S/RSC: Village allocations in the rural southern cluster

We strongly object to the release of Green Belt land in Great Shelford.

This site fails to meet the exceptional criteria for Green Belt release. The argument that the Cambridge South Station will be beneficial is flawed - no one will commute to Addenbrooke's from Shelford by train. The Cambridge South Station is much more likely to benefit those commuting from further distances. As someone who works on the Addenbrooke's site I can confirm that none of my colleagues who live in Shelford/Stapleford are planning on using the station, and in fact most of them drive to work - as the short distance is convenient to commute by car. I expect the owners of these 100 new houses are extremely likely to do the same, as the majority of houses are likely to have a high price and therefore have high levels of car ownership.

The site was already rejected in the 2018 Local Plan, for many good reasons, and there is no new relevant information to justify reassessment. Preparing a new Local Plan is not an exceptional circumstance to justify alteration to a Green Belt boundary.

The assessment has failed to consider the proposed Bus Way, which is expected to run directly North of the site. The construction of the Bus Way makes maintaining the intervening Green Belt land of greater importance, which this development would erode.

The site sits exactly on the boundary between Great Shelford and Stapleford, so contributes to the merging of these communities into one continuous suburban settlement, damaging the character of the villages.

There is already a pressure on schooling in the village, with oversubscription of both Shelford and Stapleford schools. This development will only make this worse.

The site will exit onto a narrow 20 mph road. The increased traffic along this road and through the conservation area of Stapleford will detriment the village environment. There is already a major issue with traffic queuing on Hinton Way at the railway crossing, which this development exacerbate.

The use of Green Belt land is directly contrary to your own previous consultation.

Land to the rear of No. 24 Brookhampton Street, CB10 1SP - 20 houses. Ref: 40536.
assessed suitable for development [amber].
We DISAGREE strongly with this decision as it is UNSUITABLE for development

Policy S/SH: Settlement hierarchy. Ickleton remains as an “Infill Village”.
We support this decision.
Land at Coploe Road, Grange Road, Ickleton – 30 houses. unsuitable for development (red).
We support this decision.
Land south of Ickleton Road, Great Chesterford – 100 houses within Ickleton parish.
unsuitable for development (red). We support this decision.
Land to the east of the A1301, south of the A505 near Hinxton, west of the A1301, north of the A505 near Whittlesford, CB10 1RG, Options 1, 2 & 3. unsuitable for development (red) We support this decision.
Land east of M11, west of Duxford, proposal by Gonville & Caius A505 and Duxford etc. unsuitable for development (red) . We support this decision.

Land to the rear of Brookhampton Street, CB10 1SP - 20 houses Ref. 40536

We strongly disagree that this land is suitable for development (amber). It is a backland development, out of character with the village. It is very close to the vast development granted planning permission for the Wellcome Trust. Access is restricted, both from Brookhampton Street & Mill Lane which are narrow busy country lanes.

“Land to the rear of No. 24 Brookhampton Street, CB10 1SP - 20 houses. Ref: 40536.
suitable for development [amber].
We strongly DISAGREE with this decision as it is UNSUITABLE for development and should be assessed RED

Land to rear of No.24 Brookhampton Street, CB10 1SP - 20 houses, Ref: 40536 suitable for development (amber). We strongly DISAGREE with this decision as it is UNSUITABLE for development.

In general support small scale development in th rural area where there is a reliable alternative public transport method other than the car (train/bus/cycle)

We agree with the assessments that the following sites are unsuitable for development:
- Land at Coploe Road, Grange Road, Ickleton
- Land south of Ickleton Road, Great Chesterford
- Land to the east of the A1301, south of the A505 near Hinxton and west of the A1301, north of the A505 near Whittlesford, CB10 1RG, Options 1, 2 & 3
- Land east of M11, west of Duxford, Duxford

Although not proposed to go forward, we strongly disagree with the HELAA that land to the rear of No. 24 Brookhampton Street, Ickleton is suitable for development.

