Bourn Airfield and Cambourne Community Forum

Local Planning

The next stages of the Joint Local Plan for Greater Cambridge is linked to the outcome of key projects, not least the work of the Water Scarcity Group (to help determine how much water will be available for future housing and job needs) and the outcome of infrastructure decisions, including for the relocation of the Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Works.

The recent establishment of a “Cambridge Delivery Group” (see below) to oversee the governments previously expressed ambitions for significant additional growth in Cambridge will also have an impact. Together with further details yet to be published on the Governments reforms to the Local Plan process, this means that we do not expect to be able to clarify the programme for the next phase of the Local Plan until the autumn.

Infrastructure

A428

Work on the A428 dualling has now started, and the Council is therefore engaging with the programme team from National Highways to understand the implications for our communities caused by the works. Noting that National Highways have public engagement planned amongst communities through the summer, the Council is also seeking to explore how the project and its associated grant regimes might be deployed to benefit communities along the route.

Read more about the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements scheme

East West Rail

The announcement of a General Election has led to a pause to the planned phase 1 public consultation round proposed by East West Rail Company for the early summer. The East West Rail Company has also recently appointed a new Chief Executive. The Councils are seeking to engage with the new postholder to stress the importance of timely and comprehensive information on the project to be shared at the consultation stage – noting the considerable local interest in the project, and communities concerns around recent notices that were served. We are awaiting information on when the consultation process may now take place and also what details residents can expect to be shared.

East West Rail Company have also recently served property questionnaires on a large number of properties to determine/confirm information around ownership. This has caused widespread concern amongst communities and property owners as the questionnaires covered areas not just directly impacted by the proposed route, but properties some distance from it.

More information on the process can be found on East West Rail Land & property section of their website. 

The Council has made East West Rail clear about the impact and unease caused by these questionnaires and will continue to press for full and early information on the scheme design.

Cambourne to Cambridge

The Transport and Works Act submission for the Cambourne to Cambridge public transport corridor are being prepared ready for submission shortly. This follows the decision taken by the County Council on 21 March 2023 to submit a Transport and Works Act application for the project. That submission is expected later in the summer, with the statutory process then resulting in a fixed programme timetable that will be publicised by the Government appointed Inspectors in due course.

Anglian Water Fens Reservoir Phase 2 Consultation

This consultation closes on 9 August 2024.

Anglia Water Fens Reservoir Phase 2 Consultation: closes 9 August 2024. Anglian Water and Cambridge Water are proposing a new reservoir in the Fens as well as associated Water Infrastructure to help meet the growing demands on water supply in the East of England. The Reservoir itself will be in Chatteris, Fenland and it is proposed it will connect via a predominantly underground pipeline to a connection point, also referred to as a Service Reservoir, near Madingley.

The current option for this connection point is located on land to the east of Hardwick, immediately south of the A428 and St Neots Road, and to the west of Long Road on an existing Cambridge Water site. With regard to the path of the proposed pipeline, the consultation document indicates a proposed 500 metre wide corridor within which a smaller construction area to build the pipeline would be agreed.

The Phase 2 Consultation invites feedback on emerging design for the reservoir; early-stage proposals for wider areas of land in the vicinity of the reservoir and areas identified for the water sources infrastructure needed to transfer water from sources to the reservoir, and the water supply infrastructure needed to treat the water stored at the reservoir, and supply it to homes and businesses. You can find out more about the proposals, planning process, in person and online consultation events and how to respond on the consultation web page. 

Planning Applications Update

Bourn Airfield

The outline planning application for Bourn Airfield is currently being reviewed following the objection from the Environment Agency in 2023, recent planning appeals decisions and the actions being pursued by the government to resolve water supply matters through the Cambridge 2040 project.

Cambourne High Street

A Planning application has been submitted recently for the development of the above to provide Erection of 87 No. apartments, 30 No. townhouses, 1,401sqm of commercial (use class E(a-c and e)), realignment of existing road, public open space and landscaping. The application is currently under consideration by the Planning Authority.

Details of the proposals can be found online under view and comment on planning applications on the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning website, using the reference number 24/01548/FUL. It is anticipated that the application will be reported to the Planning Committee later in the year for a decision.

Cambourne Business Park

Planning permission for the development of the land on the south side of the Cambourne Business Park road was granted earlier in the year. The applicants (the South Cambridgeshire Partnership between SCDC and the housebuilder Hill) have advised that work on the site will be starting shortly – with the last few details being considered at the moment by the Shared Planning Service on the “pre-commencement” planning conditions.

