The High Tech Development and Provision of the Required Homes - Essay Example

Planning and Land Use Executive Summary Cambridge is a that lies within the county of Cambridgeshire in England, about eighty kilometers from London, in East Anglia. This is the home of the famous Cambridge University, which was founded in 1209. This region is experiencing pressure from the housing and development department, which is a prime motivation, for the rapid expansion of high-technology firms under the phenomenon of Cambridge. Until now, the new housing locations had to illuminate the presence of a green belt that is tightly drawn and has restricted the outward growth of the city. This was compelled to protect the historic character of the town. Nevertheless, according to the planning balance between the homes and places of employment, and the notion of sustainable development today it has led to negative impacts. Planning and Land Use This city is of interest because it is a medieval city, which has a rich history and the pressure of developing threatens to wipe away the rich history of this town. For this reason, the core of the city has become limited because the research and development activities have been concentrated within the sites of employment on the edge of the city. Under the Cambridge phenomenon there were four hundred high-tech organizations in the area, which employed over sixteen thousand people (Morrison, 2010). These organizations stemmed from the departments of the university and spun offs from companies, which had had origins of the university. Ever since, it has been concentrated. During this period, the trans-European highway provided the main road link between the parts and the midlands that were industrialized. The decision to improve the infrastructure of the city was made at the National Level, whereas, the land use of the planning of Cambridge was under the Holford Plan of 1950 (Waters & Lawton, 2002). Despite all these plans, the structure plan of the Cambridgeshire sought means to control the growth of the city outwardly. This was done through maintaining the tight green belt. The reason for this plan was to secure the historic character and setting of Cambridge. Green belts have been an essential mechanism for planning in England. Within it, it is hard to get permission for planning for development. The purpose of that is to preserve the setting and memorable character of the town, check unrestricted emergence of built-up areas, assist safeguarding the countryside from encroachment and finally to restrain the neighboring towns from merging into another (Wicksteed, 2005). For Cambridge, without the green belt then the city would have spread out to the surrounding villages and reduce their unique character. Fig.1 Cambridge in the 1990s (Wicksteed, 2005) With the turn of the new century, Cambridge has an alternative view to the future of its developments. There have been tensions among the various elements of policies of planning (Benson & Jordan, 2004). On one hand, the green belt’s aim was to restrict development, while, on the other side, it aims at providing affordable homes in the interest of sustainable development. The planning framework for Cambridge had itself become unsustainable. There has been problems in the structure plan of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough of 2003 (Sage & Halkier, 2005). This is due to not having the infrastructure to give support to the growing population and economy in the sub region of Cambridge. Consequently, this has resulted into recruitment hardship and skill shortages. The public infrastructure has also improved under this plan however, it is still not enough to satisfy the present needs and still has fallen short of the requirements of the future. As a consequence of this, the sub region of Cambridge is experiencing escalating hardships, which affect its ability to prosper and grow into a leading centre for research and development (Morrison, 2010). Fig.2 Sub Regional Growth Strategy (new residential development is shown in red, the green belt in green and the Cambridgeshire guided route in dark blue.) (Wicksteed, 2005). To curb these issues, a more balanced strategy for planning was established. The agreement was that the green belt was to be preserved and the land was to be let, to allow further development on the edge of the city (Benson & Jordan, 2004). To complement this, Northstowe, a new settlement is to be built beyond the green belt linking Cambridge and other villages, by a means of a bus way. One distinct feature of the city is narrow boundaries drawn by the Municipal. The emphasis is on developing the periphery of the city, which should involve joint work with the rural district of South Cambridgeshire District, which surrounds the administrative area of the City (Sagan & Halkier, 2005). The RSS14 plan, which covers the administrative region is in charge of the land use of the County Council, but has diminished. Nevertheless, the County still remains the channel for authority and is responsible for delivering improvements in the transport sector among others (Waters & Smith, 2002). Cambridge has a different political structure, therefore, Cambridgeshire Horizons was established by the local authorities to deliver the growth and infrastructure as specified in the Cambridgeshire Structure Plan. The Local development Framework is part of the local plan, therefore, for those areas to be developed, they have to take the form of the Area Action Plan (Wicksteed, 2005). The latest development, Trumpington Meadows, is in the southern region, and its aim is to accommodate a large number of homes, while three times the estimated number is planned for the largest extension at Cambridge East. At Northstowe, which is to the North West of Cambridge, is set to have nine thousand, five hundred homes. This area is of national interest because it will act as a prototype for the eco towns, which aims at setting new standards on low carbon living. This settlement is to be built on a previous airfield, and its purpose is to provide a wide and efficient range of local facilities alongside convenient accessibility to Cambridge. Thirty five percent of the homes is to be affordable so as to accommodate key workers and others on low income. It is to have an employment area and a town centre and schools. An example of the high tech momentum in the region is the Cambridge Science Park, situated at the northern fringe of Cambridge. The interested land is that which had initially belonged to Trinity College, which was one of the most prestigious universities since its foundation. The site had been threatened and derelict by planning blight. However, a decision was taken to develop it as a science park (Benson & Jordan, 2004). The science park then became a dominant hub for the technology sector. The Cambridge Guided Bus way scheme is an essential structure of the strategy for the sub regional areas of Cambridge. The basis for this is to offer a high quality, bus based, public transport route, which links the city centre of Cambridge with other settlements to the north west, Huntingdon, and Trumpington and Addenbrooke’s Hospital to the South (Waters & Smith, 2002). This bus way aims at integrating land use and provision of transport. It also tends to extend the variety of public transport, promote sustainable development, improve access to public transport in areas, which currently have poor provision and promoting social inclusion. This is by improving access to retail, employment, community and educational facilities. Fig. 3 The Cambridge Guided Bus route (Guide ways within Cambridge part are represented by the dark blue lines, whereas on the road, is represented by blue lines.) (Wicksteed, 2005). The vital outcome of this plan and land use are that it will connect to the main centers of population, education, employment, shopping and health care and research centers. In addition to the city centre of Cambridge and the towns of Huntingdon and St. Ives, those other centers would entail Addenbrooke’s, Cambridge Science Park and other developments in the northern fringe of the city. There will also be four village stops and several of them with a link to serve Northstowe (Wicksteed, 2005). At the moment, Cambridge has a planning framework that can withstand the pressures of the high tech development, and provision of the required homes. For the most part, the homes will be in locations that are easily accessible, with options of transport modes, so that they do not rely entirely on cars (Waters & Smith, 2002). For the future land use, a lot of this will rely on the details of the schemes, which will be brought forward, and negotiated upon. For the developments at the fringes of the city, it will be necessary to protect the provision of the strategic landscape that is required for the setting of this historic city (Sagan & Halkier, 2005). For the case of Northstowe, it has potential for it to become a prototype eco city, and a test bed for the green design. For this to be achieved, there has to be co-operation between the local authorities and agencies. They also need support from the Government, where it is required. Bibliography Benson, D, & Jordan, A 2004, Sustainability Appraisal in Local Land-Use Planning: Patterns of Current Performance, Journal Of Environmental Planning And Management, 47, 2, pp. 269-286, EconLit with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 16 February 2012. Morrison, N 2010, A Green Belt under Pressure: The Case of Cambridge, England, Planning Practice & Research, 25, 2, pp. 157-181, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 16 February 2012. Sagan, I., & Halkier, H, 2005 ‘Regionalism contested: institution, society and governance’. Aldershot, Ashgate. Waters, R, & Smith, H, 2002, Regional Development Agencies and Local Economic Development: Scale and Competitiveness in High-technology Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire, European Planning Studies, 10, 5, pp. 633-649, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 16 February 2012. Wicksteed, William (2005). Cambridge: The Cambridge Phenomenon ISOCARP Review: Making Spaces for the Creative Economy. Aldershot, Ashgate. Read More