background while I'm talking but if not that's just the way we are now isn't it? I suppose and you can post with a name or you can post anonymously and it's down to you. There's no chat facility and you'll have to use a question and answer function which is at the bottom of the screen and I'll introduce my co-presenter Hi everybody and thanks very much for coming along so my name is Hannah Loftus I'm Special Projects Officer with the Shared Planning Service and I've been working as some of you will know on the consultation and the Area Action Plan I believe Joe is going to share some slides in a minute we thought it would be useful especially because it's really early on in the consultation and we know that not everyone will have had the chance to necessarily read or digest all the information about the Area Action Plan to just give you I suppose a very edited highlights of what is in the plan why we're doing it and what you can kind of comment on and the sort of feedback that is helpful to us through this so I'm just going to go through a very few slides once they come up and talk you through just a few of those very sort of essential things really about what the Area Plan is about just to put northeast Cambridge in context it is a really big area of brownfield land in the middle of you know what is obviously a very growing region for us and so it's important that we use that land as well as because they can it has good transport accessibility and we know that that's going to improve over the coming decades and we already have things like the Chisholm Trail obviously and the Waterbeach Greenway but we know that there's things like the Cambridge Autonomous Metro on the horizon as well it has a range of landowners and so one of the really important things about the Area Action Plan is that we want everybody who develops in this area to be signed up and to be in line with a single vision so it is coordinated so we aren't ending up with lots of different developments that are all trying to do different things but actually it adds up to a really fantastic place to live and work for many many years to come and also it is of course very strategically important and it's not just about that wider region but it is about King's hedges and Arbery Interested and Milton and all the other communities around it and it really is a way of knitting together a lot of things that at the moment feel quite severed and segregated. Next please. So just what is an Area Action Plan? Some of you may well ask this pretty important question. It is a highly important piece of the planning framework about guiding development. It sets out spatial framework and the thematic policies which all development in the area will have to bear in mind when it comes forward and our planning officers once the Area Action Plan is adopted our planning officers will be looking at the Area Action Plan's policies and asking if the planning applications that come in meet the requirements of those policies and if not they will be negotiating or if necessary refusing on that basis. So it is a really important framework and hence it does go through a very very thorough process. There is a huge amount of evidence base work that's been done already and is ongoing so that is everything from housing through to environmental issues and so forth and then it will go through an examination process as well similar to what a local plan would go through. So it is a thorough and I'm afraid also a lengthy document but we have tried to make it as easy as possible for you all to understand. A bit about how we got to this point there's two issues and options consultations that happened. I think this is the next slide Joe. The two issues and options consultations that happened in 2014 and 2019. We have had a lot of engagement with both community members ward members and executive members of course as well as the landowners and so forth and of course one of the key things here is that there is a central government backing in a way to some of the ideas behind the Area Action Plan because they are funding the relocation of the wastewater treatment plant on the basis that this site provides the opportunity for a really significant amount of new homes and jobs. Next one. This is the vision that we're consulting on and this is really the central thing that we want everybody's feedback on alongside the central policies and the key aims and aspirations of the Area Action Plan. It is about low environmental impact, walkability, a really innovative approach to a new low carbon approach to development and it is very much about mixed use. This is about homes, workplaces and community facilities really well integrated not only with each other but with surrounding neighborhoods. Next one. Just a few headline figures as I mentioned it's 182 hectares of brownfield land at the moment there are 15 000 jobs across the science parks and the business parks and the industrial areas on the site but only three homes so a really key aim is that we want to balance that and provide homes where they have this fantastic access to jobs as well as to the transport links that enable people to access other jobs around the area sustainably without using their cars. So it will be about 8 000 new homes which is about 18 000 people and also more business space as well. A significant amount of public parks and green spaces and a lot of social infrastructure as well in terms of the three primary schools that are planned as well as things like library, arts facilities and much more. Next please. This is about it being for everybody and I think this is a really important thing that runs throughout the area action plan and certainly the executive members who from both councils feel very strongly about this it is not just about supporting the tech and R&D sectors although they are really important it is also about keeping a range of space for light industrial business small business startups which creates that range of jobs that existing local residents can access and that thing about being for everybody is also about the housing that is created it is about that mix we're targeting 40% affordable housing across the whole area and it's not just one type of affordable housing that's council and social rented but also shared ownership and so forth so MIX is a very important theme running throughout the area action plan. Next please. The other really key theme I think is that the walkability and the cyclability of the area is coming first this is quite different from a lot of other development I think you know we're used to seeing not just in our area but around the country but we are putting a massive priority on saying this is not about designing for the car this is about designing for active travel and public transport first and that that should be there from day one so that people who move into the area get into great habits of using walking cycling and public transport of course there will be the ability for a central car use essential deliveries and so forth and if you are disabled or you have additional needs but we really want everybody as far as possible to help meet the climate change targets that we have and also you know we know from covid how air quality and walking and cycling is just incredibly important for well-being so it's really important that this is put front and centre in the plan even though that's quite a challenge as well just a little bit about what is going where on the site so it is structured around four new centres which are the kind of hubs for activity in the area in the middle you can see the district centre that's the kind of main new centre that will be created where there'll be the kind of library main community facilities shops restaurants as well as a primary school then there are three smaller centres one near Cambridge North Station which it starts to extend what's already happening there in terms of the hotel and so forth but adding things like local shops so that people who are working or passing through the area can access what they need there is a neighbourhood centre up near St John's business park which will have another primary school and some local shops and that will really be about both serving St John's itself but also the new residential areas near there and then finally a local centre near the science park and that will be a really fantastic way of integrating the existing communities with some of the other activity across the site because it will be right on the boundary if you like between those two things so it's a key way of creating more activity there getting more mix more opportunities and so forth next slide please there are many new and improved crossings in the area those are about overcoming existing barriers to movement and this is again really important for the integration point these have been planned alongside thinking about how the Water Beach Greenway and the Chisholm Trail and other improvements will come into the area but also crossing Milton Road which is of course quite a substantial barrier to movement right now so there are different ways that we are looking at crossing that both an underpass also a bridge and also a much improved kind of multiway junction between Milton Road and the guided busway so those will be really important ways of improving the way that people can move around the area as seamlessly as possible and again without using the car and finally on the next slide there's new green spaces and again this is key it is a green network through and through it is not just about one sort of single park it is about a real network of green spaces that runs all the way from Milton Country Park down to the south of the site connecting up to the Cam and Chesterton Fenn to the east and into the existing mature landscapes of the Science Park and which are going to be retained and improved as part of the Cam. I am giving a very high level run through because I know we've got lots of questions already which is great. We have some really robust ambitious energy and water use targets this is very much part of the both council's ambition to meet the net zero carbon challenge so we are really looking for people and developers on this site to go above and beyond that's not just about how buildings are built of course in terms of how energy efficient the fabric is it is also about those good habits so that people who live in them are using less energy naturally and instinctively rather than being kind of forced to if you like and then also about how they travel around the area. So we've just got a few questions that have already been coming through and we've been seeing a lot of really great debate already on our Facebook pages and on social media so we were going to kick off with those and then go on to the questions that we can already see coming in on the Q&A. Thanks Hannah that's really really helpful I think to set some context. I think what I'm going to do quickly first is I'm going to run around our panel who we've got here today to talk through some of these for you and also I think I'm going to keep an eye if you can see me looking off to the side I'm going to keep an eye on my screen because I think some of my audio won't and if it gets a bit bad I will switch off so you don't get to see my face which is probably not all that important anyway. So just quickly what I'd like to do is just introduce our panel and our panel who is going to be answering some of the questions for you so I'm going to go across to Matt Patterson first. Hi everyone I'm Matt Patterson I'm the Project Lead if you like for the Shared Planning Service developing the Northeast Cambridge Area Action Plan and that involves both the policy teams across the councils and draws on services across both councils as well as the county as well. Thanks Matt and Terry. Good afternoon evening everybody yeah I'm Terry De Souza so I'm a Principal Planning Policy Officer for the Shared Planning Service and I've been working with Matt and the rest of the team in pulling the plan together and working on the evidence-based documents that sit behind it. Thanks Terry and notwithstanding obviously the Hannah and myself on the panel a few people behind the scenes did some really helpful stuff with getting this live for you so I won't introduce them because they've asked me not to but there's a lot of work going on behind the scenes with this. So as Hannah has already mentioned we had some pre-asked questions and so we kind of really like to kind of answer these to kick things off and then we'll get on to your three questions as it were. So I'm going to hand over to Terry who's going to pick up the first question. So Terry if you want to ask read out the question and give your answer that'd be great. Yep sure so the first question is what kind of homes will be built so that's a really good question. So the area we're at in the plan identifies that the site could deliver 8,000 homes between now and 2040 so as Hannah mentioned in her presentation we're looking for a real mix of housing we're not just looking for just one type so as part of that 40 percent is the target that we'll be looking for affordable housing. Now affordable housing is a kind of an umbrella term really for quite a lot of different types of housing so as part of that 40 percent we'll be looking for a mix of social and council homes, intermediate homes such as key worker housing and low cost home ownership such as shared ownership models so there'll be a real diverse sort of mix there of not only housing but also different types of affordable housing. What we're also looking at is something called self-finished homes now that's something that isn't a very common type of home in the UK at the moment but there's definitely a lot of merit in and essentially what you would normally get for sort of self-build is people would acquire a