There is no merit, benefit or justification for defining a Local Green Space at "Fulbourn Hospital Parkland" as put forward with in Policy FUL/05 having regard to the existence of current policy designations such as the Green Belt and Conservation Area .

We respectfully suggest that reference to a Local Green Space at Fulbourn Hospital Parkland be removed from Policy FUL/05 of the Neighbourhood Plan.

Representations on behalf of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust to submitted draft Fulbourn Neighbourhood Plan

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust are the freehold landowners of land at Fulbourn Hospital. This is the site currently occupied by a number of healthcare services and located to the west of Capital Park (referred to as the “former Fulbourn Hospital site”) within the Neighbourhood Plan)

Whilst supporting the publication of a draft Neighbourhood Plan, the Trust is needing to ensure that the policies and proposals within the document do not, as far as reasonably possible, hinder the delivery of vitally important healthcare services. The Trust at its heart must prioritise healthcare provision, an aspiration and objective brought more sharply into focus during the global pandemic.

Fulbourn Policy FUL/05 – Local Green Space and Protected Village Amenity Areas

This policy seeks to identify Local Green Spaces within the Neighbourhood Plan Area. From the outset the Neighbourhood Plan acknowledges at Paragraph 8.1 that Local Green Space are intended to be protected from inappropriate development as intended by the policies protecting Green Belts. There is clearly a duplication in the instance where Green Belt designation applies and when the Neighbourhood Plan also seeks to identify land within the Green Belt as a Local Green Space. The definition of Green Belt and the reasoning for including land within it is already set out within national planning policy guidance and in the development plan as is the protection of those areas from inappropriate development.

We cannot see any justification for including Local Green Space designations within the existing Green Belt and in such a context , the Trust cannot support the identification of the “Fulbourn Hospital Parkland” in paragraph 1c of Policy FUL/05

The Trust has made representations to the emerging Greater Cambridge Local Plan to seek amendment to the Green Belt boundary to exclude a significant area of the Fulbourn Hospital site to be removed from the Green Belt on the basis of the significance of a large built footprint and the impact that this has and the justification for including the land within the Green Belt designation. (see enclosed) The Trust is also cognisant of the open parkland to the south of the site but at the same time is respectfully seeking clarity from the various authorities that in the circumstances where some development which need to take place which may encroach on part of this parkland area that further policy designations are not put in place to jeopardise the provision of appropriate healthcare services on this important campus.

The imposition of further policy designations on an area which has already been the focus of vitally important healthcare services will be resisted by the Trust whilst acknowledging the perceived importance of the hospital site by some in terms of the open land to the front of the site.

Clearly there is a subjective element of defining what area constitutes parkland and what does not. This is relevant to the situation at the Fulbourn Hospital site where the now demolished Kent House (demolished in 2008) covered a substantial land area to the west of Burnett House.

We note that the NPPF 2021 refers to Local Green Space (paras 102-103) . In such a context paragraph 103 states “Policies for managing development within a Local Green Space should be consistent with those for Green Belts.” We do see merit in identifying Local Green Spaces on land which is already Green Belt. We do not understand what benefits this would provide to the community on top of the Green Belt policy which already covers this parkland area as well as inclusion within the designated Conservation Area. From the Trust’s perspective it simply adds another policy restriction onto a site which remains absolutely key to the provision of critical new healthcare services.

The Trust must be a in position to be able to deliver healthcare services on this site and imposing additional planning designations across the whole of the defined Local Green Space area simply threatens the delivery of very important services that this site offers to the wider community.