Ref; 40536 - land at rear of 24 Brookhampton Street, Ickleton, CB10 1SP - 20 houses shown as suitable for development (amber). I strongly DISAGREE with this decision as it is UNBSUITABLE for development.
I strongly agree with the decisions in ref 52057, 52058 and 52059. I also agree with the decisions in ref 40502, 47934 and 40095.

Ref; 40536 - land at rear of 24 Brookhampton Street, Ickleton, CB10 1SP - 20 houses shown as suitable for development (amber). I strongly DISAGREE with this decision as it is UNBSUITABLE for development.
I strongly agree with the decisions in ref 52057, 52058 and 52059. I also agree with the decisions in ref 40502, 47934 and 40095.

Green belt should be utterly sacrosanct - it protects from urban sprawl and provides much needed recreational space.
Traffic on Hinton Way, Shelford Station level crossing and Mingle Lane is already unmanageable. Hundreds more local cars would create unacceptable congestion and pollution; Mingle Lane would become a death trap and Shelford town centre (already a bad joke) would be reduced to permanent gridlock and amenities would be unreachable. Mooted changes to public transport would mean that more and more residents would be forced to use their cars, a combination making for a travesty of urban planning. Think again!

S/RSC/HW provides only 100 houses of the 6850 new housing allocations. This is less than 1.5% of the new allocations, yet permanently destroys high quality Green Belt pasture land. This additional allocation of homes will have a negligible impact in fulfilling housing needs generated by expansion of the nearby Biomedical Campus S/CBC. Development of housing for key workers on the Biomedical Campus site could provide more, better-situated housing than S/RSC/HW.
What are the legal justifications for the “exceptional circumstances” required for release of land from the Green Belt in the Southern Cluster? S/RSC/HW assumes Cambridge South railway station will be opened, but this is not established as fact.
Building on this section of Green Belt would cause a merging of the villages of Great Shelford and Stapleford and does not protect the individual character of the two villages.
The development also puts further demands on already over-stretched local facilities (schools, GP practices etc.) and local infrastructure (water supplies and drainage). The proposals do not address these issues, so are not sustainable.

https://consultations.greatercambridgeplanning.org/greater-cambridge-local-plan-first-proposals/greater-cambridge-2041/rural-southern-cluster/policy-1



Regarding

S/RSC/HW Land between Hinton Way and Mingle Lane, Great Shelford

This land is currently within the Green Belt and has already been considered in the last Local Plan, and then dismissed, as unsuitable for. There are multiple reasons for this prior exclusion including:
Adverse impact on the Green Belt changing the linear character of this area of the village, resulting in backland development and encroachment into the transitional area of the fields that provide a softer edge of the village.
There must be "exceptional circumstances" for release of Green Belt land.

What are the new factors that justify reassessment?

The Greater Cambridge Green Belt Assessment (GCGBA) report, which states the impact on Green Belt of use of this parcel of land as 'Moderate-High'. The report also states that the purpose of Green Belt is to "prevent communities merging into one" (GCGBA page 9), preserve "landscape that retains a strong rural character" (page 26), "prevent further coalescence of settlements" (page 28) and "prevent communities in the environs of Cambridge from merging into one another" (page 42). This proposed development lies exactly on the boundary between the parishes of Great Shelford and Stapleford, which clearly contributes to the merging of the two villages into one continuous settlement.


- How have you assessed the poor quality access to this site?

The proposed access from Mingle Lane is not suitable for 100 houses. Mingle Lane is a narrow 20 mph restricted lane and accessed either through particularly narrow roads through the conservation area or from Hinton Way. The large increase in traffic onto Hinton Way will cause further issues at the already congested railway crossing. I note GCGBA states that the impact of development should consider the "degree of activity from the development (e.g. by traffic generation)" (page 16).