Cambridge 2040

In July 2023, Michael Gove announced plans for significant expansion of Cambridge by up to 250,000 new homes. He appointed Peter Freeman to head up a “Cambridge Delivery Group” to plan for how this objective would be achieved. This included establishing a cross government “water scarcity group” made up of Civil Servants, Water Companies, the Regional Water Planning Group, the regulator and officers from the Council to seek to address short term (immediate) supply issues, whilst planning for longer term and larger scale demand arising from the new homes the Minister aspired towards. Earlier this summer, the “Cambridge Delivery Group” was formally established as a company, allowing the appointment of staff to focus on the project.

In the Spring budget further funding was also announced to assist in the work of the Water Scarcity Group and to support the next stage of the development of the Cambridge South East Transport corridor (CSET) project. At the same time, The Case for Cambridge was also published expressing in more depth the government’s ambitions for the area. Finally, in May 2024, a Written Ministerial Statement was published focusing on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

View the published Ministerial Statement on written statements on the UK Parliament website. 

Since autumn 2023 the “Water Scarcity Group” has met to discuss what measures may provide solutions to the areas current status, and at the same time unlock development held up (such as Bourn) by the concerns expressed by the Environment Agency. In Spring 2024, the Secretary of State published new guidance on using planning conditions to go beyond national water conservation targets in planning permissions. The government also published a Joint Statement with the Shared Planning Service and Environment Agency on immediate water scarcity matters.

Read the Joint statement on addressing water scarcity in Greater Cambridge on the GOV.UK website.

New funding to enable to the exploration/development of a potential water credits scheme to capture developer funds to invest in more effective water demand management across the greater Cambridge Area was also announced.

The purpose of the Cambridge Delivery Group was also clarified in Spring 2024, with an explicit objective of exploring the case for establishment of a Development Corporation for the area. This followed earlier announcements (in July 2023) on this matter. The Cambridge Delivery Group were also charged with the preparing a plan for realising the government’s growth ambitions. Officers understand that the commissioning of the work to undertake that spatial planning exercise has not yet been undertaken.

Bourn Airfield

The Outline planning application for Bourn Airfield remains under consideration by the Local Planning Authority. The single issue forming the basis for that status is the Environment Agency’s current position on water supply across Greater Cambridge and their objection to a number of large applications.

Following the establishment by the Government of the Cambridge Delivery Group and through that group, a “Water Scarcity Group” comprising representatives from a number of government departments, the Environment Agency, Water Companies, the water Regulator, County Council and the Local Planning Authority, a series of initiatives are being developed by the Government to accompany work that has been undertaken on a further revision to Cambridge Waters Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP), which seek to respond positively to the objection from the Environment Agency and unlock the current Bourn planning application.

The latest WRMP was published this week (4 March 2024) and is being reviewed by the EA and the Local Planning Authority. The LPA is also continuing to engage with the Environment Agency on its concerns and will keep under review the pause to the current applications determination.

Cambourne West

Development in Cambourne continues, with parcel 2.1 (Vistry) proposals for 118 homes underway and parcel 1.5 (Taylor Wimpey) development of 41 homes also ongoing. People are now moving into their new homes on parcels 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4. The application for the noise bund, alongside the A428 is also with the Council for consideration and determination. Applications for the Habitat ponds 24 and 25 (located in the field south of Lower Cambourne) which are part of a legal obligation with Natural England to create two habitat ponds for Great Crested Newts (and other species).

Elsewhere on Cambourne Business Park, the SCDC Planning Committee recently resolved to approve the full planning application for 256 new homes on the south side of the Cambourne Business Park access road, and for the conversion of the former marketing suite building to a café. The S106 for that application is being completed currently with a decision to be issued shortly.

Local Plan Update

On 12 March 2024, SCDC Cabinet will be considering a report on the Greater Cambridge Joint Local Plan. The continued unresolved position on water supply, together with the ongoing review of transport impacts following the pause to the GCP Making Connections programme and certainty around E-W Rail, and the timeline for the determination of the Development Consent Order application to relocate the Water Treatment works from the North East Cambridge site are identified as significant factors impacting the timetable for completion of the Plan. The report also highlights those changes to the Locla Plan process- brought in by the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 - and transitional arrangements add further uncertainty to the process.

Cambridge 2040

The Government Cambridge 2040 ambitions emerged in July 2023 and include significantly greater growth ambitions than set out in the Joint Local Plan. Following the appointment of peter Freeman (Chair of Homes England) to lead the “Cambridge Delivery Group” a number of studies have been commissioned by the government to explore growth issues in the area.

