Alex's Blog

Alex Plant, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Horizons, is keeping a blog to give you an insight into the day to day life of Cambridgeshire Horizons.

26/07/2010 - New Chief Exec for South Cambridgeshire

South Cambridgeshire District Council have announced the new Chief Executive, who will be taking over from the capable hands of Greg Harlock at the end of August. Jean Hunter has worked in local government for over 20 years and joins the council from South Ribble Borough Council, where she has been Chief Executive for the past ten years.

I am lucky enough to have already met Jean, and I look forward to working with her closely in the future.

21/07/2010 - JSGIC

The Joint Strategic Growth Implementation Committee (otherwise known as JSGIC) gathered together in Cambourne on Wednesday morning to discuss issues and projects relating to the growth agenda in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire.

Among the issues discussed was the impact of the deferral of the A14 decision on the major growth sites. In addition to the A14 we heard more about research into multi-story schools from Alison Cook, who works for Cambridgeshire County Council, and also received a review of communications work from our Communications Manager, Laura Halstead.

20/07/2010 - An early start.

Tuesday morning I was up bright and early to speak to Jeremy Sallis of BBC Radio Cambridgeshire about the development of north west Cambridge in advance of a community meeting on Tuesday evening where local people had  the chance to find out more about the scheme. 

The key focus of the interview was on why north west Cambridge has been selected as an area for development, and I thought it would be useful to signpost you to the north west Cambridge area of our website here, which gives an overview of why this area was selected for growth, and what decisions have been made since the area was identified in the Structure Plan back in 2003.

After I'd finished my radio interview I had time to get ready before going to an NHS Board meeting, in my capacity as a non-executive Director of NHS Cambridgeshire, and as you can imagine there was much to discuss, not least given the recent publication of the Health White Paper which proposes major changes to the structures of the NHS across the country.

17/07/2010 - Regeneration Summit

On Wednesday I took the train to London to attend the 6th National Regeneration Summit. Among the speakers were Housing and Local Government Minister Grant Shapps, Chief Executive of the Home and Communities Agency Sir Bob Kerslake and Director of Public Services at HM Treasury, Helen Bailey.

The clear emphasis from the Housing Minister was that local areas now have the power to make their own decisions and to plan their own futures, and he expressed the hope that this would result in more new homes being built.

In Cambridgeshire, all of the local authorities have been planning for the delivery of new homes and infrastructure that the area needs for a long time, with this being brought together through the agreement of the Structure Plan in 2003, which pre-dates the now defunct Regional Spatial Strategy. Sir Bob talked about the HCA's role in the future being an "investment and enabling" agency, and, alongside most of the public sector, existing as a slimmer body in the future. Helen Bailey was emphasising the importance of maintaining a focus on growth and regeneration but underlined just how tough the current position is in relation to the public finances, and highlighted the imperative on reducing the UK's current debt levels.

As a part of the conference I took part in a workshop focussing on Tax Increment Financing (TIF), a method of borrowing money to pay for infrastructure on the basis that additional housing requiring that infrastructure will increase tax revenues that can then be held locally. Dave Anderson from the City of Edinburgh Council gave an insight into how this method is being used to fund an exciting redevelopment of the Leith waterfront area of the city.

As capital grants from Whitehall will be in very short supply over the coming years, we must look further into ways to fund infrastructure ourselves and draw upon the value that a growth area like ours will generate through the creation of new homes and businesses . TIF is an option that we are keen to review further in Cambridgeshire to ensure we can continue to deliver the homes and infrastructure we need to not only meet pressing local demands, but also to help the local economy continue to grow.

All in all, it was a useful event, and a chance to catch up with colleagues from across the UK. The general mood was reasonably upbeat: despite the very difficult position around public finances, there was a shared belief that the work of those involved in growth and regeneration remained critical to the future success of the country in economic, social and environmental terms.

16/07/2010 - Work Experience: Georgina's Blog

Hello, my name is Georgina Chambers, I am 15 and I go to Bottisham Village College. I have been working at Cambridgeshire Horizons for my work experience from school where you book a placement with an organisation and you are accepted by the organisation and you work there for two weeks. This opportunity is to gain experience of what it is like to work instead of being at school.

I am very glad I choose to go to Cambridgeshire Horizons, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and love the atmosphere created by the staff, and they are all very friendly and approachable. I have learnt all the different roles and task involved in being a Cambridgeshire Horizons member. Everyone involved has different job roles and together they make a great team and organisation.

I have been working with the administration team and was shown how they organise meetings and the basic tasks to keep Cambridgeshire Horizons at its best. I also learnt how the different teams like the project team set up projects to get involved in and how they can make real difference to existing communities and to building new ones, and the public's everyday lives. I also sat in Leadership Meetings and got a look into issues needed to be solved and the ways they get everyone they can involved in building better and more sustainable communities.

