This policy proposes to allocate sites for homes or employment that support the overall development strategy within the rural area, excluding the rural southern cluster. The policy includes two new housing allocations proposed at Melbourn (Moor Lane and land to the west of Cambridge Road) together with allocations at Caldecote to the west of Cambridge and Oakington to the northwest of Cambridge.
As we have commented above in respect of Policies S/JH and S/DS, we consider that for the housing delivery strategy to be effective, it will be required to take into account all reasonable alternatives to deliver the right amount of rural housing, the right type of rural housing and in the right place for this part of Greater Cambridge to meet local needs, including much-needed affordable homes. The absence of additional housing allocations within the rural southwestern part of South Cambridgeshire (other than at Melbourn) means that Plan is unlikely to meet the specific housing needs of this part of Greater Cambridge.

Assessment of our client’s proposed housing site
Our client’s site and 725 other sites with potential for residential and economic development were assessed as part of the Greater Cambridge Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) against a “RAG” scoring system. According to the HELLA, sites were deemed to be unsuitable if they were assessed as ‘Red’ against any of the criteria used, sites were deemed to be unavailable where there was no evidence that the site was available, or alternatively, there was evidence that the site was unavailable. Sites were deemed to be unachievable where it was considered there was no
reasonable prospect that the site could be developed.
Section 6 of the Development Strategy Topic Paper (p165) explains the detailed rationale followed in the assessment of proposed site allocations submitted through the Call for Sites process. The Topic Paper indicates that evidence suggests that housing in the rest of the rural area outside the southern cluster can help support delivery of a range of smaller sites within the area and support the vitality of villages. The Topic Paper states that the approach adopted to identify new rural locations for housing was consistent for both the rural southern cluster and the rest of the rural area and included the following key criteria:
• Locations with sustainable access: Rural Centres and Minor Rural Centres, but also Group villages with very good Public Transport Access.
• Sites with a green or amber rating in the Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment.
The Strategy Topic Paper indicates that other relative factors were also considered (but not necessarily
defining a judgment) including account for parishes which already have lots of committed development with the aim for those sites to be built and the new community to bed-in before considering further development, informed by scale of village and committed development. A further factor was to consider the support for community aspirations for development, including responses to recent engagement with parishes regarding the Call for sites which provided awareness of those parishes with aspirations for development. The Topic Paper also explains that for sites meeting above criteria, officers used judgement, Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment information on site constraints and assessment of suitability, and awareness of sites’ planning history to inform emerging proposed draft list of sites.
The assessment of our client’s site not taken forward into the First Proposals, forms part of HELAA Appendix 4 (Part C) under site reference 55082. A copy of the assessment proforma is included at Appendix 1 of this letter. The HELAA site assessment summary provides a red rating against ‘suitable’, with green ratings against both ‘available’ and ‘achievable’. Breaking this down further, the site assessment criteria under ‘suitable’ were all scored as amber or green, with the exception of a red rating against the landscape assessment criterion. Notwithstanding that this red rating against ‘suitable’ was
on the basis of impact of the site on rural countryside character, the assessment nevertheless concludes
that a reduced development “…may be acceptable subject to responding to the surrounding character
and with landscape mitigation”.
Although the proposed new housing allocations at Melbourn are both sites which were assessed with a green or amber rating in the HELAA, in terms of the key criteria applied, it is less clear how these sites fared better in sustainability terms than our client’s site. Meldreth is well placed to supply additional rural housing given it is a Group Village that benefits from a train station and has good sustainable transport links to London and Cambridge. This contrasts with Melbourn which, although defined as a Minor Rural Centre one tier higher in the settlement hierarchy than Meldreth, does not have a station.
We continue to be of the view that our client’s site represents a sustainable opportunity to deliver residential development with significant benefits and only very limited adverse impacts. The site is well located such that future occupants of dwellings would be able to walk to the village using the existing path through The Burtons, into West Way and then along the footpath of Kneesworth Road and Whitecroft Road into the centre of the village. A local bus stop is located on Kneesworth Road, just outside West Way and the train station is within 1,500 metres of the site and would therefore be in walking distance for future occupiers. Development of the site would therefore in an appropriate location to access the facilities of the village.
Our client continues to offer the entire site or, alternatively, part of the site for residential use including
a minimum of 50% affordable homes across the entire site or 100% affordable homes on the partial site. Our client remains willing to do all he can to assist the Council in ensuring a development fulfils this role. The site would support NPPF paragraph 79 which states that to promote sustainable development rural areas, housing should be located where it will enhance or maintain the vitality of rural communities. Allocation of the site for new housing would also adhere to NPPF paragraph 69 which requires planning policies to identify opportunities for villages to grow and thrive, especially where this will support local services. The site would also represent a small sized site capable of making an important contribution to meeting the housing requirements of the area, and would also be capable of being built-out quickly.
We consider that a potential impact on Landscape Character identified by the HELLA assessment could
reasonably be addressed in design and layout terms, particularly in the context that the assessment concludes that a reduced development may be acceptable subject to responding to the surrounding character and with landscape mitigation.
Against this background, we would request that our client’s site is included for consideration at the next plan-making stage.