The Clay Farm and Showground development site is to the east of the current village. The overall site is 109 hectares, bounded by Long Road to the north, the railway line to the east, the city boundary and the line of the new Addenbrooke's Access Road to the south and the village to the west. Hobson's Brook runs through the site from Nine Wells, in a south-north direction. The northern part of the site is called Clay Farm and the southern part the Showground (after its use for agricultural shows in the 1940s and 1950s), but they are commonly know as Clay Farm.
The western part of the site has been been taken out of the Green Belt, having been used as farmland until the present time.
There is evidence of Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman use of the site, including field patterns and boundary ditches. There are the remains of a World War II anti-aircraft battery to the south of Long Road.
The plans for the Clay Farm development have been produced by Countryside Properties and the Pemberton Trustees. The initial planning application was submitted to the City Council in October 2006, a revised application submitted in June 2007 and a further set of amendments submitted in December 2007 (application 07/0620/OUT and 07/0621/OUT). The proposals were approved by the Joint Planning Committee on 14 May 2008, with a detailed report on the application from the planning officer. A further application was submitted in May 2009 for the spine road through the site. The Clay Farm Web site has full details, including the documents which make up the planning application.
The plan includes building up to 2300 residences, a secondary school, a primary school and a local centre including shops, offices and community, library and health facilities. There will be a spine road served by local buses, running from south to north through the site, from the Addenbrooke's Access Road to Long Road. The Guided Busway will also provide public transport, running from the south west to the north east through the site. The spine road and guided bus route will intersect at the local centre, where the current track from Paget Close to Addenbrooke's Hospital crosses the old railway line. The area to the east of Hobson's Brook will be green space, with sports facilities and a footpath network.
The developers had planned to begin work in late 2008, start house building in 2009 and complete the work in 2018, but this has been delayed by the economic downturn. See the News page for current information.
The Association has been in regular contact with the developers and the Council and has welcomed the constructive dialogue that has taken place since the plans were first put forward. It is broadly in support of the current plans and particularly welcomes the new facilities which they will bring to the village, including the proposed community centre and health centre.
The Association submitted a response to the revised application on 14 July 2007 (Word file, 500K). This raised issues about the secondary school, primary school, community, library and health facilities, access, cycle parking, footpaths, water, the green corridor and other issues.
The Association submitted a response to the amended application on 7 January 2008 (Word file, 500K). This emphasised the importance of the development of the secondary school, the community, library and heath facilities and allotment provision, which together provide an essential set of education and community resources.
It also submitted a response to supplementary information which was circulated in March 2008. This letter broadly welcomed the latest changes to the proposals, while there were still serious concerns about issues such as allotment provision. The supplement included a Public Art policy, which has resulted in a further response.
A few weeks before the meeting of the Planning Committee, the applicant submitted further revisions. The Association response was submitted in April 2008, with comments on the Long Road junction, allotments, phasing, access to Fawcett School and other concerns.
In June 2009, the Association wrote a response to the plans for the spine road through the site. This was followed by a second response when the applicant submitted revised proposals for the route.
The photographs to the left show the area before any major changes. New reports and images will be added when work is underway.
Trumpington Residents’ Association. A Company Limited by Guarantee. Company Number 6729377. Registered in England. Registered Office: Trumpington Pavilion, Paget Road, Trumpington, Cambridge CB2 9JF.
Email: admin@trumpingtonresidentsassociation.org