It is considered that the growth of the more sustainable villages must be part of the development strategy for emerging GCLP, and particularly those villages that contain a very good range of services and facilities, are accessible by a range of modes of transport, and where there is an identified need for affordable housing for those with a local connection to the village. Sawston falls within this category.

Paragraph 79 of the NPPF seeks to promote sustainable development in rural areas and acknowledges that housing can enhance or maintain the vitality of rural communities and support local services. The promoted development at the Mill Lane Site, Sawston would support the existing services and facilities in the village, including convenience stores, post office, library, banks, public houses and restaurants and bus services.

Paragraph 69 acknowledges the role that small and medium sized sites can make towards meeting the housing requirements, and that such sites are often built-out relatively quickly. Small and medium sized sites typically only require limited new physical infrastructure and amendments to the access arrangements. The housing monitoring data from Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire confirms that small and medium sites are delivered quickly i.e. within two to three years. It is considered that small and medium sized sites make a significant contribution towards the short term housing land supply and the five year housing land supply position in Greater Cambridgeshire. It is requested that small sized sites such as the Mill Lane Site, Sawston are allocated to meet the requirement for a mix of sites including those that are easily deliverable.

Paragraph 104 of the NPPF expects transport issues to be considered at the earliest stages of plan-making. Those issues include opportunities created by existing or proposed transport infrastructure in terms of the scale, location and density of development, and opportunities to promote walking, cycling and public transport use. The nearest bus stops are located on Cambridge Road within an acceptable walking distance of the site via the existing footways on Mill Lane and New Road, and provide access to Bus Services Citi 7 and 7A, and are likely to be used by future residents of the site to access existing services and facilities in Sawston and beyond. The nearest railway station is Whittlesford Parkway Railway Station which can easily be reached by private car and bus, and is within an acceptable cycling distance of the site, and likely to be used by future residents of the site to access existing services and facilities in Cambridge and the wider area surrounding the site.
Sawston and the Mill Lane Site are sustainable locations in transport terms, and additional development in this location would be consistent with Paragraph 104.

Paragraph 62 of the NPPF expects the size, type and tenure of housing needs of the community to be assessed and reflected in planning policies, including for example those with an affordable housing need, students, renters and self-builders. South Cambridgeshire District Council's 'Housing Statistical Information Leaflet' (December 2019) identified a need for 115 affordable dwellings in Sawston for those with a local connection to the village. The emerging GCLP contains one allocation for residential development in Sawston that it is proposed will be carried forward from the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan (2018) (S/RSC/H/1 (c): land south of Babraham Road, Sawston) for 80 dwellings. Assuming that this site comes forward and delivers a policy compliant level of affordable housing (40%), it can be assumed that this site would deliver 32 affordable dwellings. Accordingly, there would be a residual need for 83 affordable dwellings within the village. The identified need for Sawston would not be met without an additional allocation. The promoted development by NW Bio at the Mill Lane Site, Sawston would include housing and affordable housing to meet local needs of the village, and there would be a policy requirement to include a proportion of self/custom build housing plots.

For all these reasons, additional small scale housing allocations should be made in the more sustainable villages within the Rural Southern Cluster, including Sawston, because it is already accessible by existing sustainable modes of transport, it is well related to employment opportunities (especially knowledge based employment), there is a need to support the existing services and facilities within the village, and there is an identified need for affordable housing in the village which would not be met via other means. The affordable housing needs for Sawston would not be met by the preferred allocation identified in emerging GCLP (carried forward from the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018).

NW Bio’s representations to the assessment of the Mill Lane Site, Sawston in the HELAA (Site Ref. 40341) comment on the potential constraints identified with the promoted development and explain how those constraints would be addressed.

Requested Change

It is requested that the development strategy for the Rural Southern Cluster includes an additional residential allocation at the Mill Lane Site, Sawston, as promoted by NW Bio, with the following policy requirements:

• Site Area of 7.17 Ha
• Capacity for approx. 225 dwellings, including affordable housing and self/custom build plots
• Retain and enhance existing trees on the site
• Provide open space and green infrastructure