Superfast broadband project gets go ahead for Cambridgeshire
Almost every home and business in Cambridgeshire could have superfast broadband within four years after a £70 million project was given the green light. It is hoped delivering a high-speed connection of 25 megabits a second or more to at least 90 per cent of properties will attract new businesses and create extra jobs. The county council will contribute up to £20 million and members of its cabinet approved borrowing to fund the initial outlay today.
Leader Cllr Nick Clarke said: "Superfast broadband is taken as the norm in many countries now and if we wish to compete not with Durham, Cornwall and Wales, if we want to compete on the world stage, it’s essential. We wouldn’t expect communities and businesses to start up without electricity or roads or water. As part of the project, every address in the county should have a connection of two megabits a second or faster.
He added, “If we can help to create an even more vibrant economy we can spread the brand of Cambridge across Cambridgeshire. Then people will be much more likely to be able to find jobs and look after themselves rather than relying on the state, and that has a benefit for everyone in Cambridgeshire."
The project will be a partnership with the private sector, which is expected to contribute £50 million. The council hopes to secure £8 million from the Government, leaving it with a £12 million bill, but members said they were prepared to make up the difference if the central funding does not materialise.
Local County Councillor John Reynolds, said: “The benefits of the project would be huge, including allowing families in remote villages to use internet shopping rather than travel to high streets, and enabling the ill and elderly to remain in their homes and have their wellbeing monitored in their homes by new "telehealth" technologies”.
He added, “Speedy connections would help students too – citing evidence that children who do not have broadband access at home will have lower earning power and will create increased social costs".
Cambridgeshire’s NESTA egg could help hatch transport plans in UK
A ground breaking initiative to create a community transport scheme in Cambridgeshire could help transform public services across the UK. The County Council led project – Cambridgeshire Future Transport - is one of only 17 successful initiatives out of 137 bids made by councils in England and Wales to the Creative Councils programme.
Cambridgeshire Future Transport will receive practical help from NESTA (National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts) and the Local Government Group to develop and implement its ideas which can then be applied across local government.
The County Council is working with the NHS using combined funding of around £34 million to find better local transport solutions. This includes the creation of micro-franchise businesses to meet local transport needs and create employment.
Around £34 million is currently spent each year by local authorities and health services on transport in Cambridgeshire. Initially, the 17 shortlisted councils will receive practical support to develop their idea with experts in innovation in local government. These 17 councils will also have the opportunity to access financial and non-financial support over the next six months, as projects develop. In early 2012, the 17 will be reduced to just five councils which will receive significant financial and non-financial support to put their ideas into practice, including supporting their take up in other areas.
Councillor Ian Bates said: “We have a vision where local communities and social entrepreneurs play the lead role in designing local transport services, and joining up budgets across the county. Not only will it drive forward innovation and enterprise but more importantly create truly local solutions to transport problems. All local authorities are facing the challenge of providing local transport with less money and it is only by transforming the way we think will public services be able to help our communities. It is pleasing that Cambridgeshire has been recognised nationally for facing that challenge head on.”
Councillor Nick Clarke, Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “This is fantastic news and is a strong endorsement for our transformational approach to local transport services. NESTA is the UK’s foremost expert on how innovation can solve social and economic challenges. We need to move toward a more sustainable model for delivering public transport moving away from high levels of subsidy. This approach will be of interest to many councils. The methods and innovative models of working that we are proposing will be highly replicable in other areas.”
Take the high road or the low road, we can help – for free
The County Council has become the first authority in the country to secure free use of mapping information from the Ordnance Survey (OS) in order to help more people to get out and about to enjoy the Cambridgeshire countryside.
Information on Cambridgeshire's extensive network of byways, bridleways and footpaths is provided to OS by the County Council, but the council had to pay a fee to use that information – now thanks to the new agreement, use for whatever purpose will be free.
The expanded electronic database is available to others via the Council's Countryside Access and Rights of Way Team on its website.
The site now includes information on the full network of permissive paths and access sites as well as other information on ways to get out and about in the Cambridgeshire countryside.
