:00:00. > :00:08.Tackling the region's housing crisis ...plans for a new six thousand home
:00:09. > :00:13.The town with big ambition - Luton bids to be the UKs
:00:14. > :00:26.And I will be here with a rather changeable local forecast for you.
:00:27. > :00:29.It could it be one answer to Cambridge's housing shortage,
:00:30. > :00:37.Plans have been submitted for 6,000 new homes at the Waterbeach Barracks
:00:38. > :00:39.site, along with four new schools and a museum.
:00:40. > :00:44.But, as Mousumi Bakshi reports, there are concerns about pressure
:00:45. > :00:52.Where once there were military drills, soon there will be diggers.
:00:53. > :00:54.The site, which is owned by the Ministry of Defence,
:00:55. > :00:57.and vacated by the Army five years ago, is to become
:00:58. > :01:01.Around ?2 billion is being invested in the area around Waterbeach,
:01:02. > :01:08.money that provides four schools, a hotel and over 6,000 homes.
:01:09. > :01:11.This is a huge site, and really the best brownfield site
:01:12. > :01:14.in England at the moment, a site crying out to be developed,
:01:15. > :01:18.and we think it is big enough to offer a range of affordable
:01:19. > :01:20.homes, family homes, and some apartments as well.
:01:21. > :01:25.We have a fantastic 20 acre lake on site, which is ripe for some sort
:01:26. > :01:34.Housing is an emotive issue, and it has certainly been
:01:35. > :01:39.We are just four miles outside of Cambridge,
:01:40. > :01:42.one of the most notoriously expensive places to
:01:43. > :01:46.Developers here have pledged to keep house prices affordable,
:01:47. > :01:48.but can they make similar pledges on the A10?
:01:49. > :01:51.The developers agree that the road which connects Cambridge to Ely
:01:52. > :01:53.is already at capacity, but it is up to the county council,
:01:54. > :01:55.and ultimately the government, to make a decision about
:01:56. > :02:01.One local councillor who was concerned says newly
:02:02. > :02:04.devolved powers will make an upgrade of the A10 more likely.
:02:05. > :02:10.We have just won devolution for Cambridgeshire.
:02:11. > :02:13.We are getting new powers and funding, and while it won't pay
:02:14. > :02:16.for the upgrade to the A10, it puts the A10, which is in
:02:17. > :02:18.the devolution agreement, much higher up the priority list,
:02:19. > :02:23.and I will be lobbying whoever is the new mayor for the A10.
:02:24. > :02:25.It is widely accepted more new homes in this part
:02:26. > :02:27.of the region are needed, but people in Waterbeach
:02:28. > :02:33.are concerned about the impacts of such a large development.
:02:34. > :02:37.Hopefully, when they go ahead, they will do the infrastructure,
:02:38. > :02:39.because if they are going to rely on local surgeries
:02:40. > :02:44.and stuff like that, it is going to be a nightmare.
:02:45. > :02:46.They need more shops, they need everything up there,
:02:47. > :02:48.but I would worry partly about the roads coming
:02:49. > :02:54.Building work is yet to start but over 200 flats
:02:55. > :03:01.At the hospital, and some of the income made will be ploughed
:03:02. > :03:04.back into the Treasury, as the site is owned by the MoD.
:03:05. > :03:06.Waterbeach is one of several ex-military bases in the region
:03:07. > :03:12.Our political reporter Tom Barton has been at another,
:03:13. > :03:19.Most of the 10,000 homes being built here at Northstowe are being built
:03:20. > :03:27.on former military land, just as is the case in Waterbeach.
:03:28. > :03:35.But it is not just these two former bases, also in RAF Alconbury,
:03:36. > :03:47.All of these bases, former military land has been allocated
:03:48. > :03:49.for housing and as far as the military is concerned,
:03:50. > :03:54.They have more land than they need, but also they can make money
:03:55. > :03:57.There is, though, a bigger reason, as far as the government
:03:58. > :04:00.is concerned, and that is that it provides a way for them
:04:01. > :04:03.to address the need for more houses to be built.
