The regeneration of Mitcham’s Corner: public … The regeneration of Mitcham’s Corner: public...

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The regeneration of Mitcham’s Corner:

public meeting, 15 March 2017

Agenda:

Introduction – Anil Malhotra, FMC

The Mitcham's Corner Development Framework – Anne Cooper, Chairman FMC

Mitcham's Corner today – Merle Pink, Victoria Homes resident

The example of Poynton, Cheshire – Simon Baugh, FMC, and Margaret Waring, former

Poynton resident

Shared space and the needs of disabled users – Mark Taylor, Access Officer, Cambridge City

Council

Cyclists and Mitcham’s Corner – Joe Adams, Cambridge Cycling Campaign

The New York experiment – Cllr. Ian Manning, County Councillor, East Chesterton

General discussion and Q&A

1 Introduction

Anil Malhotra, member of FMC Committee

ThefocusofthemeetingisthefutureregenerationofMitcham’sCorner,andwearepleasedto

have a range of speakers discussing various aspects of this. FriendsofMitcham’s Corner have

been seeking improvements to the area for some years: we see it as the next area in Cambridge

that deserves to be updated. The need for careful and controlled development atMitcham’s

Corner has recently been recognised by the City Council in its Mitcham’sCornerDevelopment

Framework, which Anne Cooper will be explaining. This development must be underpinned by

imaginative urban design.

The survey that FMC undertook about a year ago identified the historical road system and the

inefficient use of public space as major concerns of local people, which are blocking the

opportunities of the area. These issues have also been identified by the Council, and by urban

design consultants that visited last year.

Working with our councillors, planners, traders, and above all the local community, our aim is to

deliver an urban design proposal that will be submitted for the next phase of government

funding under the national City Deal programme, due in 2020. This second phase is already under

consideration, so FMC is driving a programme of public events like this evening, and interactions

withlocalauthorities,etc.,tomakesurethatMitcham’sCorner is on the table for funding.

Tonight we will hear presentations on theMitcham’sCornerDevelopmentFramework, schemes

elsewhere, and the views of disability groups, cycling groups, and individuals who have a personal

experience ofMitcham’s Corner. Following this evening, we will arrange meetings with urban

design consultants, our councillors, City and County planners, interested developers and some of

thepropertyownersaroundMitcham’sCorner.

| The regeneration of Mitcham’s Corner: public meeting

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2 The Mitcham’s Corner Development Framework

Anne Cooper, Chairman of FMC

This framework1 was agreed by the City Council on

25th Januarythisyear.ThisisgreatnewsforMitcham’s

Corner, and FMC has been working for the last seven

years to get this document into being. Unfortunately it

was not possible to get one of the planning team here

tonight, but Sarah Chubb has been very helpful in

puttingthispresentationtogether.

I would first like to summarise how the Development

Framework sits within the planning system. Policy 21 of

the emerging Cambridge Local Plan highlights

Mitcham’s Corner as an “Opportunity Area”, and the

Development Framework supports Policy 21. The

framework, which is also called a Supplementary

Planning Guidance Document (SPD), will only come into

full force when the new Local Plan is adopted. It is

unclear when this will happen, but any planning

applications forsites in theMitcham’sCorner area will

need to consider the guidance set out in this document. It is therefore important for anyone

interestedinMitcham’sCorner to familiarise themselves with it.

I will skip chapters 1 and 2, which present the historical background and context, and move on to

chapter 3“The Gyratory:avisionforchange”, which looks at replacing the gyratory system and

creating a new public open space. Itarguesthatcreatinga“low-speedenvironment”willmake

Mitcham’s Cornermore enjoyable, safer and easier to get around, and this will improve local

businesses and attract new investment. Inaddition,sinceMitcham’sCorner is a pivotal location

in the Cambridge transport network, improving how it functions should increase use of

sustainable forms of transport (buses, cycles, walking).

The proposed changes are fully compatible with the objectives of City Deal, which is very

important in terms of obtaining funding.

Figure 27 in the document (reproduced below) is an overview of how the area might be changed.

It proposes:

two-way traffic along Chesterton Road

a junction with Victoria Road coming into Chesterton Road via Croftholme Lane (on the left

hand side of the diagram), separate from the junction with Milton Road, Chesterton Road

and Victoria Avenue (on the right)

a new public open space

positive“gateways”coming into the area (marked with “daisy” symbols on the map).

These proposals are a reflection of what FMC and the local community have been campaigning

for since 2010. The next step is to get this to happen.

