Devolution and the return of strategic planning - sustainable

growth in Greater Cambridge and Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Non-Statutory

Spatial Plan

Councillor Lewis HerbertLeader - Cambridge City Council

& Spatial Planning Lead - C&P CA

lewis.herbert@cambridge.gov.uk

CAMBRIDGE A CYCLE FRIENDLY CITY

CAMBRIDGE LARGE PARKS & OPEN SPACES – NATURE ON YOUR DOORSTEP

CAMBRIDGE AN HISTORIC CITY

CAMBRIDGEFAMOUS FACES

CAMBRIDGE CLUSTER EUROPE’S MOST SUCCESSFUL TECHNOLOGY CENTRE

Since 1960 an enterprising network of people and companies covering

technology, life sciences, and supporting research and development

industries has developed in and around the City

CAMBRIDGENEW BIOMEDICAL CAMPUS AND ASTRA ZENECA SITE 25000 JOBS

Planning Inheritance - Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Development Strategy

Current strategy originated in 2003 Structure Plan; a sequential approach to development:

• Within Cambridge and Peterborough, consistent with role and character

• Expansion of both cities, subject to GB boundary changes

• Creation of a small town to north-west of Cambridge

• In and, where appropriate, adjoining main market towns

• Strong emphasis on quality of development, affordability, accessibility, environmental sustainability; a coherent growth strategy – jobs and housing, with infrastructure

• And Strategy in East of England Plan (2001-2021):

- 98,300 houses; 95,000 jobs

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Structure Plan 2003

Cambridge barriers to economic growth

• Infrastructure deficit, especially transport• Not enough homes• Not enough affordable homes• Skills cold spots/mismatches • Loss of funding and capacity to address thisIncl £1100 net cost/year per new home

Cambourne

1,699Bourn

Airfield 1,360 (plus 2,140)

Total 3,500

Northstowe3,445

(plus 6,555)

Total 10,000

Waterbeach

2,050

(plus 5,950)

Total 8,000

Cambridge

8,313

Southern Fringe 2,668

North West

Cambridge5,632

East Cambridge2,557

Rest of South Cambridgeshire 8,049

Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire Major Local Plan Sites to 2031 (2015)

The Transport Challenge

CAMBRIDGE IS A CROSSROADS, NOT AN EAST-WEST BOOKEND

HAVERHILL

CAMBRIDGE

SAFFRON WALDEN

HITCHIN

ROYSTON

NEWMARKET

ELY

ST NEOTS

HUNTINGDON ST IVES

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Area

Wider Devolution Opportunities

• Strategies on growth, housing, skills, transport, infrastructure, public sector reform

• £600m funds for infrastructure, plus capacity to borrow/invest up to £2bn?plus private infrastructure funding

• Affordable housing £70m for city council homes and £100m for HA homes to 2022

• Potential for new rail-linked communities and housing on bigger geography

• New delivery vehicles eg Mayoral Development Corporations

• Devolution 2/3/4- Fiscal freedom incl Gainshare & true share of growth receipts & all business rates - Planning freedoms/powers- Transformation of public service delivery eg in most disadvantaged communities

Planning Geography – Think Big Onion

• Neighbourhood

• District - Local Plan

• Joint Plan/sub-regional areas

• County/Metropolis - Statutory/non statutory plans + add corridors

• Overlapping region/sub-regional transport plans

• Multi-region planning eg South & East

Fortunate geography …

• Cambridge crossroads

• Close to capital

• Feeds growth and opportunities into wider geography

• As assessed in the Aecom206 strategy for London

P. 1

58

k

GV

A5

.6b

n

Pop

25

9kPo

p 2

20

k

Pop

21

1K

GV

A 1

0.3

bn

GV

A 6

.1b

n

GV

A 6

.8b

n GV

A 4

.7b

n

P. 1

29

k

One End of a Cambridge-Oxford Expressway?

Highly skilled, highly productive economies; UK GVA ~5% £86bn;

27

East West Growth Analysis

South Cambridgeshire

19,500 dwellings 2011-2031

43ha employment land

Bedford Borough

17,300 dwellings

15,500 jobs

Central Bedfordshire

31,000 dwellings

27,000 jobs

Milton Keynes

28,000 dwellings

42,000 jobs

by 2026

Cherwell District

(Bicester)

13,000 dwellings

18,500 jobs

Wycombe District

2,500 dwellings

400 jobs

Aylesbury Vale District

31,000 dwellings

17,600 jobs

Eastern Section

Central Section Western Section

* Unless stated otherwise; provisional figures at April 2016 (SEMLEP)