plot somewhere and they would build their own home I think I'm sort of like grand designs really. Essentially what self-finished homes is is that you could design the internal layouts within an apartment block. Now because of the high density nature of north-east Cape which is what the plan is looking at we think that self-finished homes would be a lot more appropriate and then it's a lot better than self-build in the more traditional way. In terms of the types of homes they would be predominantly flatter developments so that would be a range of one to bedroom flats but also some larger ones as well so making sure that we're making provision for larger households and there'd also be a scattering of houses as well within the site but predominantly it would be a flooded development across the site and then finally just in terms of the range of heights that we're looking at we've done some work already and it says that we could go around the edges of the site four to five stories could be accommodated and then that would gradually increase as you as you work your way into the centre of the site. So kind of where the district centre is proposed on Cowley Road so roughly at the moment where the gulf driving range is that development could be up to 13 stories in that area. Now we are doing some further work on building heights with Historic England but at the moment the plan says that we could build between four and 13 stories. Thanks Paul. Thanks Terry thanks for that question. I'm going to try tentatively my video game while we pick up this next question we'll see how it goes. So I'm going to pick up this question so let's start really right at the beginning why are we even developing the site and I suppose it's important to know if this site wasn't available the development of new homes would need siting elsewhere locally to deliver the housing need within the area and also just to note that this is a huge opportunity really just by the site's location it's close to Cambridge it's got an ability to be able to walk and cycle to existing local infrastructure which is really important for all of our targets for creating good places and having an inclusive and walkable low hub and place that we can you know we can have this fit for the 21st century as I like to say. Other parts of it really are that the development in northeast Cambridge is actually possible as a result of an opportunity to relocate the Anglian Water Waste Treatment Plant which has got a significant housing infrastructure bid which is causing that. So it is a unique opportunity really for Cambridge to have this one of the last brownfield sites within the area to be able to develop this this size and scale to be able to as Terry said to bring this mix of social council homes and also bring kind of this mixed use tenure or mixed use feel about it and deliver kind of the carbon targets that we're really really committed to doing and as I said the national funding area is uniquely I think it's one of the biggest national funding bids in the country that has been secured through Housing Infrastructure Fund and deliver the site through the Waste Water Treatment Works being relocated. So it's important to be excited about I think it's one of the most exciting opportunities I can see at the moment and I think that that's what we want to get everybody involved in trying to co-create the framework in this site. Please don't give you a chance to ask those questions if anything isn't clear about why we need to do this and you know some of our team can get back to you on those answers as well. So I think then we've got one more question I believe that has been pre-asked and then we can move on. I can see quite a few questions in the questions question and answer box so we'll move on to those next but Terry I'm going to hand over to you for this third one which is around green spaces. Yeah thank you Paul. So yes as Hannah again mentioned in the presentation we'll be looking for a range of green and open spaces throughout the whole of the area. So the main one is the linear park which is essentially about a kilometre in length and it goes all the way from Nuffield Road all the way through the site under the A14 and into Milton Country Park. So that would be the kind of the focus of the green space in the proposal. It also links over the railway line into an area known as Chesterton Fen. Now that's an area that's between the railway line and the River Cam and we think that it could be a really good place for off-site informal open space and it then give people access to the wider countryside along the towpath. So we're really excited by that proposal. We're also looking at neighborhood parks and sort of local green spaces so those aren't really shown on any of the diagrams within the area action plan. Essentially what we're showing on that plan is the kind of strategic of the larger green spaces. What those neighborhood spaces would be would be within each of the development blocks that come forward and they would all be publicly accessible and they would make they would all form part of that green network. So those would include pocket parks and also formal and informal play areas as well for children. What we really want to do is create high quality safe and green local spaces as well on people's doorsteps. So that's about thinking about streets. The area action plan doesn't you know as part of this kind of you know low car use people friendly approach. The streets are basically designed they should be designed to be to be spaces that can be used as well for people to play and socialize and that kind of thing. Cars won't be parked on plot outside of people's homes and so it frees up a lot of space within the public realm for people to be able to use the space between buildings essentially in a much more positive way. In terms of the private spaces there'll be private balconies for the new flats and those would need to be designed to a good standard as well where you know you don't have space balconies that are awkward shapes and you don't have balconies that aren't practical or functional which is happening elsewhere. So we've got robust standards in there to make sure that people have good balcony spaces. There'll also be courtyard gardens that would be set within residential blocks. So there'll be kind of for residents only and then there's also opportunities for podium gardens and roof gardens as well. So there's quite a lot of different ranges of open space and that can be provided within the site. Yeah hopefully that answers the question Paul. Thanks a lot. I'm just going to take over from Paul because his audio is a little bit dodgy at the moment and start running through some of the questions that are on the Q&A. Thanks for all the questions so far which are really good ones. Will any of the land be made available for self builders? So I think Terry has spoken to that a little bit about how it's more about this self finished approach than a sort of true self-built approach and part of that is about the density of the site. That it's not necessarily standalone little plots of land which you can sort of buy but it will be more typically about flats and masonettes and you know more block structures. So I'm hoping that that one answers that but of course if you don't think that that's given you enough detail please do ask another question in the chat about that. There's a question here about making the area a low or ultra low emission zone and I wonder whether maybe Matt would you speak to that do you think? Yeah happy to. Yes I think ultimately that's where we're aiming for really in terms of being a walkable cyclable neighborhood where we prioritise walking and cycling over car use and certainly what we're promoting in terms of public transport and by means of car clubs and other things will all be electric fleet vehicles. So we are looking at low emission zone that goes right through to the buildings as well and how we deal with emissions from buildings. Slight challenge in the A14 we have no control over which is right next door to us but we would need to address some of those issues as well. I think it's worth saying on the on the matter of the A14 there's also a lot of work that's going into the air quality questions and the noise questions around that. So there's quite a lot of detail that you can read if you go to the website and look at the sort of full documentation about environmental quality and how we ensure that new residents are sufficiently protected from any negative impacts from things like the A14. Next question is something about from the side of headline figures what's the definition of genuinely affordable with regards to the housing. This is a great question that does come up a lot because of course we all think we know what affordable means in everyday use but the government has kindly defined affordable for us more technically through various parts of our planning system so I'm sure Matt will be able to tell you all about it. Yes certainly again so in the context of NEC genuinely affordable means we're trying to target specific sectors of of the Greater Cambridge community in terms of those that are on our housing register and ensuring that we provide social rented accommodation that can meet their needs right through to those that are struggling to either find rented accommodation or homes to buy and so it's looking at how we can assist specifically key workers and others in the community to access housing within NEC and ensuring that as Hannah has already said the government has given us definitions of affordable housing but within those definitions it's ensuring that we target those that require our assistance in terms of getting on to the housing later or getting rented accommodation that that's affordable for them and that's the full gamut of or range of people if you like from those on our housing register to those that are key workers struggling to find local accommodation. Thanks Matt next question am I right in thinking that the houses will be located next to the current business units located in the science and business parks. Terry can probably speak to this a little bit more do you want to take this on Terry? Sure yeah certainly yes and no really so essentially we're looking at putting residential or homes in the Cambridge business park so that would that that's the bit that's closest to the guided busway and Cambridge station but we are not looking at putting any residential development in St John's Innovation Park or Cambridge Science Park at this stage. Thank you very much there's a question here about cycling and walking infrastructure a new government design guide LTN 120 I'm sure some people probably won't know what LTN 120 is and might want to know so maybe Matt if you're going to take this could you just explain for everyone's benefit what that is. Yes best I can I think I think our 20 is essentially putting in railings really to segregate cyclists from pedestrian and traffic movements and we are looking at segregated cycle footpaths in particular on main routes away from from any vehicular traffic and pedestrian traffic. Whether we use railings or not typically railing is a design response to an extant situation if you like so and whereas we are designing NEC from scratch really and so there's opportunity to look at different ways that we could provide for that segregation without necessarily putting up railing which then prevents if you like or feels like some of it's more enclosed so we think there there is a way of addressing segregation that may not require railing. If you look at if you go to look at the area action plan in a bit more detail there's two sorts of streets primarily that we're looking at in the area. There are what are called primary streets which are the main routes for vehicle traffic through the area as well as for cycling and walking and on those ones you know it is a very strong steer that they will be completely segregated routes then there are what are known as in the in the plan as secondary streets and those are no through routes within the residential areas where primarily there will not be car traffic except for very essential traffic if you are a blue badge holder and certain delivery traffic and things like that and on those we're looking to Dutch and Belgian examples of what's called Woner Street which is a really kind of fantastic and it's totally normal in the Netherlands it's just that we haven't really managed to do it yet in this country very successfully in many places which is an approach just slowing down car traffic so that essentially any vehicle that does come down there has to go at walking speed and that makes it incredibly safe for people who are walking and cycling in the areas. There's a question coming up it's a treat on the sports and leisure strategy for Cambridge and South Cams have we read the plan and stated started considering how our development will meet the shortfalls of sport and leisure facilities especially large swimming pool and sports halls. Matt is this a you thing again? Yeah I'm happy to take this one yes we've heard it and we're working with our colleagues who are obviously developing the the Greater Local Plan as well Greater Cambridge Local Plan and between us we're looking at how we can address the shortfalls where the best locations for these facilities would be or could be located to serve the greatest population really so and then obviously development wherever it is will contribute towards its provision. Within NEC we do see there being a role certainly for sports halls within the scheme itself in particular associated with with the schools but we're looking at leisure facilities as well. We have not said no to a swimming pool us yet again we're located beside the station so would would be prime in terms of connectivity guided busway