OBJECT

These representations are submitted on behalf of the North Barton Road Landowners Group (North BRLOG), who has promoted land north of Barton Road and at Grange Farm in Cambridge for a landscape-led urban extension. The promoted development is referred to as “South West Cambridge” in these representations. A number of technical reports and a Vision Document have been prepared for the promoted development, all of which were submitted at the Issues & Options stage of emerging GCLP. The findings of the technical reports and Vision Document are referred to in response to relevant policies in the GCLP Preferred Options consultation and the associated site assessments in the Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) and Sustainability Assessment (SA).

The then named Greater Cambridge City Deal (now known as the Greater Cambridge Partnership) recognised the relationship between housing and economic growth, and that the shortage of available and affordable housing within Greater Cambridge has had an impact on house prices, commuting patterns, and recruitment and retention of employees. The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Devolution Deal included a commitment to deliver substantial economic growth and to double economic output during the next 25 years. The 2018 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Independent Economic Review (CPIER) identified that recent employment growth has been faster than anticipated, and the aim of doubling economic output in the area by 2040 was realistic. It was suggested in CPIER that economic growth could be achieved by attracting knowledge-intensive businesses that would not locate elsewhere in the UK, by delivering new housing, and by prioritising infrastructure projects. The National Infrastructure Commission, the Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority and the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership acknowledge and support the economic growth potential of the Greater Cambridge area, and consider that there is a need to substantially increase housing delivery in order to support that economic growth and address the significant housing affordability issues that exist. At present there is an imbalance between rates of economic growth and housing delivery in Greater Cambridge.

All these factors support a significantly higher number of homes than are proposed in the preferred ‘medium plus’ growth option of Policy S/JH. It is considered that the ‘medium plus’ growth option makes insufficient upward adjustments to the housing requirement (from Section Id.2a of the Planning Practice Guidance) to take into account growth strategies, strategic infrastructure improvements and housing affordability in Greater Cambridgeshire. Neither does the ‘medium plus’ growth option reflect the anticipated growth aspirations of the Oxford to Cambridge Arc Spatial Framework, or recognise that the economic success of Greater Cambridge is of national significance.

It is suggested that the emerging GCLP should have selected a higher growth level option to support economic growth, address housing affordability, and reduce in-commuting. A higher growth level option will require infrastructure funding, but there are existing transport improvements already planned for Greater Cambridge and further investment in infrastructure (e.g. water and electricity) will need to be secured as part of the Oxford to Cambridge Arc.

A Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment was prepared by Iceni Projects Ltd for North BRLOG, and was submitted with representations at Issues & Options stage for emerging GCLP; it is resubmitted with these representations. The Assessment examined the inter-related issues of economic growth, affordability and housing need in Greater Cambridge.

The evidence in the Assessment identifies a fundamental imbalance between rates of economic growth and housing delivery, which is leading to acute housing affordability issues. It is noted in the Report that median house prices are more than 11 times average earnings across the Greater Cambridge Area (with a higher ratio in Cambridge City). The undersupply of homes presents a fundamental challenge to the area’s future economic growth because workers are being priced out of the area and firms in the Greater Cambridge area finding it increasingly difficult to recruit.

It is recommended in the Assessment that planning for housing should be based on a blended economic growth rate of 2.8% per annum i.e. based on short-term economic trends to 2031 and longer-term economic trends thereafter; this recommendation is consistent with the findings of the Cambridge and Peterborough Independent Economic Review (CPIER), the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Devolution Deal, and the Local Industrial Strategy for the area. It is common planning practice to seek to align housing and economic strategies.

Iceni’s analysis demonstrates that 101,200 dwellings are required in the Greater Cambridge area between 2017 and 2040, which equates to 4,400 dwellings per annum.

Requested Change

It is requested that the housing target in Policy S/JH is based on achieving a blended economic growth rate of 2.8% per annum. It is requested that the housing target should be 4,400 dwellings per annum for Greater Cambridge to meet this economic growth rate.