St EdmunsdburySuffolk

11,480 dwellings 2012-2031

13,000+ jobs by 2026

Forest Heath, Suffolk

6,800 dwellings 2011-2031. 25.3ha

additional employment land by 2031

East Cambridgeshire

11,500 dwellings 2011-2031

9,200+ jobs

179ha employment land

Cambridge City

14,000 dwellings 2011-2031

22,100 jobs

North Northhants

16,500 dwellings

Didcot

15,000 dwellings

Northstowe &

Waterbeach

10,000 & 7,600

dwellings

Whitney

2,400 dwellings

Strategic Planning - Starting from strong partnership(but under-delivery of housing commitments)

• Commitment to seven council joint working

• Joint Strategic Planning Unit from 2012

• Greater Cambridge joint planning and City Deal delivery & other partnerships

• Joint Memorandum including allocated housing commitments - July 2012

Invest in Us and We Will Generate More Taxes

30

Smaller fast growing cities making bigger contribution to Exchequer; London dominates £140bn of £277bn economic taxes; then Manchester £16bn; Greater Cambridge £3bn from a £14bn/year economy

‘Fast Growing Cities Network’ Swindon, Oxford, Milton Keynes, Cambridge and Norwich

What will non-statutory Spatial Framework do?

Joint plan to

• Oversee the supply of land for new homes and employment

• Map totality of new infrastructure, including roads, rail, utilities and community capital

• Connect beyond our sub-region, created in collaboration with all planning authorities

• Achieve sustainable growth including Social - successful communities and regenerationEnvironment - quality of life and natural resources

In need of major well-connected housing delivery

• Planning delivery of 100,000 homes over next 20 years

• Target of at least 40% affordable with buy/rent unaffordable for too many

• March 2016 - planning permissions for 23,000 homes in Cambridgeshirebut only 2,723 (12%) in construction

• Planning ahead not the only problem

Now that Gavin has moved on, and build on his work, we need the return to regional housing strategies

Tackling Housing and Affordability

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Mea

n h

ou

se p

rice

(£

)

House prices

Cambridge Luton Milton Keynes Northampton Oxford

Ratio of house prices to earnings reached 16:1 in both Cambridge and Oxford in 2015, matching London

Growth rate of house prices as high in Cambridge and Oxford 2014-2016 as anywhere in Britain

For comparison the mean house price in London in 2015 was £530k

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Rat

io o

f av

erag

e co

st o

f a

ho

use

to

aver

age

wag

es e

arn

ed in

a y

ear

Housing affordability ratio

Cambridge Luton Milton Keynes Northampton Oxford

18

27

21

1

3

13

27

24

3

2

1 62City ranking amongst 62 cities covered by Centre for Cities Source: Centre for Cities

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

220

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Index of house prices (2004 = 100)

Cambridge Luton Milton Keynes Northampton Oxford England

Evidence Base for Housing - HighlightsHousing

• The Objectively Assessed Housing Need 2011 – 2031 has identified the need for approximately 100,000 homes and 49,000 affordable homes

• An affordability ratio more than double that accepted by mortgage companies (national average is 6.5)

o At the highest end is Cambridge City at 18.8o At the lowest end is Peterborough (but still higher than the national average) at 8.8

• In Cambridgeshire 23,005 homes had planning permission in March 2016. Of these;

o 14,423 had outline planning permission (63%)o 2,723 were under construction (12%)o 5,859 were not yet started (25%).

• Two concentrated travel to work areas concentrated around Cambridge and Peterborough. Weakest connections are into Fenland reflecting the lack of good transport infrastructure into the district.

Housing work in progressHousing

Potential Measures of Success

• Delivery of 100,000 new houses by 2037• At least 40,000 of these will be affordable homes• More people living independently (x000)• Residents’ satisfaction with the place they live• Affordability of housing• Delayed Transfers of Care (DTOC)

Projects to consider

• Affordable home delivery (£100m & £70m)• Market town master planning • Modular housing Joint Venture• (Longer Term) House Building ‘fund’ to support

the development of SME builders in the local area

Strategic Themes for Housing:

• More homes to support Economic Growth• New and affordable homes that meet local need• New homes are located closer to people’s places of work• There are interventions into the housing market using innovative methods & models• Housing schemes are delivered at a faster pace, with new relationships with developers, builders and

providers

• Prosperous places that people want to live• Vibrant, safe, prosperous places that offer improved quality of life and increased opportunities• Our high-growth cities and our market towns are thriving and attract increased inward investment• All residents are able to benefit from local growth

• Homes for healthy and independent lives• Needs are met for Older People’s and specialist accommodation to help manage the demand on

health, social care and housing systems• There are raised standards in existing homes but particularly where there is a threat to health, safety

and wellbeing• Active transportation through improved local connections to green corridors, cycle ways, open spaces

and leisure facilities

• More choice for more people• Increased choice and affordability for those requiring specialist care• Increased choice of good accommodation options for older people• A shared choice-based lettings system to help people apply for housing in the area• All types of homelessness are reduced

Infrastructure Strategy – Transport, Utilities & Community

• Peterborough and Cambridgeshire are the fastest growing city and county in the country

• Population of our nine Market Towns are expected to grow by 67,200 over the next 20 years

• £550m deficit in health system funding by 2021

• Target of 99% superfast broadband coverage by 2020, but currently 4G coverage is around 20% compared to the 46% national average

• By 2031 an extra 25,000 daily trips in and out of Cambridge are expected (an increase of around 26%)

Infrastructure work in progressTransport

Potential Measures of Success

• Reduced commute times • People living within 10 minutes walk of key transport

networks• Real-time transport information• Active travel increased by 50%

Projects to consider

• Community connectivity• Micro hubs • Digital connectivity• Autonomous transport• Multi-modal transport• Travel Intelligence Hub

Strategic themes for Infrastructure

• Expanding connectivity to and between communities• Targeted subsidies to ensure that we drive out inequality in the system• Protection of affordable housing when transport links are improved• Reduced commute time from all homes in the area• Active transportation – improving neighbourhood connections to green corridors, open

spaces and leisure facilities

• World Class Infrastructure to deliver economic opportunity• A holistic view of infrastructure needs across the area and beyond• Improved connections to the Capital & South East, the Cambridge-Oxford arc and our ports• Micro hubs – economic and commercial activity developed around transport hubs• High quality public transport, cycle and pedestrian routes to and from economic growth

areas• Developing bold solutions to current issues that are attractive to investors

• Intelligent mobility• Travel intelligence for both service users and service providers • Multi-modal transport systems working seamlessly for benefit of the user• Autonomous transport with responsive infrastructure used flexibly during peak times

• Community Infrastructure designed into our places• People-focused strategies and solutions that help encourage social interaction • Public services are planned and built to align with local need• Flexible community infrastructure that enables communities to come together• Sustainable transport and digital solutions to boost quality of life and address accessibility • Interconnectivity between new and existing green spaces

Meshing Six Spatial Elements – Inputs to Outputs

INPUTS

1. JOBS STRATEGY - SEP Refresh/Industrial Strategy/Major Growth Locations

2. HOUSING STRATEGY - Major Sites/Affordable Housing Delivery

3. “QUALITY CHARTER FOR INCLUSIVE GROWTH” building on 2010 document

Creating successful, sustainable communities, tackling disadvantage and improving environment

Adding to www.cambridge.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/cambridgeshire_quality_charter_2010.pdf

AND OUTPUTS

1. TRANSPORT STRATEGY – Grid of North/South and East/West

Potential Cambs/Suffolk/Norfolk/Essex Sub-National Transport Strategy

2. WIDER INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGY - including energy, water and telecoms delivery

3. CORE STRATEGY eg Threshold Sites and major sites in current/future Local Plans

Strategic Planning – Proposed Next Steps

• Commission and establish Strategic Planning Group

• Establish Land Commission

• Win Government and National Infrastructure Commission support and extra investment

• Engage with National Infrastructure Commission, Network Rail and Highways England

on Cambridge/Milton Keynes/Oxford, including East section governance

• Engage with utilities providers – energy, water and telecoms to increase targeted investment

• Develop plan for East region Sub-National Transport Body – and consult Suffolk and Norfolk

(and potentially Essex and Bedfordshire too)

• Evidence base and plans to tackle most disadvantaged areas, and Inclusive Growth

What will the Non Statutory Plan Deliver

Strategic Framework includes strategy and engagement/review:

Major new settlements including some across authority boundaries

Economic and social corridors – linking up communities, homes and work

Infrastructure needs analysis to support planned and future development

Infrastructure assessment process – in order to form a regional view of

infrastructure need

Engagement with our communities/Councillors – what are their priorities?

Engagement with Government and transport agencies – and National Infrastructure

Commission, Highways England and Network Rail

Funding source analysis – devolution/Govt funding, private sector & planning gain

Partnerships with affordable housing providers and utilities

Partnerships beyond our boundaries

Some Conclusions

• Bring Back Strategic Planning

• Put Planning at the Centre of Development

• Create Regional Dialogue and Unity

• Evidence Income

• Enable Communities to Make Choices

• Be Addition to Local Plans and Delivery

… Think Big Onion

Devolution and the return of strategic planning - sustainable

growth in Greater Cambridge and Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Non-Statutory

Spatial Plan

Councillor Lewis HerbertLeader - Cambridge City Council

& Spatial Planning Lead - C&P CA

lewis.herbert@cambridge.gov.uk