and everything else so it's just deciding with the shared planning service the best location for these facilities to serve the greatest population. Thanks Matt. Next question is about what assessment have we made of previous large developments as Cambridge has expanded going back to Romsey Town in the late 19th century, the Rock Estate pre-World War I, Chesterton into War, Queen Ediths and Arbery Post-War and Orchard Park 21st century what has worked and what has not. This is a really great question actually because it does sort of situate what we're doing in northeast Cambridge in the context of the historical development. I think it's something that Terry is going to speak to because they've been doing a huge amount of work on what we call in the sort of geeky way typologies essentially. So Terry over to you. Thank you Hannah. Yes so we have been looking at recent developments in and around Cambridge to see what has worked and what hasn't worked well so that includes we've looked at what's been happening in Orchard Park and as well as some of the more central developments as well like CP1 around Cambridge station across the organization so environmental health housing and really trying to understand you know what has worked well and what has happened what hasn't worked well so you know the whole range of different things from you know carve movements and you know traffic all the way through to antisocial behavior and and such like so we've been working really closely with them and trying to understand what the key issues and how we can try and make sure that we don't repeat those mistakes but also learn from the positives as well and and in addition to that we've also been looking elsewhere. So we've looked at examples from London and other cities across the UK as well as cities across Europe as well to understand what this type of development which will be different to what's happened elsewhere in Greater Cambridge as to how we can learn from those best practice examples as well. So if you go onto our website and have a look at the Northeast Cambridge typology study that sets out lots of different examples of how you can achieve high-density mixed juice development in a successful way. So yeah there's plenty of good images and lots of facts and figures in there so it's a relatively easy read for a planning document. I'll post the link for that into the Q&A here as well so that that's easily available. It is a really I have to say all the evidence-based documents I think that's probably the most accessible and really great. Another question about what percentage of the plots will be available for small building firms and how will we avoid a monoculture of planned blocks which is another really good question. Matt do you want to pick up on this or Terry? Maybe maybe Terry I think Matt's connection is going so maybe Terry can you pick up on that? Can you hear me? Yes we can. Okay so the the air action plan doesn't actually identify the percentage of plots that are being made available for small firms but what it does do is it sets really high design standards in terms of making sure that we achieve variation in building design. What we really really want to avoid is building heights are all exactly the same all of the developments look exactly the same and there's absolutely no sense of place really. You could be you know you could be anywhere essentially. What the plan does is it sets a number of criteria that makes sure that whenever developers are putting applications forward they have to show how they are positively responding to the local area to make sure it has a you know a Cambridge feel to it which is a really important part of design and also making sure that it is also well articulated and that you you know you aren't building big boxes and that there's lots of things like front doors and windows and things like that to make sure that you know you create places of that are really well designed and not just basically you know anywhere really. I think we're also really keen that we look at design review processes and we're having a review of that at the moment to see what the best way of doing that is and also how communities should be involved with that and I think that's a really important part of the area action plan is saying that community involvement isn't just the plan making stage with us now but it will go through into the detailed side of the development. Next question. How can residents stop it all together? Very good question. I'm glad that people have been challenging because that's what this is all about and I think Matt maybe you can speak to that if you're back online with us. Yeah sorry I got cut off. Yes how can you stop it all together? I'm not too sure you'd want to mainly because the developers or the landowners if you like can bring forward development applications at any time in the absence of a of a plan to to build out their sites really and they already have in terms of the Science Park already have planning permissions for certain things and others are obviously looking at bringing forward planning applications shortly. One of the purposes of having an area action plan is that it's not written by the developers but rather it's written by the local councils on behalf of the communities that we represent. That includes the obviously the businesses and and other people that are around but so I'm strongly encouraging people to to get involved and to have their say on the plan. It's more a chance for us to shape the places the future of the place and to ensure that it's being led by the community rather than being developer-led and us having to then respond to applications that come in that we don't think is appropriate that don't deliver on the aspirations that we might have for the place so. Thanks Matt. Next question we've got lots more so I'm going to try and whish through these as quickly as possible. What are your plans to ensure the buildings are built to an environmentally friendly standard and aren't at risk of overheating in summer? Will any of them be built to standards such as Passive House? The short answer is yeah we have got lots in the plan about this and Emma Davison's are a fantastic sustainability officer has been working really really hard on this. Terry do you want to just say any more about We may have lost Terry. I don't know if it was my connection or yours but yes so you can get very very high standards for North East English. Can you hear me? Yeah I'll turn my video off that might help. Okay so in terms of environmental standards yes we're setting a really high bar and we are really into push developers really hard on on environmental standards so that's not only about the building design in terms of Passive House standards but it's also in terms of things like water usage as well so that's really important. It's not but it's not only about residential development it's also about commercial development