It has been such an amazing experience, I really enjoyed and it has confirmed my decisions to pursue a career as an admin assistant or a related job in the future. Everyone always says hello and has boosted my confidence in speaking and getting along with people. I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone at Cambridgeshire Horizons for making my work experience so amazing and welcomed me into a part of the team and a special thank you to Gill Barker for helping me along the way and always being there if I needed her.

Thanks Everyone!

Georgina Chambers

15/07/2010 - NIAB site given the green light

The Joint Development Control Committee (JDCC) met yesterday (Wednesday 14th July) to consider the planning application for a major new development in north west Cambridge known as NIAB (after the National Institute of Agricultural Botany which currently has its home on Huntingdon Road). The Committee approved the planning application for 1593 homes, including 40% affordable housing and a range of facilities such as a primary school, health centre and park, subject to finalising the S106 (legal agreement) with developers.

As a part of the agreement, the developers have agreed to improve the A14/ Histon Road interchange, and this must be done early in the development because the Highways Agency has placed a planning condition on the new development to ensure that only 350 homes can be occupied before these improvements are made to their satisfaction.

This is a major step forward, and it was great to celebreate this over coffee with Peter Studdert, Director of Joint Planning, this morning. It is another example of how developments in and around Cambridge are beginning to progress well, despite the current economic climate, and will begin to help address the high level of demand in the area.

14/07/2010 - A day of launches

Yesterday seemed to be a day to launch new buildings across Cambridgeshire, with two Housing Growth Fund projects having their official launch events.

In Cambourne, our Chairman, Sir David Trippier, attended the official opening of Cambourne's new church where the Duke of Gloucester cut the ribbon. The church has been set up by the Church of England, Baptist Church, Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church, and the church centre will be used by the local Roman Catholic community as well as several other local community groups, Horizons helped this with growth funding support.

Over in Huntingdon, John Williamson, our Director for Development, was at the launch of one of the greenest new communities in the country. Greenhart Grove, located just off Mayfield Road in Huntingdon. Greenhart Grove is now home to 29 flats and houses that have been built to the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 5, which is a very high level of sustainability. The buildings utilise a range of innovative technologies, including solar heated water systems, grey water recycling, a photo-voltaic panels, smart metering, planted roofs and heat recovery systems.

The land was owned by Huntingdonshire District Council, who worked with Circle Anglia Housing Group to deliver this eco-friendly development, with the help of funding from the Homes & Communities Agency and Housing Growth Funding, via Cambridgeshire Horizons. At the event a time capsule was buried, to show future generations the thinking behind technology in 2010.

12/07/2010 - Advicehub opens

This morning I attended the opening of the new Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) Advicehub in Devonshire Road, Cambridge. The Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, officially opened the new building which draws together the four CABs of Cambridgeshire to help local people access advice more easily.

It's an impressive building, and the aim is to bring advice services together in one place, a similar approach taken to the "Total Place" pilots we have been working on in Cambridgeshire. There is also good use of innovative technologies, such as touch-screen kiosks, webcams and Skype phones. The project has been funded by the Big Lottery Fund and the Investing in Communities Fund of EEDA.

07/07/2010 - House prices on the rise

Nationwide Building Society have released figures today that show house prices in Cambridge have increased a staggering 26% over the past year - that is an annual increase of just under £60,000 or £1,152 a week.

According to these figures, an average house in Cambridge now costs £290,502. This continuing increase in house prices makes the need for more new and affordable housing, in places like Cambridge, even more pressing. Despite the downturn, the housing market in the Cambridge area appears to still be heating up.

06/07/2010 - A trip to March

John Williamson and I headed to March this morning to meet the new Chief Executive, Sandra Claxton (who has recently replaced Tim Pilsbury), and Executive Director Paul Medd to discuss future economic development issues, and the work the District Council is leading on "Shaping Fenland". The aim of the project is to create a vision that will determine all activities and investment of key public and private sector businesses over the next 20 years, and beyond, by working in partnership with key partners.

Horizons has sought to help develop this important piece of work, and has committed Housing Growth Funding to support the redevelopment of the Nene Waterfront in Wisbech, which will not only regenerate a key area of the town, but also bring forward important business and housing development. It was a really positive meeting, and bodes well for continued strong partnership working between Horizons and Fenland District Council.

05/07/2010 - St Neots and St Ives

Today I have been focussing on two local Saints - St Neots and St Ives. This afternoon Cambridgeshire Horizons hosted the St Neots Delivery Board, which drew together representatives from a range of organisations to discuss the proposals for continued sustainable growth of the town.

We discussed a range of topics from renewable energy and transport through to water cycle strategies and local investment frameworks. All in all, it was a useful meeting which will help to move forward the plans for the new developments in a way that will enhance the overall sustainability of the town, and improve the quality of place for existing and new residents.

After the delivery board concluded I changed into my whites and travelled to St Ives to join up with colleagues from Horizons, the County Council, Renewables East and the City Council in a team playing cricket against our colleagues from Huntingdonshire District Council. After a hard fought game - with excellent performances all round - it was down to the last ball. Huntingdonshire needed 3 to win, we needed to restrict them to a single. Two scrambled leg-byes for the batting team meant that the final scores were tied at 154 each, and so honours were shared!

03/07/2010 - Inspire East workshop

On Friday I joined delegates from across the East of England at the Inspire East Skills for Sustainable Communities workshop - held at the Trinity Centre in Cambridge. The aim of the workshop was to establish the future direction for sustainable communities' skills development across the area, and how this can continue beyond the current EEDA funding, which comes to an end in March.

01/07/2010 - HCA Board Dinner

On Wednesday evening I found myself in the magnificent surroundings of St John's College for dinner with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) Board. I joined other local public sector colleagues to discuss the key issues facing us in the East of England.

There was much discussion around what new structures may emerge in the light of continued changes, and how to respond to the new challenges thrown up by the significant reductions in those funding sources that we have hitherto relied on to assist the delivery of the large-scale infrastructure required to support the development of new communities. I also raised the question of Northstowe, and the strong desire locally to see the development move forward.

01/07/2010 - Horizons Board

On Thursday the Cambridgeshire Horizons Board gathered at East Cambridgeshire District Council's offices in Ely to discuss a packed agenda. Unsurprisingly, our discussions were focussed on the tightening of the public purse strings, and how we can all work more effectively together to make the most of what remains.

Undoubtedly, we will have to review some of the decisions made prior to the recently announced spending cuts, but our aims remain the same - to deliver much needed new homes for Cambridgeshire with the appropriate services and facilities they require to flourish.

There was good news the day after the Board meeting in the shape of a letter from the Rt Hon Grant Shapps, the Housing Minister, the following day which confirmed that the Housing Growth Fund for 2010-11 was not going to be cut further, although there is a requirement for Cambridgeshire to respond to his letter setting out how the HGF monies will benefit local communities.

29/06/2010 - University consultation

Today Geoff Bruce, one of our delivery managers here at Horizons, is at a stakeholder consultation event being run by the University of Cambridge. According to Geoff's useful feedback, the University's team have done a great deal of work on the Masterplan for the proposed North West Cambridge development site, and stakeholders are now working hard to look at the detail of how they propose to build a sustainable, low (or indeed zero) carbon development over the next generation, including how they can future proof against climate change.

This evening there is a public exhibition at Murray Edwards College from 5.30pm until 8pm that's open to everyone. Geoff tells me that it is well worth a visit to find out more about plans for this area of Cambridge, and to have the opportunity to talk to key members of the design team as well. If you're unable to make it this evening, there will be another event held this Saturday (3rd July) between 10am and 5pm at the University Centre.

25/06/2010 - Fenland Scoop Three Awards

Last night I was lucky enough to be part of the Cambridgeshire Together team attending the Municipal Journal (MJ) Awards Ceremony in London. Cambridgeshire Together was a finalist for the Total Place Achievement of the Year category, which was won by the London Borough of Croydon.

It was an excellent evening, and the highlight was seeing our colleagues at Fenland District Council break all records by winning three MJ awards, including one for the best Housing and Regeneration Project of the Year for the Nene Waterfront Regeneration Project, a scheme that we have worked on with Fenland and which has received funding from the Housing Growth Fund via Horizons. Being able to share in the celebrations with members and officers at Fenland was wonderful, and it was particularly pleasing that my friend and colleague Tim Pilsbury, who will step down shortly as Chief Executive of Fenland, could go out on such a high note.

23/06/2010 - Frances' blog

Over the last week and a half we have been joined by work experience student Frances Thompson, from Impington Village College. She has written a blog (below) covering her experiences of working at Horizons:

Hi, my name is Frances Thompson and I've been working with Cambridgeshire Horizons as my two-week Work Experience placement. I'm 15 and am a student at Impington Village College.

I am so glad to have taken up the opportunity to work with Horizons, and feel I have been thoroughly welcomed into the team. I have really enjoyed gaining an insight into the important role Horizons plays within communities throughout Cambridgeshire. No day has been the same; Horizons has done everything possible to make my stay as insightful and interesting as possible.

Working with the admin team I have learnt how the company is coordinated and managed so it can run smoothly, whilst working with the project team has given me an opportunity to learn more about the projects Horizons manages and influences. As a Geography student looking to pursue this subject as a post 16 option, I have found it very interesting learning about Horizons' impact on low-carbon, sustainable developments throughout Cambridgeshire, and their policies on green infrastructure and carbon usage within the company itself.

Everyone has been incredibly welcoming and friendly, involving me in all sorts of tasks. It has been an extremely useful and above all enjoyable placement which I know I will benefit from enormously in the future. Thank you to the Horizons team for such a great two weeks!

Frances

22/06/2010 - Budget Day

Whilst clearly these are difficult times, it was heartening to hear the Chancellor stress the importance of continued capital investment to help 'provide the infrastructure our economy needs to compete in a modern world'. At Horizons, we hope this means we can continue to deliver the capital projects funded by the Housing Growth Fund and agreed by our Board without fear of further cuts. 