:04:04. > :04:05.And the government is taking a particular hands-on approach
:04:06. > :04:20.Normally, on these sorts of sites, the land is sold to a developer,
:04:21. > :04:23.who builds houses and sells them to the public.
:04:24. > :04:25.The problem with that is that military land is not
:04:26. > :04:27.worth very much money, and houses can sometimes
:04:28. > :04:29.be built quite slowly, so the government is getting more
:04:30. > :04:31.involved to make sure that everything happens
:04:32. > :04:34.as quickly as possible, but also by staying in the process
:04:35. > :04:36.for longer, it means at the end of the day,
:04:37. > :04:39.when the land is sold, they get more money for it.
:04:40. > :04:41.A Northamptonshire Police Officer, accused of raping a teenager
:04:42. > :04:43.he was sent to help, was today found not guilty.
:04:44. > :04:46.PC Declan Gabriel was charged with the rape and sexual assault
:04:47. > :04:48.against the 17-year-old while on duty in 2015.
:04:49. > :04:50.The jury at Northampton Crown Court failed to reach a verdict
:04:51. > :04:55.Ambitious plans have been unveiled by Luton council to bid to be
:04:56. > :04:59.It's a title given out every four years to a UK city or large town
:05:00. > :05:04.Milton Keynes is bidding to be European Capital of Culture in 2023,
:05:05. > :05:10.But, as Nicola Haseler reports, organisers of Luton's bid think
:05:11. > :05:15.This is how the city of Hull welcomed in the New Year,
:05:16. > :05:26.Now Luton has an ambitious plan to win the same title in 2025.
:05:27. > :05:31.Luton is steeped in history and culture already.
:05:32. > :05:35.This is about lifting any barriers there might be,
:05:36. > :05:38.and putting Luton on the stage, in the same way as
:05:39. > :05:42.And if you haven't had the chance to go and see Hull,
:05:43. > :05:45.see what they have done there and see the huge, huge
:05:46. > :05:53.Rehearsing today for a performance at the reopening
:05:54. > :05:56.of the Wardown Park Museum in April is the original girls choir
:05:57. > :06:01.from Luton, who travelled around the world in the 1960s.
:06:02. > :06:05.What are their memories of the arts in Luton?
:06:06. > :06:07.There were lots of musical activities in Luton,
:06:08. > :06:14.and lots of amateur dramatics, as well.
:06:15. > :06:18.You could go to the George Hotel, dancing, meeting people.
:06:19. > :06:27.Going into Luton, mostly, it was going to the Wardown Park,
:06:28. > :06:30.where probably on a Sunday when the Luton band was playing.
:06:31. > :06:32.The bandstand concerts are from a Luton of yesteryear.
:06:33. > :06:34.The biggest cultural event today is the carnival, celebrating
:06:35. > :06:47.If you have walked out of Luton station recently,
:06:48. > :06:50.you will have been greeted by this new light box installation
:06:51. > :06:52.by the Turner Prize nominee Mark Titchner, and it seems very
:06:53. > :06:54.appropriate to Luton's ambitions to become UK cultural city.
:06:55. > :07:01.But there are questions over whether this bid is worth the money.
:07:02. > :07:09.People walk along and they are looking on the ground,
:07:10. > :07:11.they are thinking, how are we going to make
:07:12. > :07:18.Art is a simple thing, it is an expressive thing.
:07:19. > :07:20.I think the issue around funding for arts and culture
:07:21. > :07:25.Arts and culture enriches lives, it creates opportunity,
:07:26. > :07:28.builds inspiration and ambition, and on the back of that, surely,
:07:29. > :07:30.you get community cohesion, and harmony and growth.
:07:31. > :07:33.I think art and culture are the bedrock of growing a really
:07:34. > :07:48.So could Luton become a future city of culture?
:07:49. > :07:51.The belief from those who have seen Hull, is that it can.
:07:52. > :07:53.So how have previous winners benefited from
:07:54. > :07:57.I asked Mickey Bradley - former member of the band The Undertones -
:07:58. > :08:00.what being City of Culture in 2013 did for Derry in Northern Ireland.
