There are no proposed allocations in Gamlingay as part of the emerging GCLP, and very little residential development proposed for the rural areas as a whole which questions whether the Council will meet the NPPF target of delivering at least 10% of their housing requirement on small and medium sized sites (as set out within paragraph 69 of the NPPF). Land to the West of Elizabeth Way, Gamlingay would provide a sustainable medium sized site providing much needed affordable housing. The GCLP needs to provide for a range of different housing needs which allows smaller settlements and rural areas to continue to thrive. This is in accordance with Paragraph 79 of the NPPF which seeks to promote sustainable development in rural areas by locating housing growth where it will enhance or maintain the vitality of rural communities and enable villages to grow and thrive.

There is also a need for sites to be allocated which can deliver the required level of affordable housing which is a need both in the urban and rural areas. According to recent housing needs projections, an annual net need of 435 affordable rental units and 105 affordable units for homeownership will be needed across South Cambridgeshire to satisfy housing demands. Dependence on the allocation of strategic sites with already high infrastructure burdens is unlikely to offer sustainable, long-term solutions to the chronic and worsening affordability issues manifesting across the Greater Cambridge area. Strategic sites alone do not deliver policy-compliant levels of affordable housing, so, if this is the target, more smaller sites that are far more likely to deliver a policy-compliant level of affordable homes at a faster rate need to be allocated.

The First Proposals plan is heavily reliant on the delivery of a handful of strategic developments, particularly large and complex sites which, on average, would take 5-8 years for the first home to be delivered. To ensure that housing delivery does not stall, and the affordability crisis worsened as a result, a pipeline of smaller developments which can deliver homes quickly will be needed in the short-to-medium term. Site 40300, Land West of Elizabeth Way, Gamlingay is suitable, available, and deliverable within 0-5 years.