(Education) The plan proposes that sites are developed at densities with recognition that ‘using less land for development reduces carbon emissions and allows more space for nature and wildlife’. Whilst the Council accepts these principles, sufficient land would need to be made available for educational purposes.
Cambridgeshire County Council’s Children and Young People Committee have previously approved the site sizes which would be required to deliver a new school. These ensure that there is sufficient flexibility for sites to be developed in line with space per pupil/area guidelines provided by the Department for Education (DfE) (DfE Building Bulletins 103 and 104 for mainstream and special provision respectively), and allows for on-site early years and childcare provision, in line with Council policy. Whilst the Council will endeavour to explore different options for delivery or education provision, and in keeping with the surrounding area, there would need to be clear reasoning for any request to deviate from its policy and published national DfE’s Building Bulletins’ guidance for full consideration by members of the relevant committees.
The proposed strategy is heavily informed by the location of existing and committed public transport schemes. The Council is fully supportive of this but would also insist that footpaths and cycle routes are taken into consideration, to ensure that schools are centrally located and easily accessible to families living within the catchment area and to fulfil the objective that ‘developing sites can be well-integrated with existing communities’. This ensures that children and their families can attend them by either walking or cycling rather than through local authority provided transport or car and fulfil health and well-being expectations for children, e.g., around ‘healthy schools’

(Transport) From the evidence of the options tested at the time S01 performed best in transport terms. It should be noted that not all transport mitigation had been tested. Transport however is not the only consideration when developing a Local Plan and there are numerous other factors that require consideration. Therefore we are happy to support S09 Preferred Option growth level Preferred Option spatial strategy for the Emerging Local Plan. S09 emerged from including sites that performed well in transport terms in earlier testing. Section 15 of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan: Transport Evidence Report October 2021 provides a good summary of the transport impacts.
It is noted that North East Cambridge and Cambridge Airport, Waterbeach and existing new town development lead to better performance in transport terms and greater internalisation of trips. Generally, the larger the development the greater the chance of trips being internalised, and the settlement is likely to have a greater chance at being able to provide key services and facilities.
Cambourne was the best performing in transport terms of the free-standing new settlements of those tested at stage one- with the Cambourne to Cambridge public transport scheme and East West Rail included. Any development in the Cambourne / Bourne Airfield area needs to have good links to the existing community to enable greater access to services and to reduce the potential transport impacts of any new development.