Section 2.6: Rest of Rural Area / Policy S/RRA: Allocations in the Rest of the Rural Area

OBJECT

It is considered that the growth of the more sustainable villages must be part of the development strategy for emerging GCLP, and particularly those villages that contain a good range of services and facilities, are accessible by a range of modes of transport, and where there is an identified need for affordable housing for those with a local connection to the village.

Paragraph 79 of the NPPF seeks to promote sustainable development in rural areas and acknowledges that housing can enhance or maintain the vitality of rural communities and support local services. The promoted development at land west of Malton Road in Orwell would support the existing services and facilities in the village, including the village store and post office, public house, and existing and future bus services.

Paragraph 69 acknowledges the role that small and medium sized sites can make towards meeting the housing requirements, and that such sites are often built-out relatively quickly. Small and medium sized sites typically only require limited new physical infrastructure and amendments to the access arrangements. The housing monitoring data from Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire confirms that small and medium sites are delivered quickly i.e. within two to three years. It is considered that small and medium sized sites make a significant contribution towards the short term housing land supply and the five year housing land supply position in Greater Cambridgeshire. It is requested that small/medium sized sites such as land west of Malton Road in Orwell are allocated to meet the requirement for a mix of sites including those that are easily deliverable.

Paragraph 104 of the NPPF expects transport issues to be considered at the earliest stages of plan-making. Those issues include opportunities created by existing or proposed transport infrastructure in terms of the scale, location and density of development, and opportunities to promote walking, cycling and public transport use. Paragraph 105 expects significant development to be focused on locations which are or can be made sustainable. The services and facilities and businesses within Orwell are all accessible by walking and cycling. There is a currently a limited bus service to Cambridge from Orwell, but the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Making Connections project proposes a more frequent rural bus service including for Orwell. There is a train station at Shepreth.
As such, there will be realistic alternatives to the car for travel to and from Orwell once the Making Connections project has been delivered.

Paragraph 62 of the NPPF expects the size, type, and tenure of housing needs of the community to be assessed and reflected in planning policies, including for example those with an affordable housing need, students, renters, and self-builders. South Cambridgeshire District Council's 'Housing Statistical Information Leaflet' (December 2019) identified a need for 12 affordable dwellings in Orwell for those with a local connection to the village. This identified need would not be met without allocations in the village. The promoted development by CEMEX at land west of Malton Road in Orwell would include housing and affordable housing to meet local needs of the village and a proportion of self/custom build housing plots.

For all these reasons, small scale housing allocations should be made in the more sustainable villages within the rest of the rural area, including Orwell, because those villages are accessible by sustainable modes of transport, there is a need to support the existing services and facilities within those villages, and there is an identified need for affordable housing in those villages which would not be met via other means.

The CEMEX representations to the assessment of the land west of Malton Road site in the HELAA (Site Ref. 40324) comment on the potential constraints identified with the promoted development and explain how those constraints would be addressed. In summary, the watercourse, hedgerows, and trees at the site would be retained and enhanced, additional landscaping would be provided on the southern boundary of the site, there is sufficient land within the site to provide open space and green infrastructure, and a new vehicular access can be provided directly off Malton Road. As set out above, there is a good range of services and facilities in Orwell, and the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Making Connections project proposes improvements to the bus service from the village. The more recent developments in Orwell are also located to the south of the High Street and Orwell Conservation Area e.g. off Town Green Road, Leaden Hill, Stocks Lane, and Lotfield Street.

Requested Change

It is requested that the development strategy for the rest of the rural area includes an additional allocation in Orwell at land west of Malton Road.

It is requested that land west of Malton Road in Orwell is allocated with the following policy requirements:

• Site Area of 8.78 Ha
• Capacity for approx. 155 dwellings, including affordable housing and self/custom build plots
• Delivery of open space and green infrastructure
• Development should address the following constraints:
o Strategic landscaping at southern boundary
o Avoid harm to adjacent Orwell Conservation Area