- What is the assessment of impact on local services (e.g. schooling, GPs etc)?


There is a great deal of local opposition to development of the site.
There has been no persuasive new rationale for use of this site, it is against the findings of the consultation, against the principles of the Local plan and does not materially contribute to new housing stock. I would note that the uncertainty and changeability on the part of the council are contributors to significant stress for the local residents.

- S/RSC/HW Land between Hinton Way and Mingle Lane, Great Shelford
This land is currently within the Green Belt and has already been considered in the last Local Plan, and then dismissed, as unsuitable for. There are multiple reasons for this prior exclusion including the adverse impact on the Green Belt changing the linear character of this area of the village, resulting in backland development and encroachment into the transitional area of the fields that provide a softer edge of the village.
There must be "exceptional circumstances" for release of Green Belt land.

- What are the new factors that justify reassessment?
The Greater Cambridge Green Belt Assessment (GCGBA) report, which states the impact on Green Belt of use of this parcel of land as 'Moderate-High'. The report also states that the purpose of Green Belt is to "prevent communities merging into one" (GCGBA page 9), preserve "landscape that retains a strong rural character" (page 26), "prevent further coalescence of settlements" (page 28) and "prevent communities in the environs of Cambridge from merging into one another" (page 42). This proposed development lies exactly on the boundary between the parishes of Great Shelford and Stapleford, which clearly contributes to the merging of the two villages into one continuous settlement.

- Where is the environmental impact study for the two areas that make up this proposed site?
The two areas sit on very different land quality - part on meadow, part on agricultural land. The meadow has been lightly grazed and/or left fallow for many many decades, and as a result has built up significantly diverse flora and fauna, many of which are listed as having a UK conservation status of ‘red’, and as ‘meadow’ has one of the highest nature ratings in the European Monitoring of Biodiversity in Agricultural Landscapes (EMBAL) Survey Manual 2017. To wilfully include the meadow in a plan but only include a small fraction of what is heavily used agricultural land with ‘between very low and rather low nature’ value suggests that the plan must be ill-conceived, and it certainly goes against the local planning mantra that supporting biodiversity is at it’s core.

- How have you assessed the poor quality access to this site?
The proposed access from Mingle Lane is not suitable for 100 houses. Mingle Lane is a narrow 20 mph restricted lane and accessed either through particularly narrow roads through the conservation area or from Hinton Way. The large increase in traffic onto Hinton Way will cause further issues at the already congested railway crossing. I note GCGBA states that the impact of development should consider the "degree of activity from the development (e.g. by traffic generation)" (page 16).

- What is the assessment of impact on local services (e.g. schooling, GPs etc)?
There is a great deal of local opposition to development of the site.
There has been no persuasive new rationale for use of this site, it is against the findings of the consultation, against the principles of the Local plan.

This land is currently within the green belt and has already been considered in the last local plan in 2018 and dismissed as unsuitable. Reasons for this are as follows:
Development of the site is likely to have an adverse effect on the adjoining Conservation Area due to intensification to create a vehicular entrance.
Significant adverse impact on the landscape and townscape of the area, due to considerable encroachment of the built development into the strongly rolling chalk hills rising from the village edge, with a development contrary to the ribbon development character of this part of the village.
There is a great deal of local opposition to development of the site.
The site is not well located to local services and facilities.

There must be exceptional circumstances for release of green belt - what are these?

Greater Cambridge Green Belt Assessment (GCGBA) report states:

The purpose of Green Belt is to "prevent communities merging into one", preserve "landscape that retains a strong rural character", "prevent further coalescence of settlements" and "prevent communities in the environs of Cambridge from merging into one another".
This proposed development lies exactly on the boundary between the parishes of Great Shelford and Stapleford, and will clearly contribute to the merging of the two villages into one continuous settlement - one of the many reasons why the land was rejected in 2018.