The Conclusions of that work have not (at the time of drafting this update) been shared with the Councils. The Government has also indicated an intention to set up a development corporation to deliver those ambitions – but details of the extent and form that any such delivery body might take have not yet been shared or published.

Initially, the Cambridge Delivery Group indicated that it would be sharing ideas with partners including the Council in the Spring. Once the relationship between the governments and SCDC plans become clearer, we would anticipate further briefings being provided to local communities – by both the government and the Council.

EWR update

The Greater Cambridge Shared Planning (GCSP) service is seeking to understand the details likely to be subject of the planned first stage of a two-stage statutory consultation in relation to the East West Rail (EWR) project. The initial consultation stage is due to commence in the first half of 2024 and is expected to include updated information on design areas in greater detail compared with previous consultation events.

Prior to the first stage of the statutory consultation, EWR will be engaging with GCSP and other host local authorities on the content of a draft Statement of Community Consultation (SoCC), which sets out how EWR proposes to consult with local communities and aims to ensure that consultation methods meet the needs of communities along the route. The feedback received from this initial consultation stage will inform EWR in finalising a single proposal for the entire route, which will be presented in the second stage of the statutory consultation, prior to the submission of a Development Consent Order (DCO) application.

Written Update for 18 October 2023: Please email south.west@scambs.gov.uk with any questions or queries.

General Planning Update

On 24 July, the Prime Minister announced a project – described as “Cambridge 2040” aimed at accelerating and increasing levels of growth for Cambridge as part of a wider initiative to realise the full potential of Cities across the UK. The project aims to “supercharge” Cambridge’s growth as Europe’s Science City and “to write the next, expansive, chapter in Cambridge’s story of scientific endeavour.”

Council officers have subsequently engaged with government departments and Peter Freeman, who was appointed by Michael Gove to establish and lead the “Cambridge Delivery Group” (CDG). A working group explicitly to consider the challenges for the regions water supply has met twice so far – to consider solutions for the short-, medium- and long-term water supply issues facing the area. This includes explicitly looking to resolve the position for Bourn Airfield and Waterbeach that have prompted the Environment Agency’s objection. It is not yet clear what specific outputs will be from the CDG process but officers from both Councils are continuing to work with government to try and understand what and when any ambitions by the Secretary of State will be realised.

Levelling up and Regeneration Bill

This important piece of legislation is expected to receive Royal Ascent this autumn. It includes provisions for a new Local Plan format and process – including an expectation that preparation will take just 30 months, alongside provisions for a new infrastructure levy process, community land auctions and refinements aimed at reforming the planning process. Alongside this important new Act, there have also been several consultations on changes to policy and “permitted development” over the summer seeking to support housing delivery and free up the planning process to create new homes from non-residential premises.

Cambridge Water

After some delays to allow for further modelling to be undertaken, Cambridge Water published a revised “Water Resources Management Plan” (WRMP) on 29th September. The plan sets out how Cambridge Water expect to meet the growing water needs for the area. This includes proposals for new water supply in the 2030’s via a connection to Grafham and a new reservoir in the fens. In the meantime, the WMRP proposes several measures including seeking to reduce leakages and behaviour change proposals to reduce demand. The plan is being reviewed by the Environment Agency (who have 10 weeks to respond) before being presented to DEFRA as the body responsible for sign off/approval of the plans across England.

Greater Cambridge Joint Local Plan

The Councils programme identified an expectation for publication of the next iteration of the Greater Cambridge Joint Local Plan this autumn. The delays caused by the WRMP process (see above) which effectively mean that the LPA has not been able to confirm how much of the identified need for homes and jobs can be accommodated within the plan, mean that publication is not now expected to take place before the end of the year. Officers are also seeking to understand the interplay between the Cambridge 2040 project and the plan process. Work on the Joint Local Plan is continuing through the collection of evidence in the meantime.

Statement of Community Involvement

The Council has just published for consultation (18 October), its update to the statement of community involvement. This outlines how the Council seeks to engage with our communities on plan related activity – from Local and Neighbourhood Planning to planning applications. We encourage everyone to share their views on this topic by visiting Statement of Community Involvement page on the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning website.

East West Rail

The East West Rail company have made further contact with the Council to discuss the ongoing project. Recent public engagement events confirm the projects continuation, but no new information has yet been presented on route/design detail. There is therefore no further update on this project.

Bourn Airfield

The issue of water resources is being considered before the decision notice granting planning permission is finalised and issued. The S106 Agreement is at the engrossment stage (the final legal stage) and therefore ready for signing.