as well so we are again aiming to set a really high bar when it comes to new commercial development and make sure that it achieves what's known as Briam Excellent and Briam Outstanding. To make sure that you know the new development whether it's residential or commercial you know is the best it can be in terms of environmental standards. And I think if you're interested in that subject you please do read Policy 2 which is the climate change proposed policy because that does talk about the cooling hierarchy and some of the more technical sides of this so essentially reducing the internal heat generation of the building and also overheating through passive measures first rather than any sort of cooling system which is basically only as a last resort. Next question is will there be electric car charging? Again I think that the short answer to this is yes it is really important we also have a number of policies around the provision for smart systems so kind of smart city technology. Matt do you want to say any more about that? I'm aware we've got not much time I'd quite like to whistle a lot more of these but if you've got two seconds. Yeah just two seconds yes 100% electric car charging we are anticipating the direction of travel in terms of all cars being required by government to be electric in the future. Development here will begin to reflect that and we anticipate that we will need to provide all electric vehicles with charging points. Thanks. Next one is are we at all involved with the St Orban's Rec redevelopment and if so will the new houses be needed alongside that development? Terry is that something you're able to speak to or I would maybe have asked Paul. No so we're not involved in that I believe that's the council the council as a as a as a landlord in some ways they're looking I believe they're looking to redevelop some of that land around the Meadows community centre but no we're not involved in that this we are we are the local planning authority so even though we may we may look like we're you know from the council we are but we are the local planning authority as opposed to the council as a as a developer or as a housing provider. Yeah it's sometimes quite difficult for people to understand that in fact when the council puts a planning application in we have a massive chinese wall down that the the council between those of us who comment on and decide whether that should be approved and the side of the council that wants to put that in and in fact sometimes councils do turn down their own applications for those reasons. Have we learned the lessons from the great northern road by the station where estate agents sold apartments with balconies only to open out onto one as one of now the most polluted roads in Cambridge? Yes I mean I think as Terry mentioned we have been looking at a lot of these issues in quite a lot of detail and trying to do better we're always trying to do better and learn from things in the past. I think we have a really fantastic opportunity here to have this holistic approach to development that isn't just looking at one issue in isolation and as I mentioned there's quite a detailed proposal around environmental health which includes things like air quality to ensure that that doesn't happen. Does anybody else want to add anything to that before I add to go on? No because I'd like to get through all the questions if we can. What arrangements for pool car use will there be? What is the direction of travel for private transport use e.g. the rapid rise of electric scooters much smaller electric engines and new battery tech? So yes maybe someone just to stop me talking all the time would like to talk to this. Matt do you want to just talk about that? Yes sure yeah so certainly yes we're looking at extensively at pool car use because essentially we want people to still have access to a car should they need it and a pool car provides that service if you like and ensures that people don't need their own car can reduce the amount of car parking on site generally as well and in terms of obviously electric scooters we're looking at electric bikes we're looking at all different types of things we're looking at storage battery cells as well to assist in aid in ensuring we can promote electric fleets and vehicles. I'm aware that for some reason some of the anonymous comments have come to the bottom so we're actually just going to pick them up now because they have been hanging around for a bit and definitely should be answered. I think picking up on that point about cars actually there's a question here discouraging car usage around the local area and Cambridge definitely has its merits but for those that still need a car to for instance visit family further afield these anti-car sentiments are rather off-putting. Will's houses have sufficient parking spaces so that cars aren't pushed out to existing streets. I feel like Matt and with some of the other answers we sort of answered half of that question which is to say you will have access to a car this is not about banning cars this is about saying you should be able to use a car when you need to but as much as possible you shouldn't need to use a car to conduct your daily life. If you do need to or if you have special needs of course you'll be able to do so. The question about pushing out existing streets I don't think we have totally answered in the preceding question so maybe Terri could talk to that just very briefly. Yeah just briefly so that's a really good point and it's something that we're really really keen to avoid happening. I think there's already some issues with some of the businesses on the site already with parking spilling over into North Cambridge and into areas of Milton so we're really keen to make sure that one that you know that doesn't happen you know any more with the amount of development that's being proposed here. So we're working really closely with colleagues across both councils and also with the highways authority for the area as well to see what we can do in terms of making sure that parking isn't pushed into other areas around North East Cambridge because that is definitely an issue that we need to make sure doesn't happen. Thanks Terri I think I'm going to try and pick up now we're going to a little tag team this a little bit we'll see if we can work out how we do this best if I cut out how to all jump in again. So we're going to pick up a few more of the anonymous attendee ones what how we ensure that carbon neutrality not just in the use but in the build will be considered through the development. So I don't know if potentially Terri I want to pick that one up. Okay it's probably one for Matt but I'll try. So yeah so it's part of the policies around carbon reduction and construction in general. We are looking at making sure that we factor in all of the kind of the carbon issues that go with development so it's not just about the end user and how