"The more fragile the gap the larger the potential contribution of any intervening open land".
The proposed busway at the top of the neighbouring fields must be considered when assessing this land for suitability, as if the busway is built the value of the intervening fields in distinguishing the edge of the settlements will be further increased. Similarly, were the proposed housing allocation permitted this would weaken the argument for maintaining this boundary of fields.

Please also note that as the previously rejected retirement village on the ‘rolling chalk hills’ has gone to appeal, the case for reversing the prior rejection will only be strengthened if the council advocates building housing in a contiguous field.

There is no mention of either the busway, or the proposed retirement village in the Local Plan report, yet the draft Local Plan discusses both proposals of East-West Rail and the Cambridge South Station.

The impact of development should consider the "degree of activity from the development (e.g. by traffic generation)".
100 houses will contribute a significant increase in traffic (potentially >200 cars), in an already congested area. The houses are very likely to be sold at a premium by the developers with new residents attracted to Cambridge's many private schools which they will access for drop off/pick up by car, further exacerbating the congestion problems in the village.

It is also worth observing that the allocation of 100 houses is insignificant to the full Local Plan at only 0.2% of the 49,000 total planned, and destroying the biodiverse meadow would be even less.

S/RSC/HW Land between Hinton Way and Mingle Lane, Great Shelford
- Existing water infrastructure is not adequate for the region
- When the train barrier is down on Hinton Way I have seen car queues as far as Orchard Road. 100 extra houses will mean 100-150 extra cars. Plus this issue will be exacerbated as there are plans for more trains to run and therefore the barriers will be down longer meaning Hinton Way will become gridlocked.
- Green belt area/agricultural area - we are a net importer of food and we should not be destroying this resource.

Seems sensible in areas with suitable current infrastructure.

Pollution levels around Hinton Way/Mingle Lane are already poor, so the addition of 100 houses on Green Belt land will exacerbate things greatly.
The limited train and bus service is already laughably poor, and the proposed guided busway will force everyone into their cars to reach it, making everything worse.
The existing roads are unable to cope now, and Mingle Lane would become a rat-run with 200 extra cars just behind it, and related delivery services adding to mayhem.
Waverley Park opposite will become available shortly, an existing built-up area, so build there and leave Green Belt alone.

Land to the rear of 24 Brookhampton Street CB10 1SP. I strongly object as it is totally unsuitable for development.

Land to rear of 24 Brookhampton Street
CB10 1SP
I strongly disagree to the housing development at this location as it is totally unsuitable.

The reasons for wanting to develop in these villages are understandable given the relatively high number of jobs in close proximity and the relative lack of new houses being planned for the south side of Cambridge. However, development within these villages should remain very limited to avoid ruining the character of the villages for current residents

S/RSC/HW Land between Hinton Way and Mingle Lane, Great Shelford
This land is currently within the Green Belt and has already been considered in the last Local Plan, and then dismissed, as unsuitable for. There are multiple reasons for this prior exclusion including:
Adverse impact on the Green Belt changing the linear character of this area of the village, resulting in backland development and encroachment into the transitional area of the fields that provide a
softer edge of the village.
There must be "exceptional circumstances" for release of Green Belt land.
What are the new factors that justify reassessment?
The Greater Cambridge Green Belt Assessment (GCGBA) report, which states the impact on Green Belt of use of this parcel of land as 'Moderate-High'. The report also states that the purpose of Green
Belt is to "prevent communities merging into one" (GCGBA page 9), preserve "landscape that retains a strong rural character" (page 26), "prevent further coalescence of settlements" (page 28) and
"prevent communities in the environs of Cambridge from merging into one another" (page 42). This proposed development lies exactly on the boundary between the parishes of Great Shelford and
Stapleford, which clearly contributes to the merging of the two villages into one continuous settlement.
- How have you assessed the poor quality access to this site?
The proposed access from Mingle Lane is not suitable for 100 houses. Mingle Lane is a narrow 20 mph restricted lane and accessed either through particularly narrow roads through the conservation
area or from Hinton Way. The large increase in traffic onto Hinton Way will cause further issues at the already congested railway crossing. I note GCGBA states that the impact of development should
consider the "degree of activity from the development (e.g. by traffic generation)" (page 16).
- What is the assessment of impact on local services (e.g. schooling, GPs etc)?
There is a great deal of local opposition to development of the site.
There has been no persuasive new rationale for use of this site, it is against the findings of the consultation, against the principles of the Local plan and does not materially contribute to new housing
stock. I would note that the uncertainty and changeability on the part of the council are contributors to significant stress for the local residents.

Regarding
S/RSC/HW Land between Hinton Way and Mingle Lane, Great Shelford
This land is currently within the Green Belt and has already been considered in the last Local Plan, and then dismissed, as unsuitable for. There are multiple reasons for this prior exclusion including:
Adverse impact on the Green Belt changing the linear character of this area of the village, resulting in backland development and encroachment into the transitional area of the fields that provide a
softer edge of the village.
There must be "exceptional circumstances" for release of Green Belt land.
What are the new factors that justify reassessment?
The Greater Cambridge Green Belt Assessment (GCGBA) report, which states the impact on Green Belt of use of this parcel of land as 'Moderate-High'. The report also states that the purpose of Green
Belt is to "prevent communities merging into one" (GCGBA page 9), preserve "landscape that retains a strong rural character" (page 26), "prevent further coalescence of settlements" (page 28) and
"prevent communities in the environs of Cambridge from merging into one another" (page 42). This proposed development lies exactly on the boundary between the parishes of Great Shelford and
Stapleford, which clearly contributes to the merging of the two villages into one continuous settlement.
- How have you assessed the poor quality access to this site?
The proposed access from Mingle Lane is not suitable for 100 houses. Mingle Lane is a narrow 20 mph restricted lane and accessed either through particularly narrow roads through the conservation
area or from Hinton Way. The large increase in traffic onto Hinton Way will cause further issues at the already congested railway crossing. I note GCGBA states that the impact of development should
consider the "degree of activity from the development (e.g. by traffic generation)" (page 16).
- What is the assessment of impact on local services (e.g. schooling, GPs etc)?
There is a great deal of local opposition to development of the site.
There has been no persuasive new rationale for use of this site, it is against the findings of the consultation, against the principles of the Local plan and does not materially contribute to new housing
stock. I would note that the uncertainty and changeability on the part of the council are contributors to significant stress for the local residents.

I vote against it. You need to reconsider the effect on congestion in other adjacent roads such as Hinton way. It is already very busy. You also need to consider Health services Gp and schooling.

How to provide comments on the development
between Hinton Way and Mingle Lane, Great Shelford
1.
2. Register an account by clicking here
Click on this Link
https://consultations.greatercambridgeplanning.org/

Once Registered, click on this Link
https://consultations.greatercambridgeplanning.org/greater-cambridge-local-plan-first-proposals/greater-cambridge-2041/rural-southern- cluster/policy-1
This is page to comment on the Shelford / Stapleford Development
Scroll down click on the Blue Speech bubble to submit a
comment