Bourn Quarter

Overview: Phase 1 has been complete for over year and is nearing full occupation. Several units in Phase 2 are now occupied and work has commenced on the build of Phases 2 and 3. There have been several applications for minor amendments for Phases 1 and 2, one of which is due for determination in November. Minor amendments approved include changes to window, fencing, service yard arrangements and subsequent alterations to landscaping.

Phase 1 has now been completed for over 12 months; the scheme comprised 15 units of varying sizes. All the units are now either fully occupied by tenants, are being fitted out or, in the case of units 4,5 & 6 , are in the final stages of lease negotiations. Since the last update unit 1, which was the largest available building not let to CDP, has been leased to CRFS Ltd and the terrace of small units numbered 10 A – F have been let to two separate businesses units A & B to Xampla and units C-F to 4 T Medical. There are no outstanding applications for amendments to the phase one units at present.

Phase 2: We are keeping Public Art under review as part of our detailed plans for phase 2. We are also in touch with the Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust regarding a memorial stone which we plan to include be in the phase 2 landscaping.

Current applications – Various amendments to Phase 2 are proposed for determination by 28 November. The main change is to subdivide Units 17 and 18, there is no overall increase in floorspace. The maximum roof heights are proposed to be amended, some increased slightly, and some reduced slightly, so that most units will be 12.20 metres high and 2 units at 11.60 metres high. Other proposed changes include additional electricity substations, condenser units, 2 additional loading doors, additional windows, and amendments to landscaping. The application is available for view and comment on the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning website under the reference 23/03305/S73.

Cambourne West

As of the end of September 2023 we have 157 private occupations on West Cambourne and 37 occupations of housing association homes.

Following the approval of a hedgerow removal in August which, the footpath connecting the Swansley Crescent area (parcels 1.1 and 1.2) with the existing bridleway running north-south to the West of Lower Cambourne, is now open will enable pedestrian access to the schools and to the rest of Cambourne.

As advised at the last forum, Parcels 1.5 and 2.1 have been granted planning permission which means a total of 985 homes has been approved for this development.

Welcome Pack for Cambourne West (new)

A Welcome Pack for new residents of Cambourne West has been created by Cambourne Town Council and is available on their website. Printed copies will soon be available from the Hub and the Sales Office – if you need a hard copy now – please contact Cambourne Town Council on 01954 714 403

New residents: GP registration

Monkfield Medical Practice welcome requests for registration from patients living in or moving to Great, Upper and Lower Cambourne. You will be registered with one of the GP’s, but you can see any of the doctors in the practice. Registering is easy – the process depends of whether you have your NHS card:

If you have your NHS card – simply sign it, fill in your new Cambourne address and telephone number (landline and mobile) and send the card to us or bring it into the surgery. Please complete and return a new patient questionnaire for each adult and a child registration form for each child.

If you don’t have your NHS card – come into the surgery and fill in an NHS registration form and new patient questionnaire or child registration forms or pre-register by using the online forms below.

For further information see the new patients page on the Monkfield Medical Practice website.

Cambourne Business Park – Residential - SCIP

The planning application reference 23/00123/FUL for development by the SCIP at Cambourne Business Park was presented to the SCDC Planning Committee on 11 October but deferred following the submission of technical representations from a business use which occupies a neighbouring building within the Business Park. The recommendation of a deferral was made to enable the Local Planning Authority to fully review additional technical information in respect of noise, vibration, and electromagnetic radiation. Officers from the LPA are meeting with the representatives of the neighbouring business and considering the technical information submitted. The application is expected to be returned to the committee soon once the additional information has been fully considered.

Education - Cambridgeshire County Council

Secondary: Cambourne Village College (VC) has reached capacity in Year 7, but has spaces in other year groups. The Council works closely with the Cam Academy Trust, which runs both Cambourne VC and Comberton VC and the schools, to manage admissions across the local area.

It is possible that if children move into Cambourne in Year 7, then they may have to be found places at other local schools; however, if the number of children increased sufficiently, the Council would work with the school and Academy Trust to create an additional class. The Council has handed over Block 1 of the new extension to the school (2 large Art classes and 4 Geography classes), so the school should have the physical space to do this, but there are other considerations such as the financial viability of the school’s class organisation and the recruitment of staff.

The whole extension is scheduled to be handed over in May so should be in use from September 2024. This will provide 2,000 secondary and sixth form places. The current roll is around 1,360, therefore from September 2024, there should be sufficient secondary places for the near future. However, the school, in consultation with the Council and Academy Trust, will manage the increase so that it is viable in educational and financial terms and does not impact on neighbouring schools.

Primary: The reception intake in September 2023 was around 190 compared to 285 places available across the four schools. This reflects the lower number of annual births in Cambourne in recent years.

