The evidence base for the GCLP First Proposals document includes the Greater Cambridge Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) (September 2021). Within the HELAA the site is assessed under two separate parcels: east of Horningsea Road (site reference 47647) and west of Ditton Lane (site reference 40516). The document provides a site assessment through a ‘traffic light’ colour coding, with both parcels receiving a ‘red’ outcome for suitability and ‘green’ for both availability and achievability.
The suitability assessment contains a number of issues that the Council have considered. These are set out within the table below, with comments provided in response to this on behalf of Countryside together with our revised assessment of the site when considered as a whole.
It is therefore considered that the issues identified by the Council as being ‘red’ or ‘amber’ would not prohibit the allocation and eventual development of the site. All of these issues can be dealt with through the provision of additional information to a planning application or through mitigation as part of the development of the site. As such, the site is considered to be suitable for the development proposed, and the Council are therefore urged to reconsider the site for allocation as part of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan.