OBJECT

Endurance Estates is promoting three sites in Bassingbourn for residential development, and in representations has requested that these sites are allocated in emerging GCLP. Bassingbourn is defined as a Minor Rural Centre in the settlement hierarchy for South Cambridgeshire, and Endurance Estates agree with the status of the village.

As set out in the representations to Policy S/SB: Settlement Boundaries, it is considered that there is limited capacity within the settlement boundaries of most villages. There are few outstanding development opportunities for up to 30 dwellings within existing settlement boundaries in Group Villages, and Bassingbourn is an example where there are no opportunities within the boundary for sites of major developments of between 10 and 30 dwellings or more. It is likely that in most cases only small sites for one or two dwellings would be available. This outcome constrains the growth of villages and their ability to meet local housing needs and support existing services and facilities. 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 e.g. less 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 including at Bassingbourn.