Representations to Greater Cambridge Local Plan – First Proposals
On behalf of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Policy S/RRA/H/3 “Fulbourn and Ida Darwin Hospitals”

Savills (UK) Ltd are instructed by Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust to make the necessary and relevant representations to the Greater Cambridge Local Plan – First Proposals Document which has been published for consultation.
We appreciate that the consultation documents reflect the fact that we remain at the early stage of plan preparation and that the document only sets out the broad policy direction of the new Joint Local Plan but nevertheless remains important for the Trust to engage in the plan making process.

In such a context, the Trust acknowledges the need for a Local Plan review having regard to the need for both local planning authorities to cater for significant growth that is anticipated to come forward and the consequent impact that such growth will have upon public services, including healthcare. The inter-dependency between the urban area of Cambridge and the rural hinterland encompassing some 100 villages on major new strategic development sites is very clear and justifies the need for a new Joint Local Plan to come forward.

The Trust is a landowner to the east of Cambridge and includes that area known as the Fulbourn Hospital site. The Trust formerly owned the Ida Darwin Hospital site further to the east but this was sold in late 2019 to Homes England. The site was sold to Homes England with the benefit of an outline planning permission for new residential development and was then sold on to a housebuilder.
It is the case that the Trust continues to provide a hugely important mental healthcare service on the Fulbourn Hospital site and more recently secured planning permission on 30 April 2021 for a new Resource Centre on the site (planning application reference 20/02887/FUL). The granting of this permission acknowledged that the site lies within the designated Green Belt and within the designated Conservation Area since this was the planning policy framework position at the time of the determination of the planning application.
In addition to the policy designation, it was the case that Policy H3 “Fulbourn & Ida Darwin Hospitals” was relevant given this policy formed part of the Development Plan. This policy is set out below:

“Policy H/3: Fulbourn and Ida Darwin Hospitals
1. The redevelopment of the existing built footprint of the Ida Darwin Hospital into a different configuration, comprising residential redevelopment on the eastern part of the Ida Darwin site and the transfer of part of the building footprint to the Fulbourn Hospital site for new mental health facilities will be permitted.
2. Redevelopment will create a green wedge on the western part of the Ida Darwin site to provide a compensatory enhancement to the openness of the Green Belt in this location. This green wedge will also provide enhanced public access to the countryside.
3. Developers will be required to undertake ecological surveys and monitoring prior to the commencement of construction, and propose a Biodiversity Strategy for the protection and enhancement of biodiversity that establishes which areas will be protected and enhanced, and appropriate mitigation measures.
4. An investigation into land contamination will be required prior to the granting of any planning permission. Should this indicate that remediation should be undertaken, this must be done to a standard agreed with the Council and conditions will be imposed on any planning permission to ensure that development takes place in accordance with a programme which takes account of remediation work.
5. Appropriate investigation of noise and vibration in relation to the adjoining railway line will be required, and attenuation measures may be secured by condition as necessary.
6. Development Briefs for this sensitive location in the Green Belt between Cambridge and Fulbourn are required to be submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority prior to granting of planning permission.”

The Greater Cambridge Local Plan – First Proposals consultation document proposes that this policy be retained in a new Joint Local Plan (page 133 of the consultation document) The Trust cannot see a case why such a policy should be retained having regard to the following points:

1. There is no link between the Ida Darwin Hospital site (which was sold to Homes England and subsequently sold to a residential developer) and the Fulbourn Hospital site. The “transfer of part of this building footprint to the Fulbourn Hospital site for new mental health facilities will be permitted” is wording that has no relevance to a new Local Plan given that the site has been sold off following the grant of planning permission and at the time of writing is the subject of a detailed planning application for some 203 dwellings and community provision (application reference 20/05199/REM).
2. The broader issue of the importance of the Fulbourn Hospital site as a provider of critical healthcare services should not be constrained by unjustifiable planning policy restrictions which threaten the critical provision for important healthcare services. This is brought into even more acute awareness given the global pandemic and the importance of healthcare services in such a context.
3. The wording of the policy which requires developers to undertake ecological surveys and monitoring, investigate land contamination and assess noise and vibration are all matters that are either out of date and therefore irrelevant or at least can be satisfactorily addressed through other policies in the plan.
In the circumstances where the former hospital buildings at Ida Darwin have now been demolished and planning permission granted (see above), there is no correlation between the floorspace on the Ida Darwin site and any new floorspace at Fulbourn Hospital.
4. The final paragraph of Policy H/3 states that development briefs are required to be submitted and approved. It is the case that a development brief was prepared back in 2013 for the Ida Darwin hospital site but it is very clear that it is considerably out of date given that the document was prepared at a time when the Trust (as a landowner) had different aspirations for the Ida Darwin site. The brief was also prepared and supported a 2013 planning application for residential development on the Ida Darwin site which included a care home and which was ultimately refused at Committee. Thus, there is no case for a development brief needed for the Ida Darwin site and nor can we see a case for needing a new brief for the Fulbourn Hospital site although there may be the case for a masterplan to accompany any new application for development on the Fulbourn Hospital site.

Having regard to all the above points we cannot see any justification why Policy S/RRA/H/3 “Fulbourn and Ida Darwin Hospitals” would be carried forward into a new Local Plan.