much carbon a building might produce but it's also about how much that is generated as part of the development as part of the build. So we again as I said we're trying to set really high standards in terms of this to make sure that all of that's being captured as part of that kind of life cycle really. Matt I don't think you want to add anything to that. No no. I think just to add to that Terri I think you know the council's both South Hampshire and the city have committed to you know some quite challenging targets around zero carbon and that's going to be reflected in much wider policies and certainly within the emerging local plan which both both authorities too. So a significant work of how we go about reaching those targets over the next few years and it's something that we're very focused on. And so another one of the on this attendee questions what counts as to the Cambridge film it refers to Hannah do you want to do this one? Sure I think it's a really really good question. So part of that is about the sense of place and the really important views and the landscapes around the site and how the design responds to that. And as Terri mentioned earlier we are really it is really important to us that it creates a positive impact on the environment and it isn't just about sort of you know reducing impacts but it's actually distinctive and wonderful in its own right. We have this sort of saying you know we love our old heritage but all of our old heritage was new once. We want to be creating the really great new heritage for our children and our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren which we will treasure with able treasure in future generations just as much as we treasure what's being built in the past in Cambridge. So I think what one of the things is obviously around things like materials and light and what is the right kind of colour palette and so forth for the area but it is also about actually saying this is a really high quality design. We want the best architects and urban designers and landscape designers to be designing buildings here so that we're really proud of them in the future and we are definitely working hard in our you know with our wonderful urban designer colleagues in our team as well as with things like the quality review panels and English, I'm sorry historic England is now called and so forth to make sure that that meets that bar and we've embedded design very centrally in the policy framework for the draft area action plan to say this is not an added extra this is actually about what makes a place in the first place. None of this other stuff, the net zero carbon, the transport strategies, the cycling and walking none of that is made possible without really fantastic design that's what makes places which people are going to be really proud of in the future. Yeah I think it's a really really important question and I think you know it goes back to Matt's point earlier on around it's a need to have a framework to have a codege and development coming forward that really is a place-based place if you like so yeah it's a really important question and so another anonymous one will any arrangements for the proposed metro be included in the design I'm going to go to Matt for this one. Yeah sure so yes in essence we are we've done quite a few workshops to try and ensure that obviously we want the metro to be an interchange with the main station and with the guided busway and to access the town centre as well that's proposed so we're looking at the right location and we're allocating site for that and obviously we're talking with the landowners about how that might be best accommodated and how it might fit in really well we're looking at station design as well which will be underground how you facilitate ease of access and seamless movement between the metro and the other different transport modes as well. Thanks Matt I'm going to go through some of the earlier questions as well now trying to try and get a few more in we've got about another eight minutes I'll hopefully we can get through them but as I said well we will definitely be picking up and answering these questions on the website so keep asking them as it goes. I've got a question here saying can vehicular access from the area to Chester and Fembe considered at present it's really isolated to the wider area so again I'm going to go to you Matt if you want to pick this one up or Terry's best place. I think this one might be Terry do you want to do this one Chester from Fembe? We are I can well we have been looking at it in particular we're looking at and how we might address the obviously the level crossing there closing of that how how that might be addressed by Network Rail in terms of addressing any severance that may be caused in the future and whether any seed has a role to play in facilitating that yeah. Great thanks thanks Matt and so you'll see some slides coming up now which gives dates of some of our upcoming webinars so you just got some information and in a minute my colleague will also put on some of our communications channels so you can make a note of them but whilst we're still doing that we'll still still try and work through a few more questions and that we have still here because we still have quite a few to answer and we probably won't get a chance to finish them all today. So another anonymous question what kind of cycling parking will be provided for residents and visitors like handlers and secure cycle hubs like Waterham Forest anything else and I think I'll hit Terry for this one please. Yeah sure yeah so in terms of cycle parking standards we're looking at a much higher standard that's currently in the local ponds for the two areas as we've said a few times already that you know we're really trying to encourage as many people to walk cycle and use public transport in this area. So yeah so we're setting much higher standards what we're also trying to do is make sure that we can accommodate what is quite a quite a common sight in Cambridge and that's kind of the non-standard bikes are thinking about things like the cargo bikes and those kinds of things because you know they are a really key feature of Cambridge and you know they're really really important method of transport for people in this area so we're making sure that we set a really really high standards in terms of the amount of provision that we allow for those types of non-standard bikes to be accommodated as well. In terms of the Wolfram Forest Mini Holland principles yep we've done a bit of work on that and then that that particular scheme is actually referenced in the document itself in the area action plan you know they're doing really exciting things down in Wolfram Forest around the Mini Holland work and you know those principles are definitely something that we're looking to apply in in northeast Cambridge. Cheers Terry and going to pick up another question here which is I