NEC Community Forum Terms of Reference

Aims

to provide residents and stakeholders with regular updates regarding strategic development sites;
to provide an opportunity for residents and stakeholders to share their interests / concerns with relevant council officers, including those from the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service (‘Planning’) and Sustainable Communities and Wellbeing (‘Communities’) teams, Elected Members, developers and other key stakeholders such as Cambridgeshire County Council and Anglian Water.

The developments covered by this forum are those comprising the wider North East Cambridge Area Action Plan site.
To provide regular, accurate and timely information to residents regarding the above developments.
To offer an opportunity for residents to raise issues of interest or concern for existing and new communities with a view to enhancing the quality of community life and the environment in the wider North East Cambridge area.
For council officers to share issues raised by residents with relevant parties and report back responses and / or that appropriate action has been taken.
To provide information and signposting on planning and growth matters.
To provide an opportunity for developer/s, residents, community groups, elected members and council officers to engage with each other.
From time to time, to provide opportunities for residents to be consulted and involved in the planning, co-design and management of associated facilities and services.
The forum does not have decision-making powers and cannot be held accountable for growth and related issues.
Minor developments may be covered by this forum from time to time, but the developments listed above will take priority.

The forum will have alternating facilitators representing South Cambridge District Council and Cambridge City Council.
There will be a maximum of 4 ‘open to all’ formal meetings a year, where appropriate, and other forms of engagement where necessary.
Venues, where appropriate, will be spread around the different catchment area/s for the new development(s) to ensure all residents have an opportunity to attend.
The frequency and format of individual meetings will be determined by senior Planning and Communities officers in consultation with the Chair based on the progress of each specific development.
Meeting dates will be set, wherever possible, on a rolling basis a year in advance.
Where development sites straddle Local Authority boundaries, the tasks of organising and chairing the events will be shared between South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridge City Council (‘shared forums’).
A range of methods will be used to deliver the forum. The most appropriate format will be chosen for the meeting in consultation with attendees and in accordance with the circumstances and government guidance available at the time, that is to say in person forums (which will include drop-ins), virtual meetings or a hybrid of these. For virtual meetings Zoom Webinar will be used.

A range of measures will be used to communicate to residents about the forums, including local advertising via flyers, web page, existing parish publications, email and social media.
For shared forums, online content will be available on both South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridge City Council’s websites.
Where possible and practicable, officers at each Council will upload content within 10 days.
A rolling agenda will be posted online so residents are aware of proposed future topics for discussion.
Questions will be posted online so that attendees can see the issues that have been raised and addressed at past meetings.
Presentations, notes and recordings of the meetings will be published online.
A distribution list will be developed and maintained based on registered forum attendees and any others wishing to be kept informed. A registration form will be available on the relevant forum’s web page/s.
Surveys and feedback mechanisms will be employed from time to time to ensure forums are meeting residents’ needs and to facilitate continuous improvement.
Agendas will be published no later than 7 days prior to the meeting.