Add Comments
Comments I provided for reference
Regarding
S/RSC/HW Land between Hinton Way and Mingle Lane, Great Shelford
This land is currently within the Green Belt and has already been considered in the last Local Plan, and then dismissed, as unsuitable for. There are multiple reasons for this prior exclusion including: Adverse impact on the Green Belt changing the linear character of this area of the village, resulting in backland development and encroachment into the transitional area of the fields that provide a softer edge of the village.
There must be "exceptional circumstances" for release of Green Belt land.
What are the new factors that justify reassessment?
The Greater Cambridge Green Belt Assessment (GCGBA) report, which states the impact on Green Belt of use of this parcel of land as 'Moderate-High'. The report also states that the purpose of Green Belt is to "prevent communities merging into one" (GCGBA page 9), preserve "landscape that retains a strong rural character" (page 26), "prevent further coalescence of settlements" (page 28) and "prevent communities in the environs of Cambridge from merging into one another" (page 42). This proposed development lies exactly on the boundary between the parishes of Great Shelford and Stapleford, which clearly contributes to the merging of the two villages into one continuous settlement.
- How have you assessed the poor quality access to this site?
The proposed access from Mingle Lane is not suitable for 100 houses. Mingle Lane is a narrow 20 mph restricted lane and accessed either through particularly narrow roads through the conservation area or from Hinton Way. The large increase in traffic onto Hinton Way will cause further issues at the already congested railway crossing. I note GCGBA states that the impact of development should consider the "degree of activity from the development (e.g. by traffic generation)" (page 16).
- What is the assessment of impact on local services (e.g. schooling, GPs etc)?
There is a great deal of local opposition to development of the site.
There has been no persuasive new rationale for use of this site, it is against the findings of the consultation, against the principles of the Local plan and does not materially contribute to new housing stock. I would note that the uncertainty and changeability on the part of the council are contributors to significant stress for the local residents.

Comments
regarding
S/RSC/HW Land between Hinton Way and Mingle Lane, Great Shelford
This land is currently within the Green Belt and has already been considered in the last Local Plan, and then dismissed, as unsuitable for. There are multiple reasons for this prior exclusion including: Adverse impact on the Green Belt changing the linear character of this area of the village, resulting in backland development and encroachment into the transitional area of the fields that provide a softer edge of the village.
There must be "exceptional circumstances" for release of Green Belt land.
What are the new factors that justify reassessment?
The Greater Cambridge Green Belt Assessment (GCGBA) report, which states the impact on Green Belt of use of this parcel of land as 'Moderate-High'. The report also states that the purpose of Green Belt is to "prevent communities merging into one" (GCGBA page 9), preserve "landscape that retains a strong rural character" (page 26), "prevent further coalescence of settlements" (page 28) and "prevent communities in the environs of Cambridge from merging into one another" (page 42). This proposed development lies exactly on the boundary between the parishes of Great Shelford and Stapleford, which clearly contributes to the merging of the two villages into one continuous settlement.
- How have you assessed the poor quality access to this site?
The proposed access from Mingle Lane is not suitable for 100 houses. Mingle Lane is a narrow 20 mph restricted lane and accessed either through particularly narrow roads through the conservation area or from Hinton Way. The large increase in traffic onto Hinton Way will cause further issues at the already congested railway crossing. I note GCGBA states that the impact of development should consider the "degree of activity from the development (e.g. by traffic generation)" (page 16).
- What is the assessment of impact on local services (e.g. schooling, GPs etc)?
There is a great deal of local opposition to development of the site.
There has been no persuasive new rationale for use of this site, it is against the findings of the consultation, against the principles of the Local plan and does not materially contribute to new housing stock. I would note that the uncertainty and changeability on the part of the council are contributors to significant stress for the local residents.
This green area currently provides a breath of fresh air and a break in view from the houses coming into the village from cambridge. It would open the door to further development behind mingle lane and risk losing the character of the village.

This land is currently within the Green Belt and has already been considered in the last Local Plan, and then dismissed, as unsuitable. There are multiple reasons for this prior exclusion including: adverse impact on the Green Belt; dramatic changes to the character of this area of the village, resulting in encroachment into the transitional area of the fields that provide a softer edge of the village.

The Greater Cambridge Green Belt Assessment (GCGBA) report states the impact on Green Belt of use of this parcel of land as 'Moderate-High'. The report also states that the purpose of Green Belt is to "prevent communities merging into one" (GCGBA page 9), preserve "landscape that retains a strong rural character" (page 26), "prevent further coalescence of settlements" (page 28) and "prevent communities in the environs of Cambridge from merging into one another" (page 42). This proposed development lies exactly on the boundary between the parishes of Great Shelford and Stapleford, which clearly contributes to the merging of the two villages into one continuous settlement.

