at the lack of sports provision for a rapidly growing community
at the inadequacy of the Developer’s current proposals
that agreed trigger points may not be met
at SCDC’s power to ensure obligations are met
at the lack of community consultation
Some of the key provisions of the Agreement are:
Sports Centre
– sports hall,
2 squash courts,
fitness room,
health suite,
bar etc
4 Football pitches
3 Hockey pitches
2 Cricket pitches
2 Rugby pitches
Bowling green
Multi-purpose floodlit area for tennis etc
The CRA and resident members of the MLC have a number of concerns over the Developer’s
current proposals that have been voiced to the Developers and SCDC. These include:
the playing fields were intended to be phased throughout the construction of Cambourne and according to SCDC there should already be 14 acres provided –
However you will be aware that the only sports pitch to be seeded to date is the Lower Cambourne cricket pitch which needs two years to settle before it can be used.
This means that it will not be in use until Summer 2003, which is 4 years into a 10 year construction programme. The other pitches,
If they are to be seeded this year will not be in use until summer 2005 and if negotiations defer a start
until next year thus will mean that they will not be ready until summer 2006 – some 7 years into a 10 year programme.
The CRA do not feel that this is in line with the spirit of the term ‘phased’.
The developers are required to provide the sports centre by 2000 houses.
They have, as you will have heard, been negotiating with the Ice Rink developers to integrate the Ice Rink with the
Sport’s Centre. There are a number of concerns with this approach. The agreed provisions are to be provided by the Developers
Any facilities provided by others such as the Ice Rink or the Hotel leisure centre should be additional to the developer’s provision.
Also, there is no guarantee that the Ice Rink will gain planning permission, or indeed that the Ice Rink developers will not
find a better site and withdraw from Cambourne –
if the developers have tied their proposals in closely with
a third party this would mean going back to square one and cause delays to the provision.
The developer’s are required to provide an all-weather pitch for tennis / football / netball by 1000 houses.
This is likely to be summer 2003. However since the developers have tied in these proposals with the overall sport’s
facilities proposals any delay in agreeing the latter could affect the prompt provision of the former.
SCDC are vested with the responsibility of agreeing proposals and ensuring that these agreements are met.
In some cases the S106 does not clearly state trigger points (eg playing fields). In other cases where trigger
points are stated but not met (eg Caxton bypass) SCDC has not appeared to be able or willing to take the action
necessary to enforce the Developer’s obligations, thus allowing the Developers to work to their own timescale.
It should be noted that in the case of the bypass the developers claimed that their work was complete even though
the bypass was not able to be opened. This seemed to the CRA and residents to be semantic nonsense and both the
Developers and SCDC have agreed that in future a building can only be considered complete if it is ready for
opening and use by the public.
There are other areas of concern.
SCDC have undertaken a check on areas and have advised the Developers that their proposals are undersized.
The Developers claim that areas such as the Great Cambourne tennis court, Great Cambourne green, car park and
recycling centre constitute part of their playing field provision but SCDC have advised that these are in addition to the S106 provision, not part of them.
The CRA have regular informal discussions with both the Developers and SCDC but look to both parties for more community consultation.
An example of this would be where the Developers are required to provide squash courts but argue that the community do not require them whereas SCDC argue that they do. In the case of squash court, or for that matter most other provisions in Cambourne neither party has attempted to ask the community what they want.
What do you think?
Let your voice be heard – contact a member of the CRA or MLC (you can use the box on the back of the notice board in Gt. Cambourne),
write to SCDC or the Developers or the Crier or join in with the discussion forum’s on Cambourne.net.
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