To ensure that the Greater Cambridge evidence base is robust and up-to-date and therefore accords with Paragraph 31 of the NPPF (2021) the Existing Transport Conditions Report (November 2020) and subsequent Transport Evidence Report (October 2021) should be amended to correctly reference all bus services across Greater Cambridge, notably the omitted bus service 915. As a result, the sustainability of Fowlmere should be reassessed, including its ability to accommodate development.

We acknowledge and support the Councils’ commitment to delivering sustainable and inclusive communities “by minimising the need to travel and reducing travel distances, whilst ensuring there is effective and sufficient sustainable transport mode choice and improved connectivity for everyone of any ability”.

Land West of London Road offers connectivity across the pedestrian and cycle network, public transport and road network. This is further discussed in the accompanying Vision Document.

As set out in the following Section and in response to the Greater Cambridge evidence base, the Site at Land West of London Road, Fowlmere aligns with the overall strategy for Greater Cambridge in so far as directing development to a location where active and public transport is a natural choice, providing an ability to deliver green infrastructure and providing facilities near to where people live.

Existing Transport Conditions Report (November 2020) and Transport Evidence Base Report (October 2021)
The Greater Cambridge emerging Local Plan is supported by a Transport Evidence Report (October 2021) and Existing Transport Conditions Report (November 2020).

The Existing Transport Conditions Report sets out the existing transport situation in the Study area for the emerging Greater Cambridge Local Plan. Table 8 of the Report, sets out the bus frequencies in Greater Cambridge.

Paragraph 3.2.1.2 relating to bus frequencies goes on to state:

“The frequency of these bus journeys is one of the major reasons that the bus mode share for journeys to work is so low in Greater Cambridge as the low frequency of services means that people’s arrival and departure times are limited. In addition the service times do not necessarily coincide with the start and end of the working day and certainly don’t allow shift workers to make use of the existing bus services.”

Associated Table 8, however, appears to have omitted Stagecoach bus service 915, which provides frequent links between Cambridge/Trumpington Park and Ride and Royston. This bus route also services Fowlmere and runs every hour. At particular points in the day, bus services 915 and 31 collectively service Fowlmere with two buses an hour.

The table below sets out the frequencies of these services within Fowlmere Monday to Friday travelling to the centre of Cambridge.

Bus Service 915 Bus Service 31
06:46 -
07:46 07:27
08:46 -
09:46 09:37
10:46 -
11:46 11:07
12:46 12:37
13:46 -
14:46 14:07
15:46 -
17:22 -
18:22 -
19:22 -

Table 8 is therefore incorrect and should be amended to correctly reference bus service 915 accordingly.
Notwithstanding the frequent bus services within Fowlmere, it should also be noted that Fowlmere is a 6 minute journey to Foxton, which benefits from a train station and busway, and also a 9 minute journey to Melbourn, which also benefits from a train station. Fowlmere therefore represents a sustainable location for accommodating development.

Paragraph 3.2.15 of the Transport Evidence Report (October 2021) assesses each of the Spatial Strategy Options and states “Villages is the one option to see a decrease in active mode travel compared to the 2041 baseline… Given the particularly poor performance of this option and the problems with mitigating that performance due to the dispersed nature of development within this option… [development within] Villages is unlikely to be viable.”

This Paragraph, (which should be noted has incorrectly registered the bus services across Greater Cambridge, specifically those that service Fowlmere) fails to recognise that modes of public transport should not be viewed in isolation, rather should also be viewed collectively, with future residents being able to use both bus and train links to travel across the Greater Cambridge area, rather than a single mode of transport e.g bus routes. As set out above, the bus services in Fowlmere provide connectivity with the nearby settlements of Foxton and Melbourn, both of which have additional public transport links including train stations. By viewing modes of public transport collectively this would demonstrate that there are a number of villages within the Greater Cambridge area that are in sustainable locations, including Fowlmere.

The Transport Evidence Report goes on to state that “the proposed development strategy for Greater Cambridge is to direct development to where it has the least climate impact, where active and 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, whilst ensuring all necessary utilities can be provided in a sustainable way.”

As demonstrated in the Technical Note supporting the delivery of development on Land West of London Road, Fowlmere, the Site offers a sustainable location benefitting from being within walking distance of a number of facilities, including village hall, primary school, business park, recreation ground and churches. The two bus services through Fowlmere (bus service 31 and 951) offer regular direct services to Royston and Cambridge in addition to nearby Melbourn and Foxton, both of which benefit from train stations.

The Site at Land West of London Road, Fowlmere therefore aligns with the overall strategy for Greater Cambridge in so far as directing development to a location where active and public transport is a natural choice, providing an ability to deliver green infrastructure and providing facilities near to where people live.

To ensure that the Greater Cambridge evidence base is robust and up-to-date and therefore accords with Paragraph 31 of the NPPF (2021) the Existing Transport Conditions Report (November 2020) and subsequent Transport Evidence Report (October 2021) should be amended to correctly reference all bus services across Greater Cambridge, notably the omitted bus service 915. As a result, the sustainability of Fowlmere should be reassessed, including its ability to accommodate development.