Some concerns were raised at the beginning of term about a few children from Cambourne having to attend the Hardwick campus of Hardwick and Cambourne Primary School in Year 5 and 6 (Age 9+ and 10+). However this is because of the way that the school organises its classes and gives a more efficient class structure, rather than a lack of physical capacity.

Transport

A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet: National Highways: Pre works start at the end of October – details provided via Update Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet Main construction will begin towards the end of the year or early 2024.

East West Rail – see planning update at the beginning of this document
Cambourne to Cambridge – Greater Cambridge Partnership are currently preparing an application for a Transport Works Order. You can find more information on their Cambourne to Cambridge: latest

A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet: National Highways: Pre works start at the end of October – details provided via Update Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet Main construction will begin towards the end of the year or early 2024.

Please find the recording of the previous meeting below.

For those with accessibility needs, YouTube has a "captions" feature that can be enabled when the embedded videos are watched on their platform.

Please use the below timestamps to navigate the video to agenda items.

0:00 - Welcome & introductions

03:36 - Planning Update, Stephen Kelly

10:22 - Questions

13:20 - East West Rail Update, Jonathan Cornwell

25:20 - Questions

42:06 - Cambourne to Cambridge Better Public Transport Update, Jo Baker

49:53 - Questions

1:02:43 - Meeting close

Please find below a video presentation from National Highways on the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet update.

Where: This forum was held virtually over Zoom.

Note: For those with accessibility needs, YouTube has a "captions" feature that can be enabled when the embedded videos are watched on their platform.

Please see below timestamps for the above video, which you can use to navigate agenda items.

0:00 - Welcome and introduction, Gareth Bell

05:25 - Planning Update, Stephen Kelly

13:00 - Cambourne West Update, James Truett

18:00 - Q&A session

23:50 - SCIP Planning Application Update, Aaron Coe

30:03 - Q&A session

33:17 - Bourn Quarter, Chris Mills and Harry Aitchison

40:06 - Forum review, Louise Lord

46:20 - Discussion/Q&A

50:37 - Meeting close

Where: This forum was held virtually over Zoom.

Note: For those with accessibility needs, YouTube has a "captions" feature that can be enabled when the embedded videos are watched on their platform.

Please see below time stamps for the above video, which you can use to navigate agenda items:

0:00 - Welcome

03:40 - Planning Round Up

10:26 - Local Plan Update

19:06 - Transport Round Up

24:20 - Q&A

45:50 - Update Cambourne West

50:27 - Update Cambourne Village College

54:40 Update SCIP

1:02:05 - Q&A

1:22:22 - Update Bourn Quarter

1:36:33 - Q&A

1:40:13 - Presentation Bourn Parish Council

1:43:48 - Q&A

1:52:00 - Meeting close

Please find follow up responses to queries arising from the November 2022 Forums including links to GP registration process for new Cambourne West residents. [PDF, 0.1MB]

A428 Development Cluster Community Forums: General Update

1. Please find link to current Greater Cambridge Planning Teams: update in progress to be provided as soon as possible. Please see contact details for planning officers for each site below.

2. Please find link to Planning Compliance section of Greater Cambridge Planning website including complaints form.

A428 Development Cluster Community Forums: Cambourne

3. Plan of access routes (vehicular/ pedestrian/ cycle) as referred to by Stephen Kelly – please email south.west@scambs.gov.uk and request this document is sent to you as we are unable to share on our website.

4. Request for information on GP registration for new residents.

5. Planning Officer: James Truett - James.Truett@greatercambridgeplanning.org, Ganesh Gnanamorthy - ganesh.gnanamoorthy@greatercambridgeplanning.org

A428 Development Cluster Community Forums: Bourn

6. Please find written update regarding Bourn Airfield New Village: there is nothing significant to update on at the moment. The S106 Agreement is still being progressed, so the decision notice has not yet been issued. We expect to provide further information at the next Forum.

7. Planning Officer: Kate Poyser - kate.poyser@greatercambridgeplanning.org

Where: Virtual Meeting - Zoom

Note: For those with accessibility needs, YouTube has a "captions" feature that can be enabled when the embedded videos are watched on their platform.

This forum was held back to back with A428 Development Cluster - Bourn Airfield Forum as follows: Session 1. A428 Development Cluster - Cambourne Forum, Session 2. Travel and Transport Sessions 3. A428 Development Cluster - Bourn Airfield Forum Forum. Session 2 and 3 are available below. For Session 1 and 2 see this link here.

Cllr Dr Tumi Hawkins - Transport Introduction

Jez Tuttle - Transport Overview

Emma Wood - Highways update

Jo Baker - Update on Cambridge to Cambourne 

Gail Buckland - East West Rail Update

Transport Q&A Session and Meeting Close

Cllr Dr Tumi Hawkins - Bourn Introduction

Kate Poyser - Bourn Update

Q&A Session and Meeting Close

Unanswered Questions:

With the bus service along the top of Bourn airfield adjacent to the a428 bridging in the opposite direction to the east west rail alignment, how will this work?

GCP liaises regularly with East West Rail but at present there is no preferred alignment for East West Rail and no certainty that this will be the final alignment. The intention is to submit a Transport and Works Act application for C2C within the next 6 months. It is likely that the timescale for East West Rail, should a northern alignment proceed, will be much longer, and East West Rail will then need to develop an alignment which crosses not just C2C but also the A428.

Are there plans to ensure the road network meets the recent changes to the Highway Code and the Road User Hierarchy - in particular avoiding the danger of cyclists undertaking equestrians? Why are the road crossings and paths restricted to pedestrians and cyclists - why not full non-motorised user routes?  I would be pleased to discuss this outside this forum.

Where C2C meets highways the junctions will need to be designed to meet the requirement of road safety audits. Other matters have been discussed with the British Horse Society at programme level.

What provision is planned for NHS dentists, there is a serious lack in the area!

NHS England – East of England is aware and understand the difficulty people are having trying to see an NHS dentist for routine and urgent care. There is a lot of work being undertaken to improve this, which includes training and recruiting more dentists. 

Primary care dental services are returning to usual contractual arrangements from 1 July 2022.  This will enable more routine patients to be seen.     

Due to the nature of certain clinical dental procedures there is still a national requirement for enhanced infection protection control measures in dental surgeries despite the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions in general society. Many dental procedures generate an aerosol (a water vapour) when drills are used for commonly performed treatments such as scaling, fillings, root fillings and crowns and so enhanced infection protection is needed after these procedures are carried out in dental surgeries. These additional measures result in fewer patients being able to be seen and so dental practices need to manage their surgery time differently to operate safety. 

This, combined with a lack of dentists, has led to increased waiting lists to access NHS dentists and with the COVID-19 related requirements to dental practices has resulted in reduced access for non-urgent NHS dental care.  

NHS England is working closely with dental practices to reduce waiting times for patients. Most helpfully, the number of patients that an NHS dentist is allowed to see and treat each day is now increasing as infection control requirements change to reflect the latest COVID-19 infection and transmission rates.  

Patients can approach any NHS dental practice and request care; however, it is important to note that many NHS dental practices now have a waiting list of patients who require dental care. 

Dental practices are independent providers who hold a contract to provide NHS dental services.  Dental providers manage their own practice including capacity and determine whether they are able to accept additional/new patients and therefore their lists can open and close on a frequent basis. 

If a patient believes that their condition is deteriorating into an urgent problem or changing, they should contact NHS 111, who will be able to direct them to a dentist who does have capacity to see patients who need urgent care. 

NHS dental practices have been asked to maintain a short notice cancellation list and contact patients if capacity becomes available within their appointment books and so maintaining regular contact with local NHS dental practices will facilitate those practices to utilise their surgery capacity to the maximum. In addition, NHS dental practices have been asked to regularly update their NHS UK website profiles to ensure that it accurately reflects their capacity to see patients. 

Automatic registration with an NHS dentist has not existed since 2006. Many practices have maintained a list of NHS patients they offer to recall but no registration or maintaining an NHS patient list is an actual requirement of an NHS dentist. 

Where: Virtual Meeting - Zoom

Note: For increased accessibility, YouTube has a "captions" feature that can be enabled when the embedded videos are watched on their platform.

Cllr Bill Handley - Introduction

Stephen Kelly - Planning check in 

Kate Poyser - Introduction to Bourn Airfield

First Q&A session

Clare Gibbons - Introduction to community governance reviews and new development

Second Q&A session

Meeting close

Unanswered Questions:

The land at the top of Highfields Caldecote has no legal precedent. Why has it been included on the map?

It is assumed this refers to the field next to Highfields Road and near the roundabout with St Neots Road. This area is part of the Strategic Site as shown in the South Cambridgeshire Adopted Local Plan(2018) and Bourn Airfield New Village Supplementary Planning Document (2019). In the planning application, it is proposed to be used as open space with paths, ponds, informal recreation, allotments and community orchard.

Is the work on the Broadway that’s being done at the moment by Power Networks related to Bourn Airfield?