A pain-free ride to Addenbrooke's with the Busway
Addenbrooke's bosses have welcomed the arrival of The Busway this week by encouraging patients, visitors and staff out of their cars and on to the traffic-free guideway. The new transport link that opened on Sunday provides a direct, environmentally friendly and traffic-free route into Addenbrooke's with journeys from Trumpington Park & Ride taking just six minutes.
Although public transport is already well used at Addenbrooke's Hospital, there are over 700,000 visits to the site each every year from Cambridgeshire and beyond - and that number does not include staff journeys. There are also plans to expand the Cambridge Biomedical Campus at Addenbrookes that will create thousands of new jobs and include an additional on-road and dedicated route for Busway services.
Two new Park & Ride sites at St Ives and Longstanton have also been built as part of The Busway in addition to the existing site at Trumpington that guided buses now serve. The sites have free parking and mean access is easier from all parts of Cambridgeshire.
Dr Mary Archer, chairman of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "I am very pleased to see the first guided buses bringing patients, visitors and staff to Addenbrooke's and the Rosie. We have always encouraged people to consider alternatives to driving to help ease congestion and reduce the pressure on parking spaces.
This new link between the Park & Ride, the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, and the railway station is an excellent addition to our existing transport arrangements.
For further information about routes, timetables and prices visit www.thebusway.info.
A gliding success as passengers flock to Busway
Extra buses continue to roll onto The Busway to keep up with demand as residents have flocked to use the new transport link since it opened. During the first seven days of the route connecting Huntingdon, St Ives and Cambridge opening to passengers, bus operator bosses have seen a total of 55,895 trips being made.
Busway officials are pleased with the initial passenger numbers, but have warned that it will take a number of months before the real benefits can be assessed as hundreds of extra commuters will begin using The Busway next month after summer breaks. The revolutionary link gives people a reliable traffic-free public transport link to help beat the queues on the often busy A14.
As expected, bus operators have seen large numbers of people using the route into Cambridge, but businesses in the market towns of St Ives and Huntingdon have also been boosted by the number of people travelling out from Cambridge.
Busway services run seven days a week, and from Monday to Saturday 7am to 7pm there are buses running between St Ives and Cambridge at least every 10 minutes. Services to Huntingdon will be every 20 minutes with an hourly evening service running until midnight.
The Busway includes two new Park & Ride sites at St Ives and Longstanton with spaces for hundreds of cars and covered cycle parking. The shorter southern section connects Cambridge Railway Station, Addenbrooke's Hospital and Trumpington Park & Ride with a completely traffic-free link.
Local County Councillior John Reynolds, said: "I am really pleased to see so many people using The Busway during the summer holiday season as this is when fewer commuters are travelling and traffic generally moves at its best on the A14. As the holiday season ends and we move towards Christmas I expect to see even more people using The Busway as it offers a fantastic service which will be a boost for local businesses."
"The summer holiday period is generally a little quieter on local bus services, but we have been pleasantly surprised with the demand so far. We are continuing to put on extra buses to keep up with demand and as the system beds in we are confident the service on our luxury buses will go from strength to strength."
"Even with lighter traffic on the A14 we are still seeing a good number of passengers using the route. Queues on the A14 are a big problem for buses as well as people in their cars and it is great to have a reliable alternative for our customers. We strive to offer good value for money on The Busway and believe it will be a great success.
Local Enterprise Partnership wins Enterprise Zone scheme
Part of the Alconbury Airfield site has been selected by the Government as one of the new wave of ten Enterprise Zones. The Enterprise Zone proposal for Alconbury is designed to encourage investment, attract innovative companies and create around 8,000 jobs.
The proposal, submitted by the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to Government in June, put Alconbury in competition with other Local Enterprise Partnership proposals from across the country, and the 10 successful national winners, including Alconbury, were announced today.
Neville Reyner CBE DL, Chair of the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded an Enterprise Zone at Alconbury Airfield by the Government. This is a significant first big win for our Local Enterprise Partnership that we believe will help to drive growth across the whole of our LEP area, and generate significant benefits for the country as a whole. We will now be working in close partnership with the landowners / developers Urban & Civic, with Huntingdonshire District Council and with Cambridgeshire County Council to make this proposal become a reality.”