However, it is not yet clear what this will mean for future funding, whuch will have to wait for the Comprehensive Spending Review in October. It is clear that the future economic success of the UK relies on places like Cambridgeshire delivering economic growth, and we cannot do this without investment in housing and infrastructure. We must therefore continue to make the case to Government for a fair allocation of capital budgets to support growing areas. We must also continue to pursue innovative funding options so that we can capture more of the value created by development in Cambridgeshire and use this to enhance the quality of life for existing and new residents whilst delivering much needed new homes and infrastructure across the county in future years.

16/06/2010 - An honoured colleague

I was pleased to see in the press this weekend that Henry Cleary (Head of Growth Areas Division, DCLG) at Communities and Local Government (CLG) has been awarded an OBE. I've worked with Henry for many years and the award is very well deserved. I also managed to see him yesterday so I congratulated him in person!

15/06/2010 - Questioning the Deputy Prime Minister

I've been in London a lot since Horizons Annual Conference, with various meetings with colleagues in Whitehall, and at two seminars, one looking at the future of planning and housing delivery in the light of the changes being announced by Government, and another a gathering of those areas of the country involved in eco-towns or eco-developments, which includes our work with South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridgeshire County Council on Northstowe.

In the middle of this, I was able to accept an invitation from the Institute for Government to a speech by the Deputy Prime Minister setting out the fiscal position and outlining how the Government is planning to reduce the deficit through the Budget next week and the Comprehensive Spending Review in the autumn.

I was able to get in a question about the need to maintain investment in housing, transport and energy infrastructure for growing places like Cambridge, even in a period where overall public funding will be reduced. The Deputy Prime Minister accepted the thrust of the point I was making, and talked about the need to use what public funding was available to attract matched funds from elsewhere, and of the plans being worked up to set up a National Infrastructure Bank (something I recall my friend Ray Mills at PwC arguing for at a Horizons conference nearly 2 years ago). You can see a clip of the speech here.

14/06/2010 - Another successful annual conference

We hosted another successful annual conference at Ely last week, with over 250 delegates listening to speeches from Robert Napier (Chairman of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and from Robin Nicholson, Chair of our Quality Panel.

The conference inevitably focused on the changed landscape we are facing, with funding reductions and a new political direction under the coalition government. My comments were intended to get across the message that, despite the challenging times we are living through, the delivery of high quality new homes and communities remains an absolute imperative for all of us. This is particularly because of the acute need for affordable homes, and also because the future economic prosperity of Cambridgeshire depends on it. The speeches are available here and there is some excellent video footage of the conference and our staff (Gill Barker's clip is my personal favourite, coming soon!)

I was really pleased that the mood of delegates at the end of the conference seemed upbeat and people seemed determined to work together to pursue the growth objectives that Cambridgeshire set itself back in 2003 when the Structure Plan was adopted. It felt like the attitude was "yes times are tough but we need to roll up our sleeves and get on with it". I am confident that this positive mindset will see us through what may be a tricky period.

03/06/2010 - Quality Panel revealed

After a highly successful recruitment campaign the 12 members of the Cambridgeshire Quality Panel have now been revealed. Each Panel Member is a leading light within their specialist area, and the panel provides a broad range of skills within the fields of community, climate, character and connectivity (in line with the four C's of the Quality Charter). You can read more about all of the members here.

The Quality Panel has been recruited to provide independent and objective feedback to the six Cambridgeshire local authorities on all elements of large development sites - from design and carbon efficiency measures through to transport links and distribution of green spaces.

Robin Nicholson, the Chair of the Quality Panel, will be explaining why Quality is so important - even in a more difficult economic climate - at our Annual Conference that is being held in a week's time in Ely. You can find out more about the conference here.

01/06/2010 - GCP Conference

On Friday morning I car-shared with three colleagues to travel to Hinxton Hall for the annual Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) Conference. The conference included an update on the work of the GCP, with speakers offering a local and national perspective on the future economic prospects for the Cambridge area.

Whilst the current climate is undoubtedly challenging for both the public and private sector, the Conference offered some reasons to be positive, including a great deal of optimism in the room generally about how Cambridgeshire can harness the ingenuity apparent within the wider community and help to lead the UK out of the economic downturn. The key sentiment, which rings true with the work we are carrying out here at Horizons, is that we will all need to do more with less, and to work ever more effectively in collaboration to help deliver the best results for our area.

29/05/2010 - Bridging the divide

A project to link Wicken Fen to Anglesey Abbey and Bottisham took a big step forward last week as a new pedestrian and cyclist bridge was lowered into place over Reach Lode. The project has been part-funded by Housing Growth Funding, and will form part of the Lodes Way - a virtually traffic free public access route being created by the National Trust.

The bridge itself will be officially opened at a community date on 12th September, along with a new 1.25 mile (2km) cycleway across Burwell Fen.

28/05/2010 - SHMA explained...

Our Housing Coordinator, Sue Beecroft, has been busy this week putting together a quick introductory video explaining what the Strategic Housing Marketing Assessment (SHMA) is, what it tells us and why it's so important to us.

You can watch the video in the box above or on the SHMA page if you'd like to know more.

21/05/2010 - Coalition Government's Programme announced

Details of the Coalition's programme have now been announced by the Government, providing some greater clarity on a range of issues, including on housing, planning and economic development.

As had been trailed, this includes the abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS), which set targets for how many new homes should be built over the coming years. In Cambridgeshire, our spatial strategy was put in place well before the RSS, and was enshrined in the 2003 Structure Plan which was developed by all our local authorities working in collaboration.

It is good to hear that Government plans to provide local authorities with incentives to deliver new homes and businesses, although the precise details will be very important to understand.

In Cambridgeshire there is a pressing need for the continued delivery of new homes, and in particular affordable homes, for powerful social and economic reasons. If more of the value created by growth can be retained locally, then we will better be able to resolve some of our pressing infrastructure needs through imaginative, local solutions (such as our Tax Increment Finance proposals), rather than having to rely on Government.

I will be waiting for details of what these incentives could mean with great interest over the coming weeks. But it does feel that genuine financial devolution may be coming, which is good news, even in the midst of a sharp reduction in overall public spending.

20/05/2010 - The future Trumpington Country Park

Yesterday, Geoff Bruce and Laura Halstead joined a team of people from South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, The Wildlife Trust, The Environment Agency, and Mott MacDonald to look at the results of the River Cam enhancement and access project.

The project, which will become part of the Trumpington Country Park in the future, was part funded by Housing Growth Fund money, as well as funding from other partners.

20/05/2010 - A New Politics?

Yesterday I found myself in London for a rare occasion - to witness Nick Clegg's speech on reforming government and politics.

It was fascinating to witness such a notable step in the new government's journey at first hand.

From my point of view, it was good to hear the commitment to empower local areas so that they can have more control over their futures than has been possible under the increasingly centrallised structure that has emerged in Britain over many decades.

Here in Cambridgeshire, we already have a strong collaborative approach to delivering the new homes, infrastructure and jobs that we need, and seeking to ensure the county remains an excellent place to live and work. But without the devolution of funding streams to local areas, it is hard to achieve these objectives.

Going forward we hope that a process of decentralisation will help us to strengthen the ability to deliver the best possible solutions for our local area.

12/05/2010 - Paxton Pits

Last week our Green Infrastructure Project Manager, David Bethell, and our Communications Manager, Laura Halstead, went out to see the new education centre at Paxton Pits. Find out more by watching the video.

If you have trouble viewing the video on our website you can also see it on YouTube here.

05/05/2010 - Joining up the dots

Yesterday I had the opportunity to catch up with Professor Peter Landshoff at the Centre for Mathematics at Cambridge University. We met to discuss the potential retrofitting of renewable energy solutions to existing residential homes, and what links there could be between some work he is engaged in and the Northstowe eco-town project.

Peter works for the Cambridge-MIT Institute, and prior to that helped to establish Cambridge's Centre for Mathematical Sciences. He is also an active member of Cambridge Past, Present and Future, a local group that champions the sustainable development of Cambridge and its surroundings.

We spent an hour discussing the benefits, and costs, associated with retrofitting existing residential houses before moving on to discuss the importance of building "lifetime homes" in our new communities, ensuring that we do what we can to ensure new homes are flexible and able to meet the needs of an ageing population. We must remember at all times that sustainable homes not only means buildings that are environmentally friendly, but also homes that can adapt to the changing needs of residents over their lifetime.

As well as talking houses, we also moved onto transport. Peter is involved in the development of a series of transport seminars looking at how we can work together to manage transport more effectively and sustainably at a time when public money is in short supply - an issue that is of course close to the hearts of all of us engaged in the growth agenda. It was a very useful, and informative, discussion and we will be looking to make the best of our mutual interests.

04/05/2010 - Best practice example

Last week I met Richard Donnell, Director of Hometrack - an organisation that brings together a range of statistical data regarding the local housing market - at an event in London.

After the ritual business card exchange, he commented that our Housing Market Bulletin, which Sue Beecroft produces quarterly for partners, was one of the best examples he'd seen of utilising the data that Hometrack produces in a way that makes it meaningful for key audiences. He went on to say that he cites it as a best practice example in discussions with his contacts across the country.

So well done Sue for her continued hard work! If you'd like to read the latest copy, please click here.

30/04/2010 - From Cambridge via Norway to London and back

Yesterday I had the opportunity to talk to a delegation from the Municipality of Sandes in Norway, who were visiting Cambridgeshire to learn more about how councils and partner organisations, such as Horizons, plan for the delivery of sustainable new communities.

It is always good to share experiences as to how we can best deliver the sustainable new communities that we need to put in place. I hope that the insight we provided the Norwegian team with will help them to develop their own plans for growth further, just as their challenge and insight as to what has worked well in Norway will help us to develop our own plans further.