1 The document can be downloaded from the FMC website at www.friendsofmitchamsCorner.org.uk


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Chapter4“PlanningandDesignGuidance” sets out requirements for all new developments in the

Mitcham’sCorner area. These will be the criteria that planning officers will use when they look at

planning applications in the area. I would like to pick out a few points that I think are particularly

important:

Maintaining and enhancing surviving buildings of good quality

Maintaining the vibrancy of the district centre

Reinforcing the local character

Making more connections with the river

Encouraging finer-grain developments (i.e. not large-scale).

It would be really useful if we got feedback on these points, e.g. which buildings should be kept.

The final chapter, “Next Steps”, emphasises that there must be a partnership approach with

Cambridgeshire County Council (as the Highways Authority), the City Council, landowners and

developers, and the local community. To achieve the goals set out in the Development

Framework,Mitcham’sCorner needs to be recognised as a priority in the 2020 City Deal.

3 Mitcham's Corner today

Merle Pink, Victoria Homes resident

I am speaking from a layperson’s point of view and as a local resident. Mitcham’s Corner is

terrible at the moment. First, the pavements are disgusting: Croftholme Lane is a hazard and

almost impossible forwheelchairusersormobility scooters. Second, you’re talkingaboutnew

shops and making it a centre, but where is the parking? There are a few parking places, but not

enough to support major new businesses – at the moment, for example, people park at the

Co-Op and then go shopping elsewhere. Third, the crossings for pedestrians are not arranged

sensibly: from here, for example, to get to Lloyds bank takes four crossings.


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4 The example of Poynton, Cheshire

Simon Baugh, member of FMC committee, and Margaret Waring, former Poynton resident

One of the ideas (and we should emphasise that there are others) that has been suggested for

simplifying the road systematMitcham’sCorner is “shared space”. This design concept has been

applied in various parts of the country, and one town that is often used as an example is Poynton.

The existing junction at the centre of the town lay on

the four-lane A-road between Macclesfield and

Manchester, connected to the M6 and M60, and was

also the main means of access into the town. It was

standard in design, a crossroads with traffic lights.

There was a constant stream of traffic, with over

25,000 vehicles per day (including 1500 lorries), a lot

of delays and long queues. The junction functioned as

a barrier: local people found it difficult to get into

town, pedestrians had trouble getting across the

roads, and very few cyclists would brave the junction. The town was split into two.

The councils called in urban design consultants

Hamilton-Baillie (who have also advised Cambridge).

After a consultation, work was completed in 2012 at a

cost of £4 million. Wide areas of paving are used to

reduce the highway to a single lane in each direction,

and all traffic lights and crossings have been removed.

Cars, lorries, buses, cyclists and pedestrians are all

mixed together and try to negotiate this “shared

space”. The idea of this radical approach is that

psychologically it makes drivers slow down, resulting in

a “low-speedenvironment”withaslow but continuous

flow of traffic. All users have to be aware of each other.

The space at the side of the new lanes can be used for

pedestrians, cyclists, parking, cafe seating, etc. There

are preferred routes marked for pedestrians across the

highway.

The scheme at Poynton is generally cited as a success:

there has been no increase in accidents

traffic is slower, but keeps moving across the

junction from all sides

there has been no increase in overall journey times

(e.g. for hauliers, bus operators)

movement between different parts of the town is much easier

there has been a significant increase in the number of cyclists using the junction.

Today, we have Margaret Waring here with us, who lived in Poynton for 50 years and can say

what was the actual experience of living with this new junction.


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What did people think when the scheme was first proposed? – We thought it was a horrendous

idea and would never work: we were used to traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and so on, and

thought taking these away would result in chaos. But slowly we were persuaded it was good.

How do partially sighted or less physically able people cope without being able to press a button

at a crossing? – I’d quote the experience of a young man called Matthew Wadsworth, who

although blind can hear well. People stop and wait, and drivers notice them waiting and allow

them to cross – there has been a tremendous increase in eye contact.

What was the effect on traders and the town itself? Previously there were many charity shops

and empty units, and a rapid turnover of retailers. But now this has improved, the situation is

much more stable and the footfall has increased.

Do you miss the bus lanes and traffic lights? One of the important differences from Cambridge is

that Poynton has many fewer buses. But they do work fine – there are bus stops in laybys set into

the area beside the highway. The other difference is that Poynton has continuous heavy lorry

traffic, not peak-timescommutertrafficlikeatMitcham’sCorner. And it has much fewer bicycles.

Interestingly, before building the new junction the councils did careful analysis of the actual

routes that pedestrians took across the roads, often ignoring the crossings – these are called

“desirelines”,andwereusedtomakesuremarkedpathscorrespondedtowherepeopleactually

want to cross. Also, for some time they turned off all the traffic lights and observed how drivers

behaved, to test whether the shared space hypothesis was right. (Though as a precaution all the

original electric cables were maintained, just in case traffic lights turned out to be necessary!)

5 Shared space and the needs of disabled users

Mark Taylor, Access Officer at Cambridge City Council

I work in the Planning Department at the City Council, and look at proposed schemes from the

point of view of access for disabled people, older people and their carers. However, providing

better access for these groups also helps people who are pushing prams, delivering goods, etc. At

presentMitcham’sCorner is not a pleasant environment for disabled or older people.

If a plan such as Poynton was put onto my desk, I would work very hard to refuse it. Poynton (and

another scheme at Ashford in Kent) are designs by the Hamilton-Baillie group, and have been

protested against by disability groups, particularly those for the visually impaired. Several court

cases are pending. It appears there are far more accidents than are actually reported, and that

disabled people are not using these areas. A lot of information has been collected about these

shared space schemes, and disabled and older people find them very difficult simply because of

the need to negotiate the traffic. Certain aspects of not having controlled junctions, not having

specific places to cross, and not having restrictions on where cyclists can go, are very threatening

to disabled and older people in general.

I am very willing to work with anyone with ideas: there are ways of making these schemes more

suitable for cyclists, disabled people and general pedestrians, but in my role and training as an

access officer I have very severe reservations about schemes such as Poynton and Ashford.


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6 Cyclists and Mitcham’s Corner

Joe Adams, Cambridge Cycling Campaign

I live and work near Mitcham’s Corner and cycle across it every day, so am aware of the

challenges facing cyclists. But exactly who are “cyclists”?Wewant the term to be inclusive –

parents and their kids, people riding cargo bikes, people who are not able to ride quickly, and so

on. Any scheme needs to think of all these kinds of users in order to encourage more people to

use bikes.

What we think is needed to achieve this is to separate people on bikes from cars – it is not a

pleasant experience cycling with a bus immediately behind you. And also separate bikes from

pedestrians: clear, well-designed space is needed for each, to avoid conflicts. The things designed

for cyclists need to be clear and convenient: easy quick crossings, sensible turn radii, and bike

lanes wide enough for cyclists to feel safe.

So we have some concerns with the shared space concept, which has no space left specifically for

bikes. The approach is not compatible with providing an attractive environment for cycling when

traffic levels remain high – as is certain to be the case at Mitcham's Corner. Mixing people on

bikes (including children) with busy bus routes is not a way to encourage cycling. Cyclists would

end up riding on the pavement, which is unpleasant for pedestrians as well as the cyclists

themselves.

The Poynton scheme looks like the junction near the Royal Cambridge Hotel where you have two

T-junctions and mini roundabouts – but this is the most dangerous junction in Cambridge! We are

concerned we could end up with something like that atMitcham’sCorner if we are not careful.

So what do we think would be the ideal solution?

One approach that was suggested by student

groups that looked at this some years ago, and has

also been proposed by Cambridge Cycling

Campaign as part of the Milton Road consultation,

would be to remove some of the houses on

Chesterton Road and put in a Dutch-style

crossroads junction. This provides clear, separate

spaces for traffic, for cycles, and for pedestrians,

and controlled ways of crossing between them.

The best way to get everyone following the rules is

to make it easy for them to follow the rules.

An alternative approach would be a dual

T-junction approach, but including segregated

space for cycling. What Cambridge Cycling

Campaign cares about is that the design is done

considering the needs of cycling, to encourage

that happening. And it can be done in the UK:

the picture on the right shows Parliament

Square in London where they have built a “cycle

superhighway”. More people get down that section on bikes than get through the area in cars,

and this is a safe and stress-freeexperience.SomethinglikethisispossibleatMitcham’sCorner.


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7 The New York experiment

Cllr. Ian Manning, County Councillor, East Chesterton

I would like to get more evidence-based thinking into local policy decisions and City Deal projects, and

Mitcham’sCorner isagoodexampleofwherethere’slotsofevidence.IgotaschemeforGreen End

Road into the City Deal, and we started from the ground up, with residents having a campaign,

putting ideas forward and talking it through (which is exactly what you are doing). We began early – in

2012 – gradually built up, and got it into the City Deal. We made mistakes along the way, then ironed

them out, so the final scheme was the City Deal project with the fewest complaints.

New York is an example of an evidence-based approach. The mayor Michael Bloomberg was

frustrated at the standard top-down design approach to urban change, with large complex

consultations. These take ages, and it is hard to predict the effects on different groups, on traffic,

and so on. Andifthefinalschemedoesn’twork,itisimmenselyexpensivetoreverse.

His concept was to do it quickly and cheaply, with simple materials, then observe and measure

theeffectcarefully. If itdoesn’twork,trysomethingelse.The classic example is Times Square,

where there was an idea to pedestrianise the area, but this raised a lot of worries from local

businesses and residents. Bloomberg experimented cheaply, e.g. blocking off areas to traffic

using deckchairs, and then observed what happened. The final scheme was a success and local

businesses prospered. Following this, similar schemes reclaimed areas across New York City for

pedestrians and cyclists.

I would encourage you all to try this approach, proposing ideas and requesting temporary

experimental schemes. This allows you to try out really radical, supposedly dangerous,

approaches. There are limitations – it’sdifficulttoremovethingstemporarily,forexample. But if

local residents and businesses get behind this, it helps politicians to help push these ideas

through. It can be done!

8 General discussion and Q&A

Have there been any traffic flow analyses for the proposed scheme?

Anil Malhotra: there has been a very limited amount of traffic flow modelling by WPS, the County

Council’sstandardconsultants.Thisjustlookedattheconsequencesoftakingthegyratoryaway

and putting in a crossroads structure, without deciding whether the new system would be a

shared space or controlled space. The initial results showed there would be increased queueing,


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but the Council admits that much more traffic measuring and modelling needs to be done. Also,

it’snecessarytoanalysethepattern of pedestrian and bicycle movements as well as vehicles.

Mike Sargeant: when the City Deal looked atMitcham’s corner, theirmain focus was that it

worked for vehicle traffic. But it’s not just for vehicle traffic, we’ve also got tomake itmuch

better for people cycling or walking through the area. And the City Deal should be about getting

people out of cars. I think cycling should be at the top of the agenda in what we put forward: that

could tip the balance in terms of City Deal funding.

What is the status of the Local Plan?

Cllr. John Hipkin (Chair of City Council Planning Committee): The emerging Local Plan probably

won’t be adopted until at least the end of 2017. But if a development framework is non-

contentious – as for theMitcham’sCorner framework – it’s almost as good as it having been

adopted, and there is a very good chance it will be taken seriously. The Mitcham’s Corner

Development Framework is going to be the document which will control and manage the style of

development for individual units. So that document is extremely important. Also, I would

recommend that you draw up your own neighbourhood plan, to list your community assets and

get these adopted by the City Council. That would give you additional weight when individual

applications come forward.

What has happened to the second main scheme that has been proposed in the past? This involved

demolishing some houses on the central terrace and having a simpler junction, lining up Milton

Road and Victoria Avenue. This allowed a much larger public space of half an acre.

Anil Malhotra: The scheme that has been the most clearly defined is the Poynton-like design with

two roundels, but it is by no means the only scheme being considered, and the whole point of

meetings like this is to bring up new ideas.

Cllr. Mike Sargeant: The committee that considered the Development Framework very

deliberately took out specific schemes.It’sverydiagrammaticnow,justtalkingabouttrafficflow,

and there is much work to be done before we have any definite proposals

Cllr. Ian Manning: Compulsory purchase powers are very limited, you can only use them when it

is the only way of carrying out a project.

Is the new combined authority an opportunity or a threat? What are the powers of the new mayor?

Cllr. Ian Manning: At the moment it iscompletelyirrelevanttoMitcham’sCorner. The mayor will

only have very high-level spatial planning powers.

Comments by Cllr. John Hipkin

This meeting is exactly the kind of bottom-up community engagement that is likely to win the

greatest support. I would also recommend that as a community you should take cognizance of

the wider strategic question of how we reduce the volumes of traffic coming into the city

in general,becausemanyoftheproblemsatMitcham’sCorneraretobefoundalloverthecity.

You should also be concerned about this broader issue – which is a major debate going on at

many levels.

Comments by Cllr. Ysanne Austin

I’mconcernedthat the focus is on traffic, whereas local people are primarily concerned about the

public realm, what we are attracting to the area, how easy it is to walk around, having

independent shops etc. We must get that bottom-up thinking about the community and what

people want.

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