think is a really really important question so what conversations have you had will you be having with local children and schools especially on street design, park design, playground design and housing design and what community facilities would they want? Now I suspect most people better answers I'm going to go to you first Hannah. Yeah I mean I think it's this really important question and it's not just about now but it's ongoing. We have been doing some consultation work with schools and colleges in the area so we have one of the evidence based studies is something called essentially it's about the kind of cultural planning and cultural infrastructure around the northeast area action plan and as part of that there were actually consultations done in some of the schools and colleges around the area and actually they were really fantastic and they they were literally telling us what communal facilities do people want in the area what do these young people because it is of course all about young people this plan what do they want to see and if you look at the cultural place making strategy document on our website you can have a look and see what they were saying but again this goes to how we're going to develop the place going forward and that's where the process is really important and what we're saying in the draft plan is that your development process must be consulting and engaging really meaningfully with local communities and that absolutely involves young people. We're building really good relationships with Cambridge regional College of course but also Cambridge North Academy and also with community groups around the area who've been involved such as NCPCP and we will continue to be working with them and getting their young people involved as much as we possibly can. Thanks Hannah. Next question, will buildings be timber framed as recommended by the UK CCC? Does anyone want to pick this up? Yep so the the plan doesn't specifically mention timber building timber frame buildings but you know they obviously have a very high environmental credibility so that's definitely something that you know we would be looking to develop at North East Cambridge so yeah you know and we're also looking at other types of construction as well so thinking about modular housing as well and how that could actually be built kind of in a factory and then delivered on site as well you know those types of housing so not just thinking about you know bricks and mortar in terms of the standard in the standard way but actually thinking about how we can do things that are more in line with kind of existing and emerging building technologies as well. Great thanks three minutes I reckon we've got enough time to answer another couple of questions here so have a look at the screens for the details of how you can get in contact further with us as the consultation is open but I can't leave this one this one not answered so note the long-term plan on water stress is in Cambridge is continuing to grow and increasing total water use for the city how are you going to contribute towards water saving given your high density it is not a public record that the tripletes of the river can are demonstrating symptoms of water stress I think that's a question not a statement is Terry do you want to pick that one up? I can yep sure so yeah in terms of water usage yet no we're absolutely aware of the current situation in and around this area so there's a couple of things that we're doing so first of all we're doing a water cycle study and so that is looking at the much wider picture not just northeast Cambridge but greater Cambridge in general and looking at kind of water the water as a resource and how you know that's affecting our waterways so chalk streams you know river cam and other waterways so that's a piece of work that's being done as part of the local plan and in terms of northeast Cambridge again you know I've said a few times now that we are really trying to set a high a really high bar when it comes to things like this so the area of action plan it says you know we will be looking to meet so 110 litres per person per day which is it's essentially the national standard but what it does do it says really we were looking for more than that that should be the very very minimum as a last resort we should actually be working much more towards 80 litres per person per day and obviously you know one of the sites involved is Anglian water sites so you know they you know they can you know they've got a lot of best practice and things as well as how we can try and achieve that so there's a lot of positives there in terms of water usage looking at it from a slightly different angle thinking about open space and landscaping in general you know one of the things that the area action plan seeks to do is to make sure that we we create landscapes that are sort of drought tolerant really one we've got you know climate change and you know we've got hotter summers and sort of dry winters so that's something that we need to make sure that we are making sure our landscapes can adapt to that and just making sure that you know that they are you know good pleasant high-quality places throughout the year and and not part of the problem really in terms of needing to make sure that they're really well watered and and adding to the problem really. Terry thank you and I think on that note it's seven o'clock so we've answered I think tells me we've answered around 23 questions I think there's another six questions left so we will definitely answer them and then we'll put them on the website in all of the detail and what we talked about tonight and the recording will be on the website and I should know that a lot of these questions are quite specific to individual topics so if you have a look at those topics you will have some different experts who won't just be you know I don't like to call myself an expert really but certainly my colleagues are but then you know it will be a number of people who'll be able to answer these questions you know you may be in a little bit more detail and so I really like some feedback on tonight's session it's been our first one I think I'm aware from my own looking at it that we've probably had some audio and visual issues I'm not sure we can solve those with personal wi-fi problems but certainly I'd encourage you to kind of complete the feedback survey once the Q&A closes and so we can improve the next remaining seven because we will be taking that into consideration to reiterate and I thank you all for those attending and asking questions thank you to all of our colleagues for being here tonight and getting this up and running and I hope you get a chance to participate in future events scheduled and as I say everything's on the website if you want to get people to talk about it please visit the website visit social media and I hope that you all have a fantastic evening thank you very much