Northstowe
At the start of the 21st Century, the site of RAF Oakington was identified as being suitable for the development of a new town. At the same time plans were put forward to convert the old railway line to a modern “eco-friendly” guided bus-way; enabling the new town of Northstowe to have good transport links. The A14, now severely congested, would be unable to cope with the increased traffic of the new town.
In the process of developing the concept of the new town, developers optioned much of the land in Longstanton parish and, to a lesser extent, took control of land in parish of Oakington & Westwick. The proposed new town was no longer confined to RAF Oakington but would take much of the land of Longstanton and Oakington. After thousands of years as rural communities, these villages stand on the brink of being swallowed up and drawn irrevocably into an urban environment.
Why do we need a new town?
Northstowe is not just a brown-field site as the developers and planners like to say. Much of the development will be on land that is currently being used for agriculture and horticulture. East Anglia has historically always been the main food producing region of England and we appear to be determined to concrete over it. A proposed extension to Northstowe has already been put forward – which would extend the new town up behind Willingham and Rampton. This region is also the driest area of the country and water issues will be increasingly important in the future, if current predictions on climate change become a reality. If you look at the link we have on our section Longstanton – Introduction to Longstanton & District – The Fen Edge you can see the impact of rising sea-levels on Longstanton. It is no accident that the Longstanton conservation area is the Anglo-Saxon Longstanton mentioned in Domesday Book. In 300 AD the climate got wetter and people appeared to move to the highest point in the parish. If sea-levels rise as a result of climate change this will have an enormous impact not only on the fens but possibly Northstowe as well.
Government and the developers argue that new homes are required as there is currently a major shortage of homes partly fuelled by an increasing number of single adult homes. Cambridge with its booming science and technology sectors is viewed as a prime candidate to take much of the required housing growth. In December 2009 it was announced that Northstowe would be “an eco-town of the second wave”. Hopefully this means that Northstowe developers will mitigate the environmental damage that the new town will cause, provide alternative habitats and respect the heritage of the existing villages.
The issues surrounding Northstowe really do bring together all the important issues facing 21st Century Britain. This provides the developers and government with enormous challenges but also great opportunities. Hopefully, Northstowe will be an exemplar in eco-development, leading the way with green homes and dirty water recycling. Perhaps Northstowe can be the catalyst for real progress in developing environmentally friendly building practises and eco-technologies.
The latest position: July 2011
It has been announced that a new public consultation, based on a revised Northstowe plan, will take place in September; with a planning application for phase 1 submitted in Spring 2012. Lets hope that the lessons of the global credit crunch have been learned and the developers will meet all legal obligations in full. If we are to create a new 21st Century town, it is in all our interests that it should be the “exemplar” development that we have been promised.
We are on the brink of a new chapter in the histories of Longstanton, Oakington and Westwick. It is in all our interests that the new town meets the new challenges ahead and makes a valuable contribution to its surroundings and the country as a whole.
For the latest update on the progress of the Northstowe development please see Latest News under the Information Section.
For further information see link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northstowe