Development should be assigned across the settlement hierarchy, with development proportionate to the provision of services and facilities and the public transport network. The proposed policy direction relating to the settlement hierarchy includes restrictions on the indicative maximum scheme sizes that will comprise acceptable windfall development for each settlement tier. Coupled with the overall development strategy for only a small number of site allocations within the rural area, the ability for sustainable developments to come forward is overly restricted.
Paragraph 009 (Reference ID: 67-009-20190722) of the Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) states “a wide range of settlements can play a role in delivering sustainable development in rural areas, so blanket policies restricting housing development in some types of settlement will need to be supported by robust evidence of their appropriateness”. We are unaware of any robust evidence to demonstrate that the policy direction putting a limit on development in the rural areas is appropriate.
Applying restrictions on the maximum amount of development that is appropriate to any particular tier is not considered to be a justified approach, as the sustainability of settlements and the availability of suitable sites for development can vary between settlements within the same tier. A more appropriate strategy would be to make additional site allocations, considering the rural settlements on an individual basis. This would help meet with the Government’s objective of significantly boosting the supply of homes by ensuring that that a sufficient amount and variety of land can come forward where it is needed (NPPF 2021, Paragraph 60).
New development can increase the sustainability of a wider settlement through the provision of additional services and facilities, or through enhancing existing services and facilities. New development that is well related to the existing settlement can also have a positive impact upon the long term viability of a place through indirect spending from future occupiers.

Melbourn (Minor Rural Centre)
Melbourn is identified in the Settlement Hierarchy as a ‘Minor Rural Centre’. We do not disagree with Melbourn’s position in the Settlement Hierarchy and endorse its recognition as a sustainable location and able to accommodate additional residential growth.
The policy direction in the First Proposals document, however, is that Minor Rural Centres will support an indicative maximum scheme size of 30 dwellings. It is evident that Melbourn is capable of accommodating larger sites, with the proposed allocation for 120 dwellings at land to the west of Cambridge Road (Policy reference S/RRA/CR). We do not support the overly prescriptive restriction on the quantum of dwellings to come forward within this tier in the Settlement Hierarchy, which does not align with its position and identification as the largest district within the south west of the district.