Agenda

Application No:  24/01354/FUL

Site Address:      137 and 143 Histon Road

Description:        Erection of 70 dwellings including access, car parking, cycle storage, substation, landscaping and associated works.

Applicant:           Hill

Agent:                 Carter Jonas LLP

Address:             One Station Square Cambridge CB1 2GA

Lead Petitioner:  Resident of Canterbury Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 3QF

Case Officer:       Aaron Coe

Text of Petition:  

Title: Save Histon Road Playground

Statement: We the undersigned petition the council forego their plans to create any form of new access points whatsoever into the Histon Road Children’s Recreation Ground (henceforth ‘HRCRG’) from the proposed development at 137-143 Histon Road (henceforth ‘The Development’). Whilst we do not object to the building of houses on the land in principle, we take objection to the access points being created to offset green space and amenity land.

Justification:

1. The planning concerns are the following:

Safety: At present the children’s playground is a safe, intimate space for the local community. Any public access point(s), cutting across it, creates a thoroughfare which shall impact negatively on the safety of the children. One of the advantages of the way the HRCRG is landscaped is that the long wooded area along the northern border is an unique adventure “jungle” that children can disappear into without their parents worrying that they can emerge onto city streets or wander into traffic. Any access points compromise this.

Pollution: both traffic and light pollution. There are 53 allocated car parking spaces within the development, with the very likelihood of rising to 70+ cars based and parking in the area. That is not to mention the visitors vehicles, the delivery trucks, the food vans, and the Deliveroo motorbikes.
Likewise, light pollution from The Development will disturb the wildlife, especially, but not least, the bats.

Flooding. Development, as we know, causes severe flooding issues. As we already have drainage problems in the park, any significant development will likely negatively impact existing properties around the park (particularly Canterbury Close, Canterbury Street, and part of Richmond Road) by flooding.

Loss of amenity land. Creating access points into a children’s playground is a cynical and immoral act and sets a terrifying precedent to incorporate public land for the sake of offsetting amenity land, which should be calculated within any proposed development site from the start. Developers should make and contribute their own green spaces - as well as children’s play areas, rather than poach them from the existing community.

Protected space. HRCRG is within the Castle and Victoria Road Conservation Area and is listed as one of Cambridgeshire’s green spaces that property developers cannot touch:
https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/protected-green-spaces-cambridgeshire-developers-15782350.

As we understand it, Mrs Florence Emily Heath had already provisionally secured the land as a Recreation Ground specifically for children for the city, before she sold it to the Cambridge City Council in 1932; we therefore understand it is under covenant.

Pressure on local infrastructure. The Development puts pressure on local infrastructure such as doctors’ surgeries and schools before the area has been prepared for it. 111 secondary school children are  ...  view the full agenda text for item 4.