Paragraph 62 of the NPPF requires local authorities to assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community and reflected in planning policies. The NPPF also sets out that as part of achieving sustainable development a sufficient range of homes should be provided to meet the needs of present and future generations.
The proposed policy direction notes that new housing development of 10 or more dwellings will be required to provide an appropriate mix of housing sizes with the proportions of dwellings of each size to be guided by the housing mix for each tenure and for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire as set out in the recommendations from the ‘Housing Needs of Specific Groups – Addendum for Greater Cambridge (2021)’ or any future update to the Greater Cambridge Housing Strategy or housing mix evidence published by the Councils.
Whilst this policy is applicable to traditional Class C3 residential schemes, consideration should be given on a site-by-site basis in respect of C2 residential institutional schemes as it is not always appropriate or viable to provide larger 4- and 5-bed properties on such type of schemes.
As set out at paragraph 3.3 in the accompanying ‘Representation by Inspired Villages – to support the practical delivery of much-needed specialist accommodation to meet the needs of an ageing population’ (Appendix 1), a standard model for an Inspired Villages site is for approximately 150 units of accommodation comprising a mix of cottages, bungalows and apartments ranging from 1, 2 and 3-beds with some 210,000sqft of floorspace, of which, approximately 20-25% would be communal facilities.
The policy approach should therefore be sufficiently flexible to take account of current identified and projected need for specialist housing for older people and recognise that such type of schemes may not necessarily meet the housing mix specified for C3 residential schemes, acknowledging that they serve different requirements for different markets.