[Members] Planners Residents Association webinars ; Developer Sites; Natural Cambs; Reminder of Omission Sites for local plan 2018 and MP Steve Barclay 2017 letter to Auditor General; Conflicts of interest ; Chalk Aquifer Alliance – Feargal Sharkey event 23 Sept

Wed Sep 16 17:40:24 BST 2020

Dear all,

*Update 16 Sept, 2020*

Apologies for the short notice but I have just been forwarded the
information below. The first webinar for residents is this evening, the
next one tomorrow morning!

*Residents Associations/Parish Council webinars: *

The Shared Planning Service have now published the responses that were
received to the Greater Cambridge Local Plan First Conversation
consultation in early 2020 (including the Call for Sites and Call for Green
Sites), and the 2019 Call for Sites. The responses can be viewed on the
website, www.greatercambridgeplanning.org/localplan.

There are Frequently Asked Questions
<https://www.greatercambridgeplanning.org/emerging-plans-and-guidance/greater-cambridge-local-plan/frequently-asked-questions/>
on our website which we will be updating regularly.

The Shared Planning Service will be holding some webinars to answer
questions about the information they are publishing. The webinar details
are:

*Residents Associations/Parish Council webinars: *

·        * Wednesday 16 September, 5-6pm via Zoom. *

Q&A - join the online Zoom webinar event
<https://councilanywhere.zoom.us/j/89115629555?pwd=bnJTcmJvdVlOLzZoNkhkQUllV0dPdz09>

Passcode 908914

·        *Thursday 17 September, 10-11am via Zoom. *

Q&A – join the online Zoom webinar event
<https://councilanywhere.zoom.us/j/81890779979?pwd=ZGxJWlZkZ2EyY21xUEdXWnkvNFZUZz09>

Passcode 748178

*Public webinars:*

·        * Monday 21 September, 12-1pm via Zoom. *

Q&A – join the online Zoom webinar event
<https://councilanywhere.zoom.us/j/82074408235?pwd=K1lQLzMzNHloSkxQcFk0cTdjbGN0Zz09>

Passcode 221515

·        * Tuesday 22 September, 12-1pm via Zoom. *

Q&A - join the online Zoom webinar event
<https://councilanywhere.zoom.us/j/86140775919?pwd=VW0wdElqYUJyUjd2Qk5vZDRkQ1k5UT09>

Passcode 739543

*List of Developer sites **submitted for Cambridgeshire *

https://www.greatercambridgeplanning.org/emerging-plans-and-guidance/greater-cambridge-local-plan/first-conversation-consultation-and-call-for-sites/

See helpful twitter thread from BBC Cambs. Click on link below. Greater
Cambridge Shared planning service will now assess which sites are suitable
to take forward to next stage

bit.ly/3knNXdk <https://t.co/Zp1Mu5q9BL> pic.twitter.com/G39qoZC7Gj
<https://t.co/G39qoZC7Gj>

We will be following up on today’s developer sites announcement.  Let us
know what you think. At this on line event ‘Doubling Nature’ organised by
the local nature partnership Natural Cambridgeshire

https://naturalcambridgeshire.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Launch-programme_16.9.20.pdf

attendees asked about green spaces and the River Cam, water companies &
about chalk streams. There were also questions about conflicts of interest
and who is “prioritising” landscapes for protection & funding.

Councillor Pippa Heylings, South Cambs Vice chair of South Cambs planning
council referred to recent workshops held on green spaces. As far as we are
aware no workshops have been organised by the planners for city residents.
If you know of any please let us know.

*Natural Cambridgeshire*

The local nature partnership’s plan for ‘scoping nature for investment’
includes proposals for visitor led parks, community orchards, woods and
linear river parks.

See extracts. link below.

Extracts from Natural Cambridgeshire Scoping Nature for Investment
<https://www.fecra.org.uk/docs/Extracts%20from%20Natural%20Cambs%20Scoping%20Nature%20for%20Investment.pdf>

But Chris Bowden the author of their  ‘Scoping Nature for Investment plan ’
warns, see p 139, ‘be aware that, especially in the OxCam arc, funding from
net gain is directly related to development, i.e. no development/housing =
no section 106 funded net gain. So, in relying upon section 106 net gain
funding you are effectively supporting continued growth and development’.

At Natural Cambridgeshire's ‘Doubling Nature’ event Oxford ecologist
Professor David Rogers asked the board members of Natural Cambridgeshire
and those presenting and speaking at the event  about the plans for
‘doubling nature to mitigate the high level of growth proposed for
Cambridgeshire

“Wanting to double nature and develop at the same time is wanting to "have
cake and eat cake".  It can't be done, without limits either on Nature or
Development.  Will your initiative define 'red lines' for development?  If
so, how?  And how will you persuade both Developers and Government ?  The
former - at all the Ox-Cam Arc conferences I have attended - are still
working towards the aspirational one million new houses across the Arc
(confirmed in the 2019 Government  Spring Statement).  The latter proposes
changes to the Assessment of Housing Need that would require Cambs to
INCREASE its housing target (because houses are so expensive”.

