Cambourne Town Council objects to the policy in its current state and would make the following comments:
- Object to any allocation of new homes for Cambourne until a final decision has been made on East West Rail and funding committed to the project. The prospect of a railway station is the only reason that Cambourne is considered a sustainable location for growth and until this is secured, no allocation should be progressed.
- Given the inherent uncertainty of delivery largescale infrastructure, any allocation of new homes in Cambourne should specifically state that planning permission will not be granted until work commences on a Cambourne Station and no new homes will be allowed to be occupied until the station and East West Rail services are operational.
- Object to all potential development locations to the south, west and south-east of Cambourne. In all these locations there would be a major adverse impacts on existing road networks through the town, a major adverse impact on high-quality landscapes to the south of the town and a major impact on Cambourne’s country park and its value for people and nature.
- The only option for potential growth that is supported by Cambourne Town Council (with the caveat that it must be contingent on the delivery of a railway station) is to the north of A428. This is also the Town Council’s preferred location for a station.
- I would also raise a concern regarding the delivery of additional dwellings to the north of Cambourne within the proposed plan period to 2041. Cambourne currently comprises c.4,250 new homes which were delivered over approximately 22 years from 1998 to 2020. This gives an average delivery rate of just under 200 dwellings per annum (dpa). If the c.5,850 dwellings already allocated at West Cambourne and Bourn Airfield are to be delivered by 2041, a delivery rate of c.300 dpa will be required and if an additional 1,900 dwellings are expected to be delivered in Cambourne on top of this, an average delivery rate almost 400 dpa will be required. This is highly unrealistic as there is a limit on the number of dwellings the local market will be able to absorb annually.
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