I am writing in response to a letter I received titled Application to designate the 'Great Abington Land Settlement Estate Neighbourhood Area', dated from the 13th June 2016 and proposing a Neighbourhood Plan for the estate.

It invited me to make any comments that we saw fit regarding the Neighbourhood Plan and I wish to raise the matter of redundant farm buildings on the estate and their potential use as residential dwellings.

I believe that South Cambridgeshire District Council should facilitate and be more willing to allow the conversion of redundant farm buildings, of which there are numerous on the estate to residential usage.

To date, several applications of this nature have been refused by South Cambs Council. However, this policy seems in stark contrast to the intentions of the national government who are looking to introduce new planning measures which will ensure empty and underused offices, which includes agricultural buildings in rural areas, can be swiftly converted into much-needed housing. Please see the link below for more information.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/planning-measures-will-make-best-use-of-underused-buildings-for-providing-new-homes

At best, I would like to ask that South Cambs council to follow national governments lead and make farm building conversion without planning permission easier or, at worst, have explained to me why its policy is not coherent with national government policy intentions.