Issue - meetings

To seek approval for submission of a formal response to Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Making Connections Consultation.

Executive Councillor: S Wakeford.

The Cabinet has

a)  commented on the draft response letter as set out in Appendix B of the report submitted and agreed to amend the response to pick up comments made by the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance and Growth) in respect of the development and infrastructure of park and ride sites within the District and connecting rural areas, specifically mentioning the northern and western parts of the District;

b)  delegated authority to the Chief Planning Officer in consultation with the Executive Councillor for Jobs, Economy and Housing to make amendments to the Huntingdonshire District Council response prior to submission to the Greater Cambridge Partnership; and

c)  encouraged Huntingdonshire residents and businesses, who it is recognised will have a range of opinions on the proposed scheme, to submit their own feedback to the consultation to ensure the Greater Cambridge Partnership has the fullest evidence base from within the District to inform its decision-making.

See Minute No. 22/52 – Members Interests.

Councillors S W Ferguson, T D Sanderson and S L Taylor vacated the room during discussion and voting on this item.

A report by the Chief Planning Officer was submitted (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) seeking approval for submission of a draft response to Greater Cambridge Partnership’s “Making Connections” consultation which was out for public consultation between 17 October and 23 December 2022.

The Executive Councillor for Jobs, Economy & Housing provided a detailed explanation on the background to the consultation and reported that the benefits of the proposals included positive steps towards climate change and an improved bus network infrastructure and sustainability. He then drew the Cabinet’s attention to comments which had been made by the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance & Growth) in respect of the development and infrastructure of park and ride sites within the District, the need for better connections in rural areas, specifically in the northern and western parts of the District and the concerns which had been raised regarding the Addenbrookes hospital site.

A proposal was made by the Executive Councillor for Jobs, Economy & Housing to amend the draft response outlined in Appendix B to strengthen the wording around park and ride sites and the need for better rural connections in the northern and western parts of the District. This was welcomed by the Cabinet. 

Cabinet Members commented on the balanced nature of the draft response and looked forward to seeing the proposals develop in the future. The Cabinet were reminded that the District Council was not a member of the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) and that the Council’s role primarily was an influential one. The Executive Councillor for Jobs, Economy & Housing also reported that the GCP had engaged with Officers ahead of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance & Growth) meeting on 7th December 2022 and that Officers were in the process of reviewing their response to some of the concerns which had been raised by the Council.

In noting the synergies which had emerged through the Council’s engagement on the Place Strategy, the Cabinet

RESOLVED

a)  to comment on the draft response letter as set out in Appendix B of the report submitted, subject to amending the response to pick up comments made by the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance & Growth) in respect of the development and infrastructure of park and ride sites within the District and the need for better rural connections in the northern and western parts of the District;

b)  to delegate authority to the Chief Planning Officer in consultation with the Executive Councillor for Jobs, Economy and Housing to make amendments to the Huntingdonshire District Council response prior to submission to the Greater Cambridge Partnership; and

c)  to encourage Huntingdonshire residents and businesses, who it is recognised will have a range of opinions on the proposed scheme, to submit their own feedback to the consultation to ensure the Greater Cambridge Partnership has the fullest evidence base from within the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 57

The Greater Cambridge Partnership Making Connections Consultation is to be presented to the Panel.

By means of a report by the Chief Planning Officer (a copy of which was appended in the Minute Book), the Greater Cambridge Partnership Making Connections Consultation was presented to the Panel.

Councillor Gray complemented the Officer on the proposed response which was felt to strike to the heart of the issues and concerns shared by all. Following a question from Councillor Gray regarding the development of further park and ride sites within the district, the Panel heard that the Executive Councillor agreed with the sentiment that there is a need to remain realistic about what may be achievable within the district and within the reach of the Greater Cambridge Partnership. The Panel were assured that the enquiry regarding development and infrastructure of park and ride sides was noted and the response would be adjusted to strengthen this suggestion.

Councillor Martin expressed concerns over the proposed charging within the area of the Addenbrookes hospital site, particularly that those using this route are potentially at a loss of income from illness or caring for a relative, additionally it was observed that those accessing this site for long term treatment may be unable to use public transport alternatives due to vulnerable health. This sentiment was echoed by Councillors Cawley and Gardener who added that they had jointly spoken to over 25 Parish Councils who also shared these concerns. The Panel heard that whilst sympathetic to these concerns, the Executive Councillor was not clear on an alternative option for this site due to the continued growth of the area and the impact this would have on its infrastructure.

Following an observation from Councillor Corney that more could be made of connecting rural areas, and the suggestion that to expand the response to have more emphasis on routes from both the north and west of the district to Huntingdon being included, the Panel heard that the response was aiming to be realistic in its expectations of what would be achievable.

Councillor Gardener suggested that improvements to local bus routes with regular and reliable services from rural areas into the towns would assist in connecting residents to Cambridge without the need for additional park and ride infrastructure. The Panel heard that the public transport responsibility lies with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, who are the Transport Authority and following a number of transport related consultations recently it remained important to continue to share feedback and concerns from the Council. It was observed that communication between the GCP and CPCA on this matter would be helpful.

Following the discussion, the Panel observed that they were generally in support of the response but would like to see stronger wording regarding waiving charges for those accessing the Addenbrookes sites and the development of park and ride sites within the district. It was thereupon

RESOLVED

that Cabinet be encouraged to consider the views of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel when making their decision on the recommendations.