Cambridge East
320 hectares centred on the existing working airport site, owned and operated by Marshall.
The plan was to move Marshall's aerospace activities to another site, so allowing the possibility for a new development with some 12,000 homes. Marshall's told us that they aimed for a development with real architectural merit, and with high-quality infrastructure and community facilities, so that it would enhance the surrounding areas. They intended providing good open spaces, including a lake and a green area like Parker's Piece. A green corridor would pass through the site, dividing the land to the south of Newmarket Road into two and linking Coldham's Common to a new country park in Teversham.
Now that negotiations for a move have broken down, Marshalls have told us that they are considering whether it is viable to develop the part of the site on the southern side of the aerospace facility, to the north of Cherry Hinton, for some 2000 homes, and the land north of Newmarket Road, for about 800 homes.
In a letter to Marshall's dated 9 June 2010 we wrote
“Cambridge PPF wishes to encourage Marshall's to develop its land, both on the Cherry Hinton and the Newmarket Road side. This is because of our understanding of the serious local housing shortage, and the strong preference to house people where they can reach their jobs in Cambridge without having to use private cars.
We do expect you to adhere to your expressed intention to make it a high-quality development. We should be happy to give you any help we can to ensure this. Quality relates not only to the physical buildings, but also to providing sufficient green-space and everything else needed to generate a highly successful community. We would also urge that the creation of good linkages between new developments and existing neighbourhoods be fully explored. We are acutely aware of Cambridge's traffic problems, not least on Newmarket Road. We hope that your development will lead to even greater efforts to solve these problems, and again we offer any help that we might be able to give.”
It is understood that Cambridge City Council is exploring the implications for the wider development of the Cambridge East growth site following the Marshall Group’s announcement that it will not be relocating from Cambridge airport in the immediate future.
For Area Action plan (the approved Local Development Document) see: http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/ccm/content/policy-and-projects/cambridge-east-area-action-plan.en
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