Agenda

A petition has been received containing over 500 valid signatures stating the following:

Title: Introduce fair limits and control the spread of HMOs in Cambridge

Statement:

We the undersigned petition the council 1. Amend the Local Plan to set a clear '10% HMO threshold within a radius of 100m', across Cambridge, to prevent harmful over-concentration. (So if a property owner wants to convert an existing house into a HMO and at least 10% of the properties within a 100m radius of that house are already HMOs, the planning application is likely to be refused.) 2. Introduce Article 4 Directions in Cambridge requiring property owners to seek planning permission to convert an existing home into a permanent 'small' HMO for three to six people. (At the moment property owners only need to apply for planning permission to convert an existing property into a 'large' HMO for seven occupants or more.)

Justification:

Cambridge is an outlier among major university cities. While places like Oxford, Manchester and Bristol have defined thresholds which limit the percentage of houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) in a neighbourhood as well as Article 4 Directions which enable planners to control their spread, Cambridge has neither.

This lack of safeguards is allowing family homes to be rapidly converted into HMOs without proper oversight, leading to growing concentrations in some neighbourhoods. National planning guidance and councils across the UK recognise around 10% as the tipping point where too many HMOs begin to harm local communities - affecting parking, waste management, housing quality and neighbourhood stability.

In areas like Petersfield and Romsey in central Cambridge, that threshold has already been exceeded, with detrimental impacts on long-standing residents and HMO tenants alike.

The Cambridge Local Plan recognises the harm to local communities that can be caused by an over-concentration of HMOs in a neighbourhood. But at the moment in Cambridge, property investors do not need to get planning permission to convert a family home into a 'small' HMO - defined as a property for six unrelated people or fewer. There is also no clear numerical definition of what an "over-concentration" actually means.

We are calling for two practical, widely-used planning measures to address this:

1. Amend the Local Plan to set a clear '10% HMO threshold within a radius of 100m', across Cambridge, to prevent harmful over-concentration. (So if a property owner wants to convert an existing house into a HMO and at least 10% of the properties within a 100m radius of that house are already HMOs, the planning application is likely to be refused.)

2. Introduce Article 4 Directions in Cambridge, for example in Petersfield and Romsey, requiring property owners to seek planning permission to convert an existing home into a permanent 'small' HMO for three to six people. (At the moment property owners only need to apply for planning permission to convert an existing property into a 'large' HMO for seven occupants or more.)

Both of these measures are standard tools used by dozens of councils across the UK.  ...  view the full agenda text for item 6.

Council notes:

That many residents move into new developments expecting to become part of established communities yet can spend many years living with unresolved issues such as roads awaiting new markings or safety features, waiting for adequate street lighting, lack of facilities and upkeep of open spaces, play areas, drainage, signage and other community infrastructure such as health provision, community spaces and libraries.

That responsibility for such infrastructure is often divided between developers, management companies, Cambridge City Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and other public bodies. As a result, residents can face considerable difficulty in identifying who owns or maintains particular assets, who is responsible for resolving issues, whether infrastructure is intended for adoption, and what barriers remain to adoption.

Council recognises that adoption of highways, open spaces and other infrastructure can only occur where the relevant standards have been met and the responsible authority is satisfied that legal and technical requirements have been fulfilled.

That lengthy periods of uncertainty and unclear accountability can delay the resolution of problems, reduce confidence in the stewardship of developments and undermine trust in the planning and delivery of new communities.

Council believes:

That residents should be able to understand who is responsible for the places in which they live, how issues can be reported, and what progress is being made towards long-term management and adoption arrangements.

That improving transparency, accountability and communication on existing developments will help build public confidence in the delivery and stewardship of future developments and demonstrate that growth is accompanied by clear responsibilities and effective community engagement.

That Cambridge is a growing city that will continue to see significant housing and infrastructure development in the coming years, and in future that this is proposed to be the responsibility of a Development Corporation.

Council therefore requests that the Leader works with relevant officers to make clear and timely representations to the Development Corporation on behalf of the council, as the Dev Co establishes itself and its role in larger developments, to ensure that any proposals include:

1.    Working with developers, management companies, Cambridgeshire County Council, and the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service to improve, for residents, transparency, accountability and coordination between the relevant responsible organisations.  

2.     Exploring the establishment of a code of engagement for developers and management companies operating occupied developments within the city;

3.    Considering mechanisms to ensure residents have access to clear and publicly accessible information on:

o   ownership and maintenance responsibilities for community infrastructure;

o   adoption intentions and adoption status;

o   clear signposting to routes for addressing issues;

o   barriers preventing adoption or transfer to public or private bodies; and

o   expected timescales for resolution where known.

4.    Exploring mechanisms to improve visibility of progress on issues, including response and progress monitoring, making use of existing reporting systems wherever possible.