After the presentation I had the opportunity to catch up with colleagues in the office before getting on the train to London to attend a dinner hosted by Sir Bob Kerslake, Chief Executive of the Homes and Communities Agency which brought together a range of people from different backgrounds but all working in some capacity in relation to the housing market. The discussion ranged from views on where the market will go in the near future (conversation sparked by the announcement yesterday from Nationwide of April 2010 prices being 10.5% higher than April 2009) to the future role of a (possibly expanded) private rented sector and the ability of the housebuilding sector to deliver the large numbers of new homes that all the evidence suggests are needed to meet demand.

27/04/2010 - bpha mortgage deal

I have been busy reading the latest news from our partners today, and have seen the news that bpha (a provider of affordable housing across the county) has done a deal with Ipswich Building Society to help people interested in shared ownership properties. The new mortgage product offers first time buyers the opportunity to take out a 95% mortgage over a three year period (subject to conditions and eligibility), something that has become a rarity within the mortgage market since the financial crisis hit.

Hopefully this new product will help first time buyers considering purchasing a shared equity property from bpha, such as those due to be built at Glebe Farm near Trumpington, take their first step onto the housing market.

21/04/2010 - JSGIC

Yesterday the Joint Strategic Growth Implementation Committee (JSGIC) met to discuss the latest position regarding developments on the major growth sites in and around Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire. This was the first meeting that John Williamson, our new Director for Development, has attended, and it was good to see John confidently leading the meeting through the major developments update.

The Committee also had the opportunity to listen to an informative report on the national and local housing economy from Sarah Monk, Deputy Director at the  Centre for Housing and Planning Research at Cambridge University. It provided us with much food for thought, particularly as to the greater role that the private rented sector might play within the future housing market, given the more challenging position potential homeowners are now facing (post credit-crunch) when trying to secure mortgages. It was nonetheless encouraging that Sarah's final slide left us with "reasons to be optimistic" when looking at the Cambridge area housing market!

13/04/2010 - RICS Housing Market Survey

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) housing market survey is out today and it appears that the number of houses on the market has hit its highest level since May 2007.

Throughout the first three months of 2010 new instructions outnumbered enquiries from potential buyers, leading RICS to believe that house prices will start to stabilise over the coming months.

In and around Cambridge demand for new housing continues to remain high, which is why it is good to see work continuing at Orchard Park, starting in the North West of Cambridge on the NIAB Frontage Site and we hope to see work commencing on the Southern Fringe soon.

01/04/2010 - Marshall announcement

We are disappointed that Marshall has been unable at this time to find a suitable relocation option for their aerospace business. Cambridge East represents the best possible site for sustainable growth given its location close to existing jobs and facilities, but it is clear that relocation is not a feasible option in the short-term. The local authorities will now be considering the situation, and once they have made their policy decisions Horizons stands ready to help deliver these much-needed new homes.

31/03/2010 - LDV meeting

On Friday I had a very useful meeting with colleagues from other Local Delivery Vehicles from across the East of England. As ever, it provided a good forum to discuss approaches to the similar work we are carrying out in our respective areas, and in particular, how we are responding to the changing economic and political situation.

The meeting brought to light a number of examples of good practice, and some food for thought as to how we can push forward the quality growth agenda within Cambridgeshire.

24/03/2010 - The Budget

Today's budget contained a range of proposals that could impact upon the delivery of sustainable new communities in Cambridgeshire over the coming years. Whilst we are still awaiting the finer details of these proposals, it is heartening to hear the Government further encouraging sub-regional partnerships to help support growth and inclusion, as well as the proposals for strategic property vehicles.

First time buyers will now be exempt, for the next two years, from stamp duty charges on houses worth up to £250,000, which will be of help for potential first time buyers, particularly in and around Cambridge where the average two bedroom flat costs £211,800.

The Government has also committed to support investment in infrastructure in cities and other centres of growth through an Accelerated Development Zone (ADZ) pilot programme. The ADZ programme will be launched across England throughout 2011-12 to help further the Government's understanding into the case for introducing Tax Increment Financing (TIF). Here at Horizons we have worked with our local authority colleagues towards a Cambridgeshire TIF pilot, and we will now be revisiting this work in the light of the budget announcement.

I am also awaiting the details of the "Total Place: A whole area approach to public services" paper that is due to be published tomorrow, that could link to partnership work around assets and financing of growth sites. More on this matter as it appears.

19/03/2010 - Sports Relief challenge

Today the Horizons Team have got into the spirit of Sports Relief and turned up to work dressed in a range of sporting attire, never before have so many cyclists, umpires, footballers, cricketers and rugby players been seen in our Histon office!

At lunchtime we all took part in a Sports Relief quiz, organised by our new Project Assistant Becca Bryant, which tested our knowledge of bizarre sports, WAGs, sporting films and general sports trivia knowledge. It was a good opportunity to spend some time with both old and new team members, including Becca who organised the event, John Williamson, who will be joining us on secondment from GO-East for a year to cover John Onslow's role as Director for Development, and Stewart Slaymaker, who joined Cambridgeshire Horizons this week on secondment from the Cambridgeshire County Council Graduate Trainee scheme.