Power Networks are creating a connection from Bourn sub-station to Bourn Quarter – the new commercial development on the former Gestamp manufacturing site at Bourn Airfield. This work is part of Phase 1 which is due for completion in April 2022. See the developers website for more information about Bourn Quarter as well as the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning portal (Use reference 20/02568/FUL).

We have traffic counts wires across the roads - in the village (Hardwick) at the moment. Is this part of the before and after monitoring process? Are these counts being done by Highways?

These counts are not being done by Highways. Countryside advise that as part of the process for implementing the S278 Works (the approvals process for Highways Works) Countryside have through, their sub-consultants, installed Automatic Traffic Count’s to record vehicle speeds and volumes. These are used for the purpose of supporting the highway design.

Additional information:

Community Governance Reviews and New Communities: We need to take into account a range of eventualities when planning for new communities, including the emergence, in a later stage of the development, of a new community governance arrangement, such as town or parish council, if that should be the eventual outcome of a Community Governance Review at that later stage. Unless altered by a Community Governance Review, the existing parish boundaries remain in place and the existing parish councils are elected by all of the electors in that area, to serve the interests of all residents in their area. You can read more about Community Governance Reviews on our website.

S106 Agreements and Parish Councils: Although Parish Councils are frequently invited to share their views on proposed development, including any likely impact on pre-existing communities, unless the mitigations identified would require the parish council concerned to have direct responsibility for those measures referred to in the s106 agreement (such as taking on land management responsibilities, or receiving significant funding) they would not be a signatory to that agreement. 

Where: This forum was held virtually over Zoom.

Note: For those with accessibility needs, YouTube has a "captions" feature that can be enabled when the embedded videos are watched on their platform.

Please see below timestamps for the above video, which you can use to navigate agenda items.

0:00 - Welcome and introduction, Gareth Bell

05:25 - Planning Update, Stephen Kelly

13:00 - Cambourne West Update, James Truett

18:00 - Q&A session

23:50 - SCIP Planning Application Update, Aaron Coe

30:03 - Q&A session

33:17 - Bourn Quarter, Chris Mills and Harry Aitchison

40:06 - Forum review, Louise Lord

46:20 - Discussion/Q&A

50:37 - Meeting close

Where: This forum was held virtually over Zoom.

Note: For those with accessibility needs, YouTube has a "captions" feature that can be enabled when the embedded videos are watched on their platform.

Please see below time stamps for the above video, which you can use to navigate agenda items:

0:00 - Welcome

03:40 - Planning Round Up

10:26 - Local Plan Update

19:06 - Transport Round Up

24:20 - Q&A

45:50 - Update Cambourne West

50:27 - Update Cambourne Village College

54:40 Update SCIP

1:02:05 - Q&A

1:22:22 - Update Bourn Quarter

1:36:33 - Q&A

1:40:13 - Presentation Bourn Parish Council

1:43:48 - Q&A

1:52:00 - Meeting close

Please find follow up responses to queries arising from the November 2022 Forums including links to GP registration process for new Cambourne West residents. [PDF, 0.1MB]

A428 Development Cluster Community Forums: General Update

1. Please find link to current Greater Cambridge Planning Teams: update in progress to be provided as soon as possible. Please see contact details for planning officers for each site below.

2. Please find link to Planning Compliance section of Greater Cambridge Planning website including complaints form.

A428 Development Cluster Community Forums: Cambourne

3. Plan of access routes (vehicular/ pedestrian/ cycle) as referred to by Stephen Kelly – please email south.west@scambs.gov.uk and request this document is sent to you as we are unable to share on our website.

4. Request for information on GP registration for new residents.

5. Planning Officer: James Truett - James.Truett@greatercambridgeplanning.org, Ganesh Gnanamoorthy - ganesh.gnanamoorthy@greatercambridgeplanning.org

A428 Development Cluster Community Forums: Bourn

6. Please find written update regarding Bourn Airfield New Village: there is nothing significant to update on at the moment. The S106 Agreement is still being progressed, so the decision notice has not yet been issued. We expect to provide further information at the next Forum.

7. Planning Officer: Kate Poyser - kate.poyser@greatercambridgeplanning.org

Where: Virtual meeting held over Zoom

Note: For those with accessibility needs, YouTube has a "captions" feature that can be enabled when the embedded videos are watched on their platform.

This forum was held back to back with A428 Development Cluster - Bourn Airfield Forum as follows: Session 1. A428 Development Cluster - Cambourne Forum, Session 2. Travel and Transport, Session 3. A428 Development Cluster - Bourn Airfield Forum Forum. Session 1 and 2 are available below. 

