As set out in the representations to Policy S/SB: Settlement Boundaries, it is considered that there is limited capacity for further development within the settlement boundaries of most villages. Current policy sets out development of up to 8 dwellings in Group Villages, 30 dwellings in Minor Rural Centres and unlimited development within Rural Centres. However there are few outstanding development opportunities for development of this scale within existing settlement boundaries. It is likely that in most cases only small sites for one or two dwellings would be available. It is considered that the site size thresholds for each category of village are largely irrelevant and ineffective because very few sites are actually available, and those that are available would fall below the threshold where affordable housing is required (i.e. fewer than 10 dwellings).

Requested Change
It is requested that a capacity assessment is undertaken of all villages in South Cambridgeshire to determine which potential housing sites might be deliverable or developable during the plan period to 2041, and the number of dwellings that might be delivered from each of those sites.

It is requested that the site size limits for each category of village are deleted and replaced with a general policy that supports development within existing settlement boundaries, in conjunction with a revised development strategy that allocates suitable sites on the edge of existing sustainable villages.