*A reminder of the Local plan (2018) omission sites and **promoters and MP
Steve Barclay's complaint (2017) to the Auditor General*

2018 local plan omission sites and promoters. In 2017 MP Steve Barclay, now
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, wrote a letter of complaint to the Auditor
General , Sir Amyas Morse, in which he expressed concerns about LEP and
City Deal funding and conflicts of interest. Some of the concerns he raised
about developers and conflicts of interest were investigated by the Public
Accounts Committee, but not all of the concerns he raised. The new Auditor
General is Dame Fiona Reynolds.

https://www.nao.org.uk/press-release/appointment-of-dame-fiona-reynolds-dbe-as-next-chair-of-the-national-audit-office/

Dame Fiona Reynolds is also chair of Cambridge's Centre for Science and
Policy Advisory Group

http://www.csap.cam.ac.uk/about-csap/people/governance/advisory-council/

*The Director of Planning, Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local
Government, Pedro Wrobel *is a new CSAP fellow. see link below

http://www.csap.cam.ac.uk/network/pedro-wrobel/

https://www.fecra.org.uk/update-may-2017/

Concerns about conflicts of interest were raised by RA reps with the
Director of Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service, Stephen Kelly See Q
9, 10. 11.

http://www.fecra.org.uk/docs/Meeting%20with%20Stephen%20Kelly%207.10.1919.pdf

Concerns expressed by residents and river groups to FeCRA  about conflicts
of interest and raised with the Environment Committee

Letter to Chair of Environment and Sustainability Committee
<https://www.fecra.org.uk/docs/FeCRA_letter_8_July_2020_Natural_Cambridgeshire.pdf>

The Environment Committee subsequently approved the appointment to the
board of Natural Cambs of a councillor who works for Affinity Water.
Affinity Water are a member of the board of Water Resources East. Water
Resources has been set up by Anglian Water. It is working closely with the
Environment Agency, see Natural Cambridgesnhires' 'Scoping Nature for
Investment plan, p 133.

Some of you may have seen the recent letter in the Cambridge News written
by the hydrologist and groundwater specialist Dr Sarah Beeson. Dr Beeson is
Anglian Water’s former Head of Evidence and Water Quality. The letter
concerns Anglian Water’s relocation of the sewage works. As Anglian Water
have confirmed this relocation of the sewage works, funded by the UK tax
payer, is not taking place for operational reasons but to enable
development. Click on links below.

https://twitter.com/greenarteries/status/1306115255639183361/photo/1

see also

ENDS Report 17 August 2020 Controversial new town could damage chalk
streams warns EA
<https://www.fecra.org.uk/docs/Ends%20Report%2017%20August%202020%20Controversial%20new%20town%20could%20damage%20chalk%20streams.pdf>
Env Agency response to Northstowe Phase 3A planning application 7th August
2020
<https://www.fecra.org.uk/docs/Env%20Agency%20re%20Northstowe%207%20August%202020.pdf>
Letter to Planning about Worts Causeway Land at Newbury Farm
<https://www.fecra.org.uk/docs/Worts%20Causeway%20Land%20at%20Newbury%20Farm.pdf>

*Chalk Aquifer Alliance - event Sept 23 with Feargal Sharkey*

https://chalkaquiferalliance.wordpress.com/

The Chalk Aquifer alliance is a network of river groups and organisations
standing up for chalk streams across the chalk aquifer of England.

https://chalkaquiferalliance.wordpress.com/events/

*Sept 23 - Feargal Sharkey – Seven Deadly Sins- the seven lies told to you
by water companies and the Environment Agency*

"Following a successful career in the music industry, keen fly fisherman
Feargal Sharkey OBE is now chairman of Amwell Magna Fishery
<https://www.amwellmagnafishery.org/>, the oldest angling club in Britain
still fishing the same water.  He is an outspoken critic of the national
bodies tasked with managing our rivers and the environment, and an active
campaigner for rivers.  In this talk he will argue that we have been
repeating the same mistakes on chalk streams for over 30 years, and explain
what, in his view, needs to change.
Free. All welcome. Click *here*
<https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_51ah75G_S4yQ8gVBdp4sow>to
register in advance and joining instructions will be sent to you"

Best wishes,

Wendy

Wendy Blythe
Chair, FeCRA

www.fecra.org.uk
www.facebook.com/CambridgeRAs
www.twitter.com/fecra2
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