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 east of Ridgeway and Old Pinewood Way, Papworth Everard would support the existing services and facilities in the village.

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 to the east of Ridgeway and Old Pinewood Way, Papworth Everard 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.

Where people do need to travel out of the village, there is access to an established bus service which provides connections from the village to Cambourne, St Neots, Cambridge, Huntingdon and St Ives. The main bus route is provided by the X3 bus. While this currently provides an hourly service, there are gaps in the timetable during the AM and PM peak hour. As a result it is very difficult for residents of Papworth to utilise this as a commuter service. It was therefore agreed with the operator during the consideration of the previous applications on the site that the development would deliver enhancements to the service to provide additional services in the AM and PM peak hours.

However, an enhanced bus network was discussed at the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Executive Board committee meeting on 30 September 2021. The reports pack associated with this meeting identify Papworth Everard of being within the Northstowe to St Ives corridor and states that the proposals could include a new hourly service for Papworth Everard with potential implementation in 2023.

Cambridgeshire County Council are also currently delivering a cycle and pedestrian link from Papworth to Cambourne. This will provide a 2m wide cycle path along the eastern side of the A1198 to provide a link between the existing cycle path located north of the A1198/A428 junction, and the existing footpath network at the southern point of Papworth. The works are currently scheduled to be completed by February 2022. This will provide a direct cycle link to Cambourne, and all of the facilities provided within it.

East West Rail is a major infrastructure project which is proposed to connect Oxford and Cambridge.
Consultation took place from March to June 2021 on route alignment. All of the five routes proposed for the Bedford to Cambridge section of the route include a new station at Cambourne. Although the exact location of this is to be determined, this would provide significantly improved rail connections to the residents of Papworth Everard.

Upgrades are also proposed to the A428 between the Black Cat roundabout and Caxton Gibbet roundabout with a new 10-mile dual carriageway and a number of junction improvements. A Development Consent Order application was submitted on 26 February 2021. This entered the examination stage on 18 August 2021 and the draft examination timetable has now been published and it is currently anticipated that the examination will close in February 2022.

The site promoted by Bloor Homes Eastern at land east of Ridgeway and Old Pinewood Way, Papworth Everard is accessible to all of the services and facilities in the village by walking, cycling and public transport. As such, there are realistic alternatives to the car for travel to and from Papworth Everard and improvements are being made to the village’s connectivity.

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 41 affordable dwellings in Papworth Everard. This identified need would not be met without allocations in Papworth Everard. The promoted development by Bloor Homes Eastern at land east of Ridgeway and Old Pinewood Way, Papworth Everard would include housing and affordable housing to meet local needs of the village.

Additionally, the proposed development of land east of Ridgeway and Old Pinewood Way, Papworth Everard would delivery significant infrastructure and community benefits. This would include the benefits that were associated with the previous proposal for the site including: reserve land for a pre-school facility; contributions towards primary and secondary school provision; library contribution; contribution for improvements to Papworth Surgery; enhancements to off-site public footpaths; enhancements to bus services to deliver an additional service in the peak hour.

The Masterplan submitted with these representations also demonstrates how additional benefits could be delivered including a scout hut/community facility. The proposed development is landscape led, with significant areas of open space and planting. Bloor Homes Eastern are also committed to ensuring the suitability of the proposed development, not just in terms of its location, but also through the inclusion of EV charging points, air source heat pumps, PV panels and a car club with associated car club spaces throughout the proposed development.

For all these reasons, medium scale housing allocations should be made in the more sustainable villages within the rest of the rural area, including Papworth Everard, 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.

Bloor Homes Eastern’s representations to the assessment of land east of Ridgeway and Old Pinewood Way, Papworth Everard in the HELAA (Site Ref. 40439) comment on the potential constraints identified with the promoted development and explain how those constraints would be addressed. In summary, there are no significant constraints to the development of this site and there are substantial benefits associated with its delivery.

Requested Change

It is requested that the development strategy for the rest of the rural area includes an additional allocation at land east of Ridgway and Old Pinewood Way, Papworth Everard. It is requested that this site is allocated with the following policy requirements:

Site Area of 9.24ha
Capacity for approx. 160 dwellings, including affordable housing and self/custom build
Provision for pre-school site
Provision for scout hut/community facility