Issue - meetings

To consider a report and recommendations by the Head of Development regarding the development and delivery of the A14 scheme.

That the Cabinet approve:

i)  The Joint Local Impact Report of the Council together with other Tier 1 stakeholders, namely Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council,

ii)  The (Draft) Statement of Common Ground between the Council and Highways England,

iii)  The Written Representation of the Council to be submitted to the A14 Examination in Public,

iv)  That, in the interests of expediency, delegated authority be given to the Managing Director and the Executive Councillor for Planning and Housing Strategy relating to the agreement of any required minor amendments to the Joint Local Impact Report, the (Draft) Statement of Common Ground and the Written Representation and other such documents as necessary.

The Cabinet received a further update report (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) on progress with the development of the A14 on matters surrounding the Examination in Public and documentation that the Council will submit to the Examination.

The Council had consistently supported the need for the improvement of the A14 since the Cambridge to Huntingdon Multi-Modal Study recommendations in 2001, as an upgraded A14 was vital to the continued economic prosperity of Huntingdonshire. 

The Cabinet was advised that the formal Examination in Public had commenced for a six month duration and the Joint Local Impact Report of the Council, together with other Tier 1 stakeholders, had been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate by the deadline of 15th June 2015.  Prior to the meeting of the Cabinet the Joint Local Impact Report submitted to the Planning Inspectorate had been circulated to the Cabinet.  It was noted by the Transport Team Leader that there were no substantive changes between the version attached as Appendix D in the agenda and version submitted to the Planning Inspectorate other than formatting and typographical amendments.

Officers had continued to negotiate on outstanding matters and whilst progress had been made on many, others remained outstanding and had yet to be resolved.  The Cabinet were referred to Appendix B of the officer’s report which listed the outstanding issues.

It was highlighted to the Cabinet that noise continued to be an outstanding issue, as suitable noise mitigation measures were required for those properties adversely affected by noise.  A further outstanding issue related to the future long-term maintenance plan of the Borrow Pits.

The Scheme now proposed continued to include the overall improvements that had consistently been sought, including the removal of the A14 Viaduct within Huntingdon.  The Council therefore must continue to engage in the Examination process and in order to do this the Cabinet were requested to approve the Joint Local Impact Report, the draft Statement of Common Ground and the Written Representation by the Council to the Planning Inspectorate.

In the interests of expediency, the Cabinet were also requested to delegate authority to the Managing Director and the Executive Councillor for Planning and Housing Strategy regarding any minor amendments required to the documents.

At the invitation of the Chairman, Councillor Hayward was invited to address the Cabinet.  Councillor Hayward explained that his presence at the meeting was not of a personal nature, but to offer alternative suggestions to the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme from Buckden Parish Council.  The alternative suggestions included a solution to negate the need for Borrow Pits to enable the re-alignment of the A1, a footpath to Grafham Water, extension of the cycle lane and footpath from Mere Lane to Brampton Wood and retention of the viaduct.  At the conclusion of his presentation the Cabinet asked questions of Councillor Hayward.

In further response the Transport Team Leader explained that within the Cambridgeshire County Council Mineral and Waste Plan, material from the Borrow Pits had been  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11

To consider a report on the A14 Local Impact Report, Statement of Common Ground and Environmental Impact Assessment Matters presented by the Transport Team Leader.

The Environmental Well-Being Panel have been informed that there are no planned ‘Borrow Pit’ additions following questions on potential changes. It was confirmed that no changes were imminent and any discrepancies that did occur would be resolved before the end of the examination period. Members noted that there was a Legacy meeting scheduled on 11th June 2015 to further discuss Borrow Pits, making sure that maintenance was upheld after the obligatory 10 years.

The Panel queried the routes for the aggregate deliveries during the A14 development and access issues that might arise from the work. It was explained that HE have indicated that the route of the new roads would bear the majority of the construction traffic, including a new ‘Haul Route’ between Ellington and Swavesey. Contractors appointed to carry out the works might suggest an alternative solution although the District Council would continue to press for the ‘Haul Route’ as currently proposed. The Panel suggested that this information should be provided to local Parish Councils to avoid further confusion.

It was explained that Borrow Pits were utilised in a variety of ways such as landfill sites and the current option was to fill them with water, creating uses within that environment. It was noted that after the Compulsory Purchase of the land it then had to be offered back to the original landowner. If that offerwas declined then HE have a statutory 10 year obligation and the Council was working to have a greater say on how the sites were used in the long-term future beyond that 10 year period.

In conclusion, the Panel accepted the report and remarked on the usefulness of the document as an update. All recommendations to Cabinet were approved by the Panel.