Countryside support the principle of the proposed development strategy for Greater Cambridge and the approach to directing development to locations where active and new public transport is the natural choice, where green infrastructure can be delivered alongside new development, and where jobs, services and facilities can be located near to where people live. This approach is consistent with the NPPF, which at paragraph 11.a) states that all plans should promote a sustainable form of development.

Countryside support the inclusion of allocations for housing and employment in the rest of the rural area as part of the proposed development strategy. The Local Plan should seek to allocate a component of its housing needs towards growth at existing villages. Sustainable development in rural areas makes an important contribution to ensuring the vitality of villages and supporting existing rural services and facilities.

This approach is supported by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which at paragraph 79 states that to promote sustainable development in rural areas, housing should be located where it will enhance or maintain the vitality of rural communities. Planning policies should identify opportunities for villages to grow and thrive, especially where this will support local services.

Land to the west of Cambridge Road, Melbourn aligns with approach taken to the development strategy and will support the objectives of the Local Plan through:

● Delivery of affordable housing, including the potential for an element of build to rent. This would allow people to up scale and downsize subject to their needs over time whilst also meeting affordable housing need within the District;
● Locating residential development adjacent to one of the village’s largest employment sites, Melbourn Science Park. Melbourn Science Park is now delivering a recently granted permission for a substantial extension and provides a unique employment source which is of great importance to Melbourn and the surrounding area. Furthermore, the site presents an opportunity to expand or support the Science Park, providing additional local employment opportunities. The development would provide people with the opportunity of living and working in the same village and encouraging sustainable modes of transport;
● Countryside has recently committed to becoming a net zero company by 2030 and have released a report ‘Pathfinder: Marking out the route to Net Zero’2 which sets out the principles that Countryside will follow to respond to the global call to arms for climate action. Land to the west of Cambridge Road, Melbourn will benefit from the action plan set out within Pathfinder report .
● The delivery of a walking route which is easily accessible to current and future residents and employees of the village. It will create a new recreation asset for the village and provide a walking opportunity for those that may have otherwise considered the need to travel to SSSIs for that activity, therefore protecting nearby SSSI’s from increased recreational pressure;
● The delivery of a pedestrian route from the West of the site along ‘the Drift’ which links to Moat Lane. This will provide new residents with enhanced pedestrian connectivity to the adjacent Science Park and the Melbourn High Street, encouraging the use of sustainable modes of transport;
● Locating development in a sustainable location, whereby future residents would not be reliant on the private car for their daily needs. Melbourn is one of the largest villages in the District and has a wide range of services and facilities, including Meldreth station, which are within walking and cycling distance of the site; and
● Supporting Melbourn’s economy, including local shops and services. The Economic Benefits Statement submitted with the outline application, found that there would also be a significant and positive impact upon Melbourn's economy with residents of the new development supporting existing local shops and services within the village. This benefit is recognised in the Delegation Report at page 30. As a result of the proposed development, approximately £248,000 per annum is expected to be spent at local shops and services, potentially supporting an additional three jobs. This assessment was based on a residential only scheme of up to 160 dwellings, nevertheless a mixed-use scheme which delivered approximately 120 homes would still provide a comparable and substantial economic benefit locally.

The site will therefore support active and public transport being the natural choice of travel, deliver on-site green infrastructure and provide homes close to jobs, services and facilities.

2 https://www.countrysideproperties.com/sites/default/files/2021-11/Pathfinder%20-%20Marking%20out%20the%20route%20to%20net%20zero.pdf