5.    Considering how successful elements of any code could be incorporated into future planning policy, planning conditions, management arrangements or Local Plan policies for major developments.

In addition, in the near term, Council requests that the  ...  view the full agenda text for item 10a

1       Introduction (not part of active motion)

The Green Group proposes the following motion to address resident concerns over the state of our rivers and chalk stream. We regard the river as an integral part of the life of our city. Threats to our rivers are threats to us all.

The purpose of this motion is to:

·      state our city’s aspirations for our river and chalk streams (“the declaration of the Rights of the River Cam”)

·      petition the organisations responsible for our river to improve their performance to help save our river and its tributaries.

·      recognise the limits placed by the critically depleted state of our river on future growth in buildings and infrastructure.

·      publicise the immediacy of the water crisis, creating awareness of the need to reduce water use.

Active Motion

1 Declaration of the Rights of the River Cam

This Council declares that the River Cam and its tributaries should have the following rights arising from their existence in nature:

·      The right to flow and be free from over-abstraction

·      The right to perform essential functions of flooding, moving sediment, recharging groundwater and sustaining biodiversity

·      The right to be free from pollution

·      The right to feed and be fed by sustainable aquifers

·      The right to native biodiversity

·      The right to restoration

·      The right to maintain connections with other streams and rivers

This Council undertakes to assess the impact of all its decisions on the health of the river and ensure that all its decisions support these rights.

This Council calls on all residents and organisations to act as guardians of the River Cam and engage with the river in a relationship of respect and stewardship.

2 Responsibility

This Council notes that the responsible bodies are:

·      Environment Agency – general oversight, including preventing environmental damage to water and associated biodiversity

·      Cambridge Water – ensuring adequate water supply

·      Anglian Water – management and treatment of sewage

The Council proposes to write to all three bodies to share its concerns over the state of the river and call upon them for their assistance.

The Council further notes that there are other bodies and institutions whose actions have significant impacts on the health of the river, and particularly highlights the importance of:

·      The University of Cambridge and its associated colleges, through the maintenance of their assets and the management of their activities

The Cambridge Development Corporation –

The Council proposes to write to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge and the Chief Executive and Chair of the Cambridge Development Corporation to share its concerns over the state of the river and call upon them for their assistance.

3. Interaction with the Council’s own actions and the growth of the city

The Council proposes to set up a small cross-party group to draw up a plan for the actions that it can specifically undertake to contribute to protection of the river. This will include:

·      considering the impact of future growth in buildings and infrastructure in the city on the depleted state of our  ...  view the full agenda text for item 10b

This Council would like to express its dismay at the announcement made by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust that it will stop providing services at the site in Apri 2028.

This Council notes:

·      For over 27 years this 7.5-acre site has been providing training, therapeutic horticulture, animal husbandry and retail work for adults with learning disabilities and mental health challenges who are known as co-workers.

·      There are currently 50 co-workers and 12 staff.

·      Cambridgeshire County Council currently contract the service to the Trust and in April 2028 the Trust will no longer run the contract.

·      The County Council will then have to be responsible for the well-being of the co- workers who love working at the site.

·      The 2025, 10 Year NHS Health Plan (Fit for the Future) aims to shift from a system focused on treating sickness to one that prioritises prevention, encouraging healthier lifestyles and early intervention.

This Council calls:

·      Cambridgeshire County Council to do all it can to keep the service on the current site.

·      Request that the Council Leader write to the Chief Executive of the Trust Steve Grange to raise our concerns.

·      Write to the MPs for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire to see what can be done to keep the service on the current site.

·      The support from the local community for this much-loved service has been an encouragement to its staff, co-workers and volunteers. The Council now adds its voice to the campaign and doing what it can to secure the services future.

This Council resolves that in line with its aspirations to achieve the highest quality and most affordable homes in Cambridge, from the date of this resolution being agreed that no residential development in which the Council has an ownership interest, financial interest or development role shall proceed unless it achieves the following standards

·           on all sites of 10 or more dwellings that at least 40% of the homes shall be affordable homes, with rents set as follows:

o    social rent: 40% of the median market rent

o    affordable rent: 60% of the median market rent

Furthermore, this Council resolves that on any development that this council has an ownership interest, financial interest or development role:

1.⁠ ⁠All homes shall be developed to the highest recognised sustainability standard at the time that they are built.

2.⁠ ⁠No single aspect homes shall be built.

3.⁠ ⁠All sites shall have disabled parking, by right.

4.⁠ ⁠Subject to the provision of disabled parking, all developments shall be designed as car free by default. Where car parking is considered necessary, it shall be provided in a separate stand-alone car park (so that in due course this can gradually be used for building more homes).

5.⁠ ⁠No council land, or property, shall be sold without the approval of the full Council.