10/03/2010 - Funding for Northstowe

Yesterday, the housing and planning minister, John Healey, announced that Northstowe will receive £1.5 million worth of eco-town funding to fund a package of measures to improve energy efficiency, which includes an education centre to develop learning and awareness of sustainable living, and fully functional demonstration homes in Rampton Drift.

The funding award is great news, and the success of our bid is testament to the excellent work put in by colleagues working in partnership across South Cambridgeshire District Council, the County Council and Cambridgeshire Horizons. The team will now be working hard to ensure this extra cash is used in the best possible way to help us reach the overarching goal of creating a truly sustainable new community, somewhere that can rival the best in the world.
We all want Northstowe to be a place people are proud to call home - and this funding will help to achieve that. I was  pleased to be able to discuss the good news in an interview with Antonia Brickell on her BBC Radio Cambridgeshire drivetime show this evening.

04/03/2010 - Developer for Trumpington Meadows announced

Following the granting of planning permission in October last year, Grosvenor and USS have announced that Barratt Homes will build the first phase of the Trumpington Meadows development, located to the south of the City. Work is due to commence work on infrastructure for the site, including road access and the country park, in Autumn before house building commences early in 2011. These will be the first homes to be built on the Southern Fringe development area, and we look forward to seeing the plans turn into reality.

I have also read in the news today that Persimmon have announced a £77.8 million profit for the year, and plan to open 90 new sites throughout the country during 2010 as buyers return to the market. It shows that developers still have an appetite for delivering much needed new homes, and are returning to profit.

02/03/2010 - Urban Challenge to replace Transport Innovation Fund

The decision to abolish the Transport Innovation Fund is a real blow as a successful bid could have provided transformatory levels of investment in Cambridge's public transport network. However, the work that has gone into the bid is still of value, and it will be even more important now that all partners work together closely to find other ways to fund improvements in transport infrastructure that will meet the needs of a growing County.

26/02/2010 - And the result is in...

This morning, the Secretary of State announced that two appeals raised by Countryside Properties against non-determination by Cambridge City Council, with Cambridgeshire County Council, of the planning application for both Clay Farm and Glebe Farm have been dismissed, thereby refusing planning permission.

This upholds City Council's planning policies requiring 40% affordable housing on the major new development sites around the fringes of Cambridge, which are underpinned by housing market research we have carried out over the years, and provides the partnership with the opportunity to help even more people live in a new home close to friends, family and places of work.

Therefore, our focus must now return to working in partnership with the local authorities and Countryside Properties to find a way forward to deliver these much-needed new homes and facilities as soon as possible now that we have received the Secretary of State's decision.

You can read Sir David Trippiers statement here and the Cambridge City Council press release here.

12/02/2010 - Green Vision Consultation gathers pace...

The end of another busy week in the world of Cambridgeshire Horizons. On Thursday the Joint Strategic Growth Implementation Committee (JSGIC) met to discuss progress on the major developments sites in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, as well as finding out more about progress on the Water Cycle Strategy for the area, and hearing from Chief Fire Officer Graham Stagg on plans for ensuring appropriate fire and rescue provision in our new communities.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the Green Vision Team held public consultation events in Soham and on Ely Market, where over 100 people found more about the draft Strategy and were able to give their views.

The consultation is running until 7th March and people can have their say online here or by attending one of the seven remaining consultation events.

I am now off for a week's annual leave over half-term, but will return to my blog week commencing 22nd February.

05/02/2010 - Eco-town talks

Colleagues from Norfolk travelled to Cambourne earlier this week to speak to South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridgeshire Horizons about planning for an eco-town, comparing notes on the eco-town developments of Northstowe and Rackheath.

After introductions from colleagues at GO-East, Jo Mills (Corporate Manager, New Communities, South Cambridgeshire District Council) and I started the day with an introduction to the local growth agenda, including an overview of strategic governance and joint planning arrangements, before hearing more about lessons learnt from the developments of Cambourne and Orchard Park.

The day provided a useful opportunity to share ideas about how we can seek to achieve high levels of sustainability within these two proposed new communities, as well as looking at the work that must be undertaken to encourage local people to easily lead a low-carbon lifestyle in the future.

02/02/2010 - Paxton Pits

On Friday I attended the unveiling of benefactors' event at Paxton Pits Visitors Centre, located close to St Neots. In recent years Cambridgeshire Horizons has supported the development of Paxton Pits Nature Reserve through the allocation of Growth Area and Housing Growth Funding, and it is good to see work progress over the years.

After the official event we were treated to a (rather muddy) walk around the Reserve to enjoy the beautiful surroundings, which included a sighting of a Peregrine Falcon.

26/01/2010 - Have your say on Cambridgeshire's Green Vision

Preserving and enhancing the natural surroundings of Cambridgeshire is an important part of creating sustainable new communities, which is why we are currently undertaking a review of the Cambridgeshire Green Infrastructure Strategy.

