First Draft Of Long-Awaited Ely Masterplan Will Be Presented To Councillors This Week

THE first draft of the long-awaited Ely Masterplan will be presented to councillors on Thursday ahead of its expected public unveiling in the autumn.

The landmark document, which provides a detailed insight into the next 30 years of development for the city, will be presented to members of the Masterplan Working Party before it is sent for approval to be released for public consultation.

The 77-page document, which was put together with the help of developers URBED, has been almost a year in the making and will provide the city with an outline plan for future development which could include large projects like a new country park, a southern bypass and a new leisure village as well as smaller projects like riverside, train station and market place re-developments.

Leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council, Fred Brown, said: "I am pleased with what has come out of the Masterplan process, the council has been very open with how it has brought the document together and now is the public's chance to have their say.

"What I think will be encouraging for the public is that no decision will be made on the consultations without the comments and opinions of the public, who will play an important part in how the Masterplan develops."

If the Working Party gives its seal of approval to the draft Masterplan, the document will be send forward to the Strategic Development Committee on August 13 where councillors will inspect the work for a last time before it is unveiled for the public to have their say in the autumn.

Working Party member, Bill Hunt, said: "I think that if growth is inevitable in Ely then it is only right that we have a plan to manage it and I believe the Masterplan is a good example of that.

"I am keen however, to make sure that this development is done in the right order and I think that the Southern Bypass is crucial to making it work.