Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

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Comment

Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

STRATEGY

Representation ID: 60307

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Gladman Developments

Representation Summary:

Duty to Cooperate
Gladman are supportive of the two Councils working jointly to prepare the new Local Plan for Greater Cambridge, as this both aligns with the policy commitment in the existing Local Plans and allows for strategic matters which cross between the two LPAs to be considered comprehensively in a joined-up manner. Notwithstanding this, it still remains of critical importance for the two Councils to work alongside the other Cambridgeshire authorities to ensure that any wider cross boundary issues are addressed.
As demonstrated through the outcome of other examinations, if a Council fails to satisfactorily discharge its DtC a Planning Inspector must recommend non-adoption of the Plan. This cannot be rectified through modifications.

Comment

Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

Sustainability Appraisal

Representation ID: 60308

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Gladman Developments

Representation Summary:

The Councils should ensure that the future results of the SA clearly justify its policy choices. In meeting the development needs of the area, it should be clear from the results of this assessment why some policy options have progressed, and others have been rejected. This must be undertaken through a comparative and equal assessment of each reasonable alternative, in the same level of detail for both chosen and rejected alternatives. The Councils’ decisionmaking and scoring should be robust, justified, and transparent.

Comment

Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

S/JH: New jobs and homes

Representation ID: 60309

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Gladman Developments

Representation Summary:

Continued economic growth across the Greater Cambridge area is of fundamental importance and needs to be properly considered and planned for through the Local Plan. It is essential that economic growth opportunities are recognised and maximised and the Councils work alongside other LPAs to ensure that the potential is realised through robust housing and job requirements.
Gladman strongly believe that the new Local Plan should be planning for a significantly higher number of homes if the plan is to align with the scale of economic growth planned for the Arc. While the housing requirement in this plan is above the standard method figure, Gladman believe that this figure will need to be higher yet.

Comment

Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

S/DS: Development strategy

Representation ID: 60310

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Gladman Developments

Representation Summary:

The Councils should seek to allocate a range of sites, by size, type and market locations to ensure that the Local Plan delivers identified housing need for the region. Growth should be dispersed across the settlement hierarchy and the region to ensure future sustainability and vitality.
Recognise that some Green Belt land may need to be released to meet needs, but not in excess of meeting the needs. The methodology used to assess Green Belt land needs to be suitably robust and clearly demonstrate that exceptional circumstances exist. There may be no alternative to Green Belt release to meet some of the needs of Cambridge, however its unlikely to justify Green Belt release in the villages and towns.
Many settlements are sustainable and capable of accommodating growth, and residential development performs a key role in maintaining and enhancing their sustainability and vitality. Growth should be directed to those settlements which have not experienced development in the current plan period.
It is vital that the Councils are not overly optimistic in the projected delivery rates of new strategic sites or overly reliant on these sites to deliver need as often subject to significant infrastructure costs and provision.

Comment

Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

S/SH: Settlement hierarchy

Representation ID: 60311

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Gladman Developments

Representation Summary:

Gladman support the use of a settlement hierarchy, but do not agree that schemes in Minor Rural Centres should be limited to 30 dwellings. This would not be in keeping with the national policy imperative that seeks to boost significantly the supply of housing. Additional development should be directed across the hierarchy and to villages to support their vitality and future viability, and larger schemes are capable of delivering more affordable housing and significant benefits to local residents.
The NPPF (2021) is clear that development in rural areas should be supported ‘where it will enhance or maintain the vitality of rural communities.’ The policy direction does not currently identify opportunities for villages to grow and thrive, nor does the settlement hierarchy explicitly consider how development in one village may support services in other nearby villages such as is the case with villages such as Meldreth and Melbourn.

Comment

Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

S/SB: Settlement boundaries

Representation ID: 60312

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Gladman Developments

Representation Summary:

Gladman recommend that the new Local Plan should take a flexible approach to development and growth within and on the edge of villages. A rigid approach to development beyond settlement boundaries, except for specific circumstances, may act to unnecessarily stifle sustainable growth opportunities. This is at odds with national policy which seeks to significantly boost the supply of housing and applies a presumption in favour of sustainable development.
Gladman recommend that the settlement boundaries policy incorporates a criterion based balancing exercise so that the Plan can protect against unsustainable development whilst being open and flexible to additional development opportunities to come forward to meet identified needs.

Comment

Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

CC/NZ: Net zero carbon new buildings

Representation ID: 60313

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Gladman Developments

Representation Summary:

Gladman are supportive of attempts to reduce carbon, however new buildings and residential developments will be built in accordance with the Building Regulations at the time of their construction.

Comment

Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

BG/BG: Biodiversity and geodiversity

Representation ID: 60314

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Gladman Developments

Representation Summary:

Gladman are supportive of the overarching aim of the policy to increase biodiversity in the Greater Cambridge area but consider the minimum requirement of 20% biodiversity net gain to be excessive and above national policy requirements. The Environment Act 2021bwill introduce a requirement for new development to deliver a 10% net gain in biodiversity. An additional 10% BNG on top of the forthcoming national requirement could stop smaller sites that would be capable of delivering much needed homes from coming forward and may also lead to schemes which do not take account of local site densities and characteristics of the surrounding area.
Any policy requirement should be fully tested and justified through a viability assessment.
It is also important that the long-term impacts are considered when reviewing proposals for BNG, accounting for the fact that many of the measures provided will need to mature beyond the build period.
Gladman support the recognition that more significant and long-lasting biodiversity benefits are often delivered off-site and the policy should be flexible enough to allow for this.

Comment

Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

GP/LC: Protection and enhancement of landscape character

Representation ID: 60315

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Gladman Developments

Representation Summary:

Gladman generally support the protection of special and valued landscapes but have concerns that the proposