Ne 17ws in brief NEW AGENCY WILL HAVE KEY
UK’S FIRST ‘ECO-TOWN’ TO BE BUILT IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE
South Cambridgeshire District council (SCDC) has received an outline application for the first new town in the county since medieval times. English Partnerships and Gallagher Estates have applied for planning permission for the development of a brownfield site which formally belonged to the MOD and was home to a World War II airfield. The site, which lies to the east of Longstanton and the north of Oakington, is around five miles from the centre of Cambridge. Works could commence as early as the end of 2008 if planning goes according to plan. English Partnerships acquired the site in 2006 and the new town will be known as Northstowe.
Client
English Partnerships 414-428 Midsummer Blvd Milton Keynes MK9 2EA Tel:01908 692692
Gallagher Estates 9 Wellington Court Wellington Street Cambridge CB1 1HZ Tel:01223 309027
Planning Arup Consultant 13 Fitzroy Street London W1T 4BQ Tel:020 7636 1531
Outline Timetable Mid 2008 Planning Decision Late 2008 Infrastructure Works Early 2009 Housing Starts Early 2009 Cambridgeshire Guided Bus Starts
2010 A14 Improvements Starts 2016 4,800 Homes Complete
Four applications were submitted to SCDC late last year. An outline plan for the new town and three applications for the highway link to Northstowe and for highway improvements to the A14 corridor. The plans include the construction of 9,500 dwellings providing homes for around 24,000 people, a complete new town centre, local centres to serve neighbourhoods, a secondary school and six primary schools, health centres, library and cultural facilities, 140 hectares of open space, two main employment areas of around 140,000 square metres, three sports hubs and over 20 children’s play areas. The project has been designed as a forerunner to the Government’s programme for the construction of ten new eco-towns around the country which was announced at the Labour Conference in Bournemouth last September. The plans is to create small new towns of between 5,000 and 20,000 homes which are intended to achieve zero carbon development and a more sustainable living using the best new design and architecture.
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REGENERATION ROLE The Government In January set out more details of the work of the Agency which will play a key role in delivering the 3m new homes by 2020 pledged by the Prime Minister - the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). The new Agency will, for the first time, bring together responsibility for land and for money to deliver new housing, community facilities and new infrastructure. The HCA will also work with local councils on some of England's 10 new eco towns. The Agency will combine English Partnerships, the Housing Corporation and delivery functions from Communities and Local Government to bring together expertise, resources and powers to transform the way we deliver homes and regenerate communities. It will give local authorities a clear strategic partner to work with on housing and regeneration delivery in their areas. It is expected to start work in April next year. The HCA will therefore have responsibility for regeneration programmes from English Partnerships and the provision of new affordable housing funded by social housing grant from the Housing Corporation. It will have operational responsibility for the delivery of major housing and regeneration projects such as the areas of major housing growth (such as Milton Keynes, Ashford and London Stansted Cambridge Peterborough), the Thames Gateway regeneration project, taking forward the Delivery Plan outlined last November, and the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders. The Government will retain responsibility for strategic and cross-Whitehall issues on these projects.
NEW WATCHDOG FOR SOCIAL TENANTS New measures in the Housing and Regeneration Bill include legislation to remove barriers to councils building their own social housing, stronger action where tenants are unhappy with the management of their estates, and new rules for councils to tackle anti- social tenants. The Bill will also establish a new watchdog for social tenants - Oftenant - and give this watchdog a duty to reduce red tape for good Housing Associations, with less paperwork and no routine inspections, allowing them to concentrate on building new housing. Oftenant will also have new powers to step in and penalise landlords who are not giving a good service, such as not getting repairs done. The Bill will establish the Homes and Communities Agency which will for the first time bring together responsibility for land and money to deliver new housing, community facilities and infrastructure (see above)
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