Cambridge should value its open and green spaces'

Residents want to stop the council 'selling the family silver' to developers who they claim are taking more than they give back with mitigation funding.

The lack of open space in the city needs to be rectified before it’s too late.

That’s the view of residents who want to see Section 106 (S106) money available through the city become pooled to enable more effective planning and follow-through when new open spaces can be developed.

The city council has been asking people to tell it which parks and open spaces should benefit from remaining funds given by developers, but the Federation of Cambridge Residents Associations (FeCRA) is hearing that people would rather see the money spent on preserving open green spaces in the city.

Local historian and Blue Badge Guide Allan Brigham referred to the city council’s Local Plan for 2006 which stated open space would ‘enhance the setting of the city, and add to its special character, amenity and biodiversity’.

He said: “The city council has rolled over to developers and taken commuted payments for open spaces elsewhere, not on the site which is being developed.

“This is leading to over-development on some parks and is failing to provide new open spaces in areas of greatest need around new developments in the inner city.

“We would ask why the council is not trying for the very best, rather than appearing to accept commuted payments so often. Its actions appear to be frequently contradicting its own aspirations.”

Section 106 money is given to mitigate the loss of a particular space to a developer. Wendy Blythe, chair of FeCRA, does not think the space given back to city residents by developers is good enough to justify giving it up in the first place.

She said: “The city is losing out in every way in terms of open space. We’re not seeing what we have lost being given back. What we are getting in return is very poor value.

“We have got cash-strapped councils and they are undervaluing the family silver.

“People are happy to see the money spent but there is no sense of strategy or long-term vision about it – it’s all very piecemeal. The money isn’t being spent on what‘s actually needed and what people really want, and that’s what we’re hearing from people all over the city.

“I think what people would like to see is more discussion on how we could achieve better quality open space, and how we can input that into a plan for future developments. It would be good if the university and colleges could engage in that discussion too. After all, the colleges are major landowners and developers are among those challenging the community’s Local Plan.

“What we could do with is a few high-profile, bold, robust and aesthetically sensitive heads of the colleges to unite and take a stand —and who as a group could appeal to the huge companies surrounding Cambridge to finance a landscape architectural genius, someone to come up with a thrilling and beautiful plan for Cambridge.

“In all the great cities of the world what makes them great is the quality of the public spaces. Think of the linden trees of Berlin and the boulevards of Paris. People don’t sing about the price of bus tickets. They sing about where they live, the quality of the spaces near their homes. It’s all about making loved space.

“In the 20s and 30s urban planners were thinking about how to design spaces so that people could live well, and now there is garden grabbing all over the city. Given that houses are getting smaller and smaller doesn’t it make it more important than ever to have good quality open space in the city?

“I’m not saying money should not be spent on children’s play areas, just not always on hard landscaping and extra bins. People need to think more about how children like to play. Open space is a vital ingredient.”

Looking to the future, a city council spokesperson said £4million has been secured over the past 15 years to mitigate developments, and 135 hectares of public open space is being provided on-site on major growth sites on Cambridge’s southern and north-west fringes (180 hectares is maintained in the city now).

The statement said: “S106 funding has improved public access and has enabled more people to visit and enjoy the city’s parks and open spaces throughout the year.

“Every ward in Cambridge is benefitting from local open space improvements.”