1 The GCLP Development Strategy Topic Paper (October 2021) outlines that a strategy "focused on village development would be unsustainable, in particular regarding transport and associated carbon emissions, but also for supporting delivery of required infrastructure." Consequently, villages are not the primary focus for growth within the development strategy.

2 The First Proposal identifies that 11,640 additional dwellings are needed to meet the housing need target within the plan period, after considering the committed housing supply. The proposed development strategy identifies four new sites in rural Greater Cambridgeshire to accommodate the additional housing need, which includes two sites in the "Group Villages” of Caldecote and Oakington. In total, the four sites can deliver 224 dwellings, which equates to only 1.9% of the new housing supply being met within rural areas. In contrast, 62% of the total supply is focused on the delivery of new settlements and strategic sites.

3 During the current plan period there has been significant scrutiny and pressure on the five-year housing land supply of the Greater Cambridge authorities. This is in part due to the current over reliance on new settlements and strategic sites to deliver housing numbers and the failure to allocate proportionate growth at sites on the edge of established rural settlements which have fewer delivery constraints. Delivering new settlements and large strategic sites often requires investment in significant up-front infrastructure. The funding and delivery of such infrastructure can significantly increase lead in times before dwellings are delivered and occupied. A Local Plan which establishes a balanced approach to the distribution and allocation of new housing sites will safeguard against the potential for shortfalls in five-year land supply upon the Plan’s adoption and during the plan period. Like the current adopted Local Plans, the GCLP will again deliver an imbalanced and ridged housing supply which exposes the Greater Cambridge authorities and their residents to considerable risk in terms of potentially facilitating the opportunity for speculative planning applications for housing development to come forward as and when there is a shortfall in supply. A more flexible and varied supply is required to boost sustainable rural communities and small and medium sized house builders; and to ensure a robust supply of housing is maintained in Greater Cambridge.

4 The Council’s development strategy approach for rural areas appears to be one which largely restricts development, and where allocations are proposed, the process of making allocations has been site-led rather than being led by an objective process which compares the sustainability credentials of sustainable rural settlements. To provide a more flexible and balanced housing supply, and to deliver the variety of sites the market demands the Councils should identify additional available and deliverable small and medium sized sites from a range of locations capable of accommodating housing growth within the plan period. The content of the Housing Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) demonstrates that there are a number of suitable and available sites, located at sustainable settlements such as Group Villages, capable of being allocated for residential and mixed use development. This includes the Village of Foxton, which is a highly accessible location with its connectivity to the national rail network. Thereby the village is potentially more sustainable than some of the other rural area locations on the proposed Settlement Hierarchy.