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. Stapleford and Great Shelford fall 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 land promoted by EDBF at Hinton Way in Stapleford would support the existing services and facilities in the village, including the convenience stores, post office, library, banks, public houses and restaurants, bus, and rail 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 medium sized sites such as land off Hinton Lane in Stapleford 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. Shelford Station is located close to the site. There are bus routes on Hinton Way, Mingle Lane, Station Road and Cambridge Road, all of which are close to the site. There are cycle routes through Stapleford and Great Shelford into Cambridge. The route for the proposed Cambridge South East Transport project by the Greater Cambridge Partnership is located to the north west of the site, and there are proposed stops at Hinton Way and Haverhill Road that would be within close proximity of the site. Stapleford and the land off Hinton Way 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 28 affordable dwellings in Stapleford for those with a local connection to the village, and 47 affordable dwellings in Great Shelford. This identified need would not be met without allocations in the village. The preferred allocation at Site Ref. S/RSC/HW (Land between Hinton Way and Mingle Lane, Great Shelford) for 100 dwellings would meet the current identified needs for affordable housing of Stapleford, but not any district-wide or future affordable housing needs. The land promoted by EDBF at Hinton Way in Stapleford would include provision of housing and affordable housing to meet future local needs of the village and address a proportion of the district-wide needs, and there would be a policy requirement to include a proportion of self/custom build housing plots within the development.

EDBF’s representations to the assessment of the land off Hinton Way in Stapleford site in the HELAA (Site Ref. 40369) comment on the potential constraints identified with the promoted development and explain how those constraints would be addressed.

In summary, the landscape and townscape mitigation measures identified for the preferred allocation at Site Ref. S/RSC/HW (Land between Hinton Way and Mingle Lane, Great Shelford) could also be delivered at the land promoted by EDBF at Hinton Way i.e. strategic landscaping at the north western boundary. The site assessment does not consider the route for the proposed Cambridge South East Transport project located to the north west of the site, in terms of the change to landscape character and to the openness of the Green Belt in this location. If additional land is required to meet a higher housing requirement and housing and affordable housing needs of the villages, then land off Hinton Way in Stapleford would be a suitable location for an additional allocation.

Requested Change

It is requested that the development strategy for the Rural Southern Cluster includes an additional residential allocation at land off Hinton Way in Stapleford, as promoted by EDBF, with the following policy requirements:

• Site Area of 16.87 Ha
• Capacity for approx. 500 dwellings, including affordable housing and self/custom build plots
• Provide strategic landscape buffer at north western and south eastern boundaries
• Design of development to preserve key views from Stapleford Conservation Area and setting of Church of St Andrew (Grade II*) and The White House (Grade II)
• Provide open space and green infrastructure
• Upgrade existing vehicular access from Hinton Way and Mingle Lane
• Design and layout to be compatible with adjacent allocation (Site Ref. S/RSC/HW)

As suggested in the HELAA site assessment (Site Ref. 40369) the site capacity could be reduced to be consistent with the north eastern boundary of the adjacent allocation. A capacity assessment will need to be undertaken, informed by landscape and heritage impact assessment, to determine the most appropriate locations for built development, strategic landscaping, and open space within the promoted development.