:08:01. > :08:03.During the year, during 2013 itself, we had a great time.
:08:04. > :08:06.I think most people in the city, virtually everyone in the city,
:08:07. > :08:09.would have gone to at least some event that was there.
:08:10. > :08:12.We had the the All-Ireland Fleadh, everyone out
:08:13. > :08:18.We had Radio 1's Big Weekend, and then smaller events.
:08:19. > :08:23.Visiting exhibitions, concerts, so we all had
:08:24. > :08:29.Were there any lasting benefits, I am thinking about economic
:08:30. > :08:35.Council and various elements of the great and good
:08:36. > :08:40.said this could change, it will attract business,
:08:41. > :08:44.it will attract jobs and so on, but I think most people in Derry
:08:45. > :08:49.I did not see it as an opportunity to develop the city's
:08:50. > :08:53.economy, just thought of it as a reason to celebrate.
:08:54. > :08:55.Do you think there has been a cultural legacy,
:08:56. > :08:59.are there more people getting involved in the arts?
:09:00. > :09:07.And also people who maybe are not involved in the arts,
:09:08. > :09:09.but they recognise it, they were exposed to more.
:09:10. > :09:16.What advice would you give to the people behind
:09:17. > :09:22.See if you can make as many events as possible free,
:09:23. > :09:25.because if people aren't sure about something that is coming,
:09:26. > :09:27.they are not necessarily willing to put their hands in the pockets
:09:28. > :09:40.Don't aim low, aim high, because people really want to see
:09:41. > :09:46.Football - and several of our teams have been in action tonight.
:09:47. > :09:48.In the Sky Bet League One, MK Dons drew 2-2 at Bradford.
:09:49. > :09:52.And Northampton Town lost 2-1 at home with Oldham.
:09:53. > :09:54.In League Two, Cambridge lost 3-2 to Doncaster, and Stevenage
:09:55. > :09:58.That's all from the team here in Cambridge tonight,
:09:59. > :10:03.we'll leave you now with Julie and the forecast.
:10:04. > :10:08.Hello there. Once the last of any showers Anne Main has cleared it
:10:09. > :10:12.will become largely dry with very little cloud. Underneath his clear
:10:13. > :10:16.skies we could see temperatures lower than these values, down to
:10:17. > :10:19.around freezing, so out of the wind and sheltered spots we could get a
:10:20. > :10:22.frost. Then tomorrow this were the front pushing in from the
:10:23. > :10:26.south-west. Even at the state we are not quite sure how quickly it will
:10:27. > :10:30.move Insua does look like a cold, bright start with a good deal of
:10:31. > :10:33.sunshine, and then eventually we expect this thick cloud and the rain
:10:34. > :10:40.to start moving erratically in from the south. Temperatures tomorrow
:10:41. > :10:45.around nine Celsius, at best. Through the afternoon it could be
:10:46. > :10:48.the extreme north stays largely dry during daylight hours. In a moment,
:10:49. > :10:52.the National forecast but I will leave you with the outlook. On
:10:53. > :10:56.Thursday, some showers around they should clear. We are expecting some
:10:57. > :10:58.quite windy conditions on Thursday with perhaps reaching strong to near
:10:59. > :11:10.gale force at times, some rain to Good evening. We are about to head
:11:11. > :11:14.into March, the days are getting longer, but are they getting any
:11:15. > :11:18.warmer? Not really. We will get there in the end, but we will have
:11:19. > :11:22.to be patient, not very springlike at the moment. Some showers
:11:23. > :11:27.scattered around across England and Wales will tend to diminish in
:11:28. > :11:31.number, a few left behind, wintry showers across the north of
:11:32. > :11:36.Scotland, snow at low-level is, ice as well as temperatures fall close
:11:37. > :11:42.to freezing. A cold night with a touch of frost in a number of
:11:43. > :11:45.places. Plenty of sunshine across southern areas first of all, but it
:11:46. > :11:49.will not last, rain spilling from the south, the best brightness and
:11:50. > :11:50.eventually further