Green Infrastructure is the natural environment that provides social, economic and environmental benefits. The term covers a wide range of different things, including rivers and watercourses, commons, natural and semi-natural habitats for wildlife, country parks, playing fields, woodlands, hedgerows, historic parks, allotments, public rights of way, wetlands, cycleways and much, much more.

The Green Vision for the sub-region was established back in 2006, and now, four years on, we are undertaking a review to check the Vision is still appropriate, at the same time as expanding it to cover the whole of the County.

Until 7th March 2010 we are asking local people for their thoughts on our draft revised strategy through a range of consultation events and also via our website. You can find out more about when and where our consultation events are taking place here or have your say online here.

Following on from the public consultation the draft report will go to the six Cambridgeshire local authorities for consideration, where they can take the public views expressed throughout the consultation into account before the report is finalised.

22/01/2010 - Adept Over Dinner

Last night I travelled down to London at the invitation of Brian Smith, Executive Director of Environment Services at Cambridgeshire County Council, to attend the Annual Dinner of CSS (formerly the County Surveyors Society). 

The event was a good opportunity to catch up with a wide range of colleagues from across the country, and hear the speeches from Sir Robert Kerslake, Chairman of the HCA, Alison Quant, President of CSS, and Bronwyn Hill, Director-General of Regional Networks, Department for Transport. It was also a historic occasion, as Alison announced that the Society was going to change its name (the society was formed way back in 1885)  and will henceforth be known Adept (the Association of Directors of Enivronment, Economics, Planning and Transport).

Throughout both the speeches and conversations around the table, there was a clear focus on the importance of stronger collaboration between all levels of Government, as well as the need for innovative new ways to deliver infrastructure, particularly via the aligning of capital programmes to ensure public money can be used to leverage private money.

It was also lovely to have the chance for a long conversation with Brian Smith, who will be retiring this Spring after a long and distinguished career, and who has been a great friend and support to me during my time at Horizons, and previously when I was at the Government Office for the East of England.

21/01/2010 - Innovators needed...

With thousands of new homes and facilities planned for the County over the coming years, it is imperative that high quality standards are upheld. This is why we are searching for experts in the four C's of the Quality Charter (Climate, Connectivity, Character and Connectivity) to join a new Cambridgeshire Quality Panel.

The Panel is being set up by Horizons, in conjunction with the six Cambridgeshire Local Authorities, to provide a consistent approach to design review for major growth sites across Cambridgeshire.

If you are interested in becoming a panel member, or know someone who might be, please click here to find out more. The closing date for applications is 8th February.

19/01/2010 - Cambridge - weathering the storm

Centre for Cities published its Cities Outlook 2010 this week, which reviews the economic performance of cities across the UK.

The Cities Outlook report identifies cities with the right ingredients to succeed beyond the recession, and Cambridge has been identified as one of the five top cities to watch over the coming year.

According to the research, Cambridge has the highest proportion of residents qualified to degree level or above, and the lowest percentage of residents with no formal qualifications. In addition to the strong backdrop of education that Cambridge is so famous for, between February 2008 and November 2009 the city saw the smallest increase in Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) claims, and is also ranked 5th out of 64 cities in terms of average weekly earnings.

It is good to see external confirmation of the key role that the Cambridge can play in helping to lead the UK out of the current recession. And the importance at a national level of maintaining the competitiveness of Cambridge on the international stage shows even more clearly how critical it is that we are given the tools we need to deliver additional infrastructure and high quality new communities which are the key ingredients for sustainable economic growth. 

You can access the full report here:  http://www.centreforcities.org/outlook10

13/01/2010 - Quality Charter embedding

Monday evening I travelled to Ely to meet with around 25 Councillors from across Fenland, East Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire to talk about the Cambridgeshire Quality Charter for Growth.

The event is part of a wider programme of activity to further inform Members and Officers across Cambridgeshire about the uses of the Quality Charter, and give people the opportunity to find out more about how they can use the document as a practical tool in their working lives.

It was another very interesting session, with plenty of debate about how the Quality Charter can be used to assist the deliver of sustainable new communities in the future, in particular focussing on further raising awareness of the document with developers to ensure they are aware of our aspirations for future communities.

08/01/2010 - Welcome to 2010

A happy New Year to you all. As expected, the first week back in the Horizons office has been a busy week for the whole team, although our travel arrangements have not been helped by the wintry weather. In particular we have been developing plans for Northstowe in response to the annoucement before Christmas about its potential to become a fully-fledged eco-town. Local partners have always had ambitions for Northstowe to become an exemplar new-town, with the highest standards of sustainable living, what we are now doing is looking at how we can use the eco-town process to secure those ambitions, meet the required standards, yet maintain a focus on the overall deliverability of Northstowe.

In addition to the work on Northstowe, we have also been developing, in partnership with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), the local investment plan for Cambridgeshire. This plan will build on our existing evidence base to outline the key investments required for new developments across the County, and provide the basis for what we hope will become a shared investment plan with central government.

2010 looks set to be a challenging, but interesting, year for the Horizons team and our partners. I will be sure to keep you up-to-date on major developments via my blog.