Whilst we largely agree with the Greater Places policies, we believe a more extensive review of the Green Belt should be carried out to include sites such as the land west of Station Road, Fulbourn, which represents an excellent location for sustainable development.

The Green Belt provides an important role in preventing urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open and serving the five purposes set out in paragraph 134 of the National Planning Policy Framework namely:
a) to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas;
b) to prevent neighbouring towns from merging into one another;
c) to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment;
d) to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns; and
e) to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land.

A comprehensive review of the original 2012 Green Belt Review should be undertaken as part of the evidence base underpinning the new Greater Cambridge Local Plan. In many instances there may be opportunities to release land currently within the Green Belt, which plays a limited role in serving the five purposes set out in the NPPF, such as the land west of Station Road, Fulbourn.

Given the geography of Greater Cambridge, in which many of the most sustainable parts of the spatial planning area are located within the Green Belt, it is considered that some Green Belt release should form part of the overall spatial strategy.

In this way, the area can help to reduce travel distances and help facilitate sustainability through the provision of sustainable transport infrastructure.

The important role that the Green Belt plays is acknowledged, however a flexible approach needs to be taken where sites such as land west of Station Road, Fulbourn benefit from their proximity to existing frequent public transport (with a bus stop just 100 metres south of the site). The proposed Fulbourn Greenway being bought forward by the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) would also to provide high quality sustainable transport infrastructure to further improve connectivity.

In addition, the land west of Station Road, Fulbourn presents opportunities for Green Belt release that would help to enable a sustainable large village such as Fulbourn to grow in a sustainable manner.

The site itself is very well-contained and provides a very limited contribution to the Green Belt purposes.
The site is surround on 3 sides by housing development, and the railway and industrial area to its northern edge.

Its release would play no role in facilitating unrestricted sprawl of large built up areas and would not result in towns merging into one another.

While it would play a limited role in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment, it is an exceptionally well-contained site with residential development on its western, southern, and eastern boundaries, and the Cambridge to Newmarket railway line providing a clear defensible boundary along its northern side.

The land west of Station Road, Fulbourn should be released from the Green Belt.