Cllr Dr Tumi Hawkins Introduction:

Stephanie Moffatt - Cambourne West Site Update

Lucy Macleod - NHS Update

Q&A Session and Meeting Close

Cllr Dr Tumi Hawkins - Transport Introduction

Jez Tuttle - Transport Overview

Emma Wood - Highways Update

Jo Baker - Update on Cambridge to Cambourne 

Gail Buckland - East West Rail Update

Transport Q&A Session and Meeting Close

Unanswered Questions:

With the bus service along the top of Bourn airfield adjacent to the a428 bridging in the opposite direction to the East West Rail alignment, how will this work?

GCP liaises regularly with East West Rail but at present there is no preferred alignment for East West Rail and no certainty that this will be the final alignment. The intention is to submit a Transport and Works Act application for C2C within the next 6 months. It is likely that the timescale for East West Rail, should a northern alignment proceed, will be much longer, and East West Rail will then need to develop an alignment which crosses not just C2C but also the A428.

Are there plans to ensure the road network meets the recent changes to the Highway Code and the Road User Hierarchy - in particular avoiding the danger of cyclists undertaking equestrians? Why are the road crossings and paths restricted to pedestrians and cyclists - why not full non-motorised user routes?  I would be pleased to discuss this outside this forum.

Where C2C meets highways the junctions will need to be designed to meet the requirement of road safety audits. Other matters have been discussed with the British Horse Society at programme level.

What provision is planned for NHS dentists, there is a serious lack in the area!

NHS England – East of England is aware and understand the difficulty people are having trying to see an NHS dentist for routine and urgent care. There is a lot of work being undertaken to improve this, which includes training and recruiting more dentists. 

Primary care dental services are returning to usual contractual arrangements from 1 July 2022.  This will enable more routine patients to be seen.     

Due to the nature of certain clinical dental procedures there is still a national requirement for enhanced infection protection control measures in dental surgeries despite the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions in general society. Many dental procedures generate an aerosol (a water vapour) when drills are used for commonly performed treatments such as scaling, fillings, root fillings and crowns and so enhanced infection protection is needed after these procedures are carried out in dental surgeries. These additional measures result in fewer patients being able to be seen and so dental practices need to manage their surgery time differently to operate safety. 

This, combined with a lack of dentists, has led to increased waiting lists to access NHS dentists and with the COVID-19 related requirements to dental practices has resulted in reduced access for non-urgent NHS dental care.  

NHS England is working closely with dental practices to reduce waiting times for patients. Most helpfully, the number of patients that an NHS dentist is allowed to see and treat each day is now increasing as infection control requirements change to reflect the latest COVID-19 infection and transmission rates.  

Patients can approach any NHS dental practice and request care; however, it is important to note that many NHS dental practices now have a waiting list of patients who require dental care. 

Dental practices are independent providers who hold a contract to provide NHS dental services. Dental providers manage their own practice including capacity and determine whether they are able to accept additional/new patients and therefore their lists can open and close on a frequent basis. 

If a patient believes that their condition is deteriorating into an urgent problem or changing, they should contact NHS 111, who will be able to direct them to a dentist who does have capacity to see patients who need urgent care. 

NHS dental practices have been asked to maintain a short notice cancellation list and contact patients if capacity becomes available within their appointment books and so maintaining regular contact with local NHS dental practices will facilitate those practices to utilise their surgery capacity to the maximum. In addition, NHS dental practices have been asked to regularly update their NHS UK website profiles to ensure that it accurately reflects their capacity to see patients. 

Automatic registration with an NHS dentist has not existed since 2006. Many practices have maintained a list of NHS patients they offer to recall but no registration or maintaining an NHS patient list is an actual requirement of an NHS dentist.  

Where: Virtual Meeting - Zoom

Note: For those with accessibility needs, YouTube has a "captions" feature that can be enabled when the embedded videos are watched on their platform.

Cllr Bill Handley Introduction:

Stephen Kelly - Planning check in

John Vickery - Introduction to Cambourne Town Council

First Q&A session

James Truett - Update on West Cambourne

Second Q&A Session

Meeting close

Unanswered questions:

What is the plan for GP / medical provision for West Cambourne? Monkfield Medical Practice in Gt Cambourne is not accepting patients who are based in West Cambourne.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG are aware of concerns over GP provision in the West Cambourne area. The Primary Care Team have met with representatives from neighbouring practices to resolve a way forward and in consultation with new residents’ agree a fair allocation of patients moving into Lunar Park (West Cambourne). New residents will shortly receive a communication on the matter via their letter boxes which will also be included as part of the new resident’s information pack.