The Enterprise Zone will not only bring benefits for Huntingdonshire, the uplift in Business Rates income will be retained within the Local Enterprise Partnership area for 25 years, rather than this income going to the Treasury as happens today. This means millions of pounds of additional income will be available to help fund projects across the whole of the Local Enterprise Partnership area, which the Board of the LEP will agree.
The Alconbury Enterprise Zone will cover 150 hectares of the whole 575 hectares site and will offer a vibrant mixture of employment uses. The Enterprise Zone will bring a number of benefits to the LEP area, including: 100 per cent business rate discount worth up to £275,000 over a five year period for every business that moves into the site; all business rates growth within the zone for a period of at least 25 years will be retained and shared by the local authorities in the LEP area to support their economic priorities; government and local authority help to develop the planning approaches in the zone; and government support to ensure superfast broadband is rolled out.
Going forward the Enterprise Zone is conditional upon the council putting in place a simplified approach to planning, known as a Local Development Order. A Local Development Order grants planning permission for the type of development specified in the order, and by doing so, removes the need for a specific planning application to be made by the developer. This process will allow the council to shape the area with consideration for what will genuinely benefit growth and attract private sector investment to the Enterprise Zone.
Councillor Nick Clarke, who is Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council and a LEP Board Member, said: “This announcement is fantastic news for the whole of Cambridgeshire, not just the Huntingdonshire area, and is a hugely important early success for the LEP and its commitment to driving forward the area’s economy which has the wholehearted support of the County Council. It is also a clear indication that Cambridgeshire is open for business in every possible way.
An Enterprise Zone will help bring jobs and prosperity to Cambridgeshire and funding to overcome some of the barriers to growth, and show the rest of the world that the county is a first class place to do business and that we can help lead UK PLC out of the current economic downturn.”
Huntingdonshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and the Local Enterprise Partnership have worked closely with developers Urban & Civic throughout the process and will continue to do so to bring high-quality jobs to the area and to lead its development into the future.
Local County Councillor John Reynolds, said: “This is excellent news and the hard work from all parties involved has truly paid off. The Enterprise Zone will accelerate and enhance the delivery of a strategic growth location within the LEP area and maximise the available returns to the local community. Additionally it will provide the basis for further growth and interest within the region.”
Housing developments
The County Council’s Research and Monitoring team are pleased to announce the publication of housing development Statistics following the annual development survey at 31 March 2011. Key findings from the latest survey are highlighted in the summary report that can be downloaded from the public section of the County website and include:
- The number of dwellings completed has shown a slight increase on previous years – there were 2,513 completions during 2010-2011.
- The number of new dwellings that started on site in 2010-2011 was 2,746, still comparatively low but an increase on the previous two years
- Of all the dwellings completed, 29.1% were affordable, a slight decrease on the previous year’s performance.
Guided walk will reveal the secrets of ancient Fenland earthwork
An expert from Cambridgeshire Archaeology will be leading a guided walk along the Roman Bank, which will reveal the secrets of the ancient earthwork at Leverington.
Archaeologist Hazel White will be explaining the story of the monument which runs between the village and Wisbech and the reasons for its construction. The walk starts from Leverington Parish Church, at 7.00 pm on August 17.
The earthwork was built as a sea defence in response to rising water levels and is the last visible part of the system that helped protect the town of Wisbech and the surrounding area from regular inundation. Cambridgeshire County Council Archaeologist Quinton Carroll, said: "Roman Bank is one of the most significant heritage sites in Fenland and it isn't even Roman! It is a very visible reminder of our vulnerability to flooding, but also as a record of the desire to keep the area protected."
Contact John Reynolds
County Councillor John Reynolds
4 Holly Trees
Bar Hill
Cambridge
CB23 8SF
T 01954 200 571
F 01954 200 571
M 07720 379699
E john.reynolds@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Follow Cambridgeshire County Council on
Facebook – www.facebook.com/CambridgeshireCC.
Twitter – www.twitter.com/CambsCC.
Cambridgeshire County Council – website.