Petersfield Area
Community Trust

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Petersfield Ward has recently experienced, and is likely to continue to experience, a large number of planning applications for re-development, especially for residential use. All of these have been, or are likely to be, at a high density in line with National Government policy and regional Planning guidance. PACT is not able itself to deal directly with all these planning applications but encourages local residents to be active in examining proposals and putting forward their views. This they have done with some considerable degree of success in securing amendments to plans and safeguarding amenity of existing residents.

Cambridge City Council is exceptional in the opportunities it affords to residents to express their opinion on planning applications. These include speaking at a Development Control Forum and, a recent innovation, speaking at planning Sub-committee meetings. Please see the Council's leaflet "Speaking at Meetings" and "Your Chance to Comment" for more details. PACT encourages local residents' groups to use these opportunities to the full.

The following 8 bullet points define PACT's aims with respect to planning. PACT seeks to:

• influence planning policy
• ensure best practice is followed in determining applications
• maintain an overview of development in the Petersfield area
• advise local residents faced with planning applications for new developments
• tackle planning applications which are of concern to the wider community
• monitor, and influence the allocation of, S106 monies
• ensure compliance with planning obligations and conditions in the area
• represent the views of residents to the local planning authority

As an outcome of all these re-development, financial contributions towards transport improvements, open space and community facilities have been agreed with developers. Cambridge City council is preparing a "City-wide strategy" for spending these contributions.

PACT is actively seeking wide consultation with local communities on how these monies are to be spent and is urging that local projects should have priority over city-wide projects. PACT's involvement in planning issues concentrates mainly on influencing such areas of planing Policy.

Glenys Malyon was honoured to have been nominated by PACT to represent residents on the Development control User Panel and joined the Panel in September 2001.

The Panel comprises representatives from Agents - Planning Consultants, Architects, etc; Residents' Associations; Special Needs Groups and Planning Sub-committee. Officers from Development Control attend meeting in an advisory capacity.

The purposes of the Panel are:

• to improve communication with, and feedback from, service users.
• to discuss and review all areas of service performance.
• to make recommendations for service improvements.
• to raise joint awareness and understanding of each other's needs and expectation.
to promote and disseminate good practice.

Members of the Panel are encouraged to represent the views of other users. Glenys hopes to establish a mechanism for representing the views of other residents' groups during her time on the Panel. In the meantime contact Glenys on PACTCambridge@bigfoot.com if there are issues which you would like to have discussed by the Panel.

You can find more information on Planning in Cambridge on the City council website. Reports from the PACT planning & Environment Issues Sub-commit can be found here

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