The proposed access from Mingle Lane is not suitable for 100 houses. Mingle Lane is a narrow 20 mph restricted lane and accessed either through particularly narrow roads through the conservation area or from Hinton Way. The large increase in traffic onto Hinton Way will cause further issues at the already congested railway crossing and have additional impact on traffic running through Great Shelford (an already exceptionally congested village) and additional pressure on local amenities in both Shelford and Stapleford, with considerable pressure on schools and GP services (already under strain). I note GCGBA states that the impact of development should consider the "degree of activity from the development (e.g. by traffic generation)" (page 16).

There is a great deal of local opposition to development of this site. There has been no persuasive new rationale for use of this site, it is against the findings of the consultation, against the principles of the Local plan and does not materially contribute to new housing stock. I would note that the uncertainty and changeability on the part of the council are contributors to significant stress for local residents.

Regarding S/RSC/HW Land between Hinton Way and Mingle Lane, Great Shelford

This land is currently within the Green Belt land - there must be exceptional circumstance for release of Green Belt land, what are the exceptional circumstances in this case?

Building more houses on this proposed land will have a negative impact upon the local community, the access to/from the proposed development is unsuitable, and additional housing will place a strain upon the already congested railway crossing, as well as impact upon the village amenities such as the local schools and GP practice.

Re: S/RSC/HW Land between Hinton Way and Mingle Lane, Great Shelford

This proposed site lies within the Green Belt. Very special circumstances need to be demonstrated to release this protected Green Belt land, none of which have been presented. There are more suitable sites that are not protected by Green Belt policy, and these sites should be prioritised. In addition there are many other reasons that this site is unsuitable for housing development, including impact on the local highway network (it does not have the capacity unless major road improvements are secured), detrimental impact on biodiversity, oversubscribed local schools.

Regarding
S/RSC/HW Land between Hinton Way and Mingle Lane, Great Shelford
This land is currently within the Green Belt and has already been considered in the last Local Plan, and then dismissed, as unsuitable. There are multiple reasons for this prior exclusion including:
Adverse impact on the Green Belt changing the linear character of this area of the village, resulting in backland development and encroachment into the transitional area of the fields that provide a
softer edge of the village.
There must be "exceptional circumstances" for release of Green Belt land.
What are the new factors that justify reassessment?
The Greater Cambridge Green Belt Assessment (GCGBA) report, which states the impact on Green Belt of use of this parcel of land as 'Moderate-High'. The report also states that the purpose of Green
Belt is to "prevent communities merging into one" (GCGBA page 9), preserve "landscape that retains a strong rural character" (page 26), "prevent further coalescence of settlements" (page 28) and
"prevent communities in the environs of Cambridge from merging into one another" (page 42). This proposed development lies exactly on the boundary between the parishes of Great Shelford and
Stapleford, which clearly contributes to the merging of the two villages into one continuous settlement.
- How have you assessed the poor quality access to this site?
The proposed access from Mingle Lane is not suitable for 100 houses. Mingle Lane is a narrow 20 mph restricted lane and accessed either through particularly narrow roads through the conservation
area or from Hinton Way. The large increase in traffic onto Hinton Way will cause further issues at the already congested railway crossing. I note GCGBA states that the impact of development should
consider the "degree of activity from the development (e.g. by traffic generation)" (page 16).
- What is the assessment of impact on local services (e.g. schooling, GPs etc)?
There is a great deal of local opposition to development of the site.
There has been no persuasive new rationale for use of this site, it is against the findings of the consultation, against the principles of the Local plan and does not materially contribute to new housing
stock. I would note that the uncertainty and changeability on the part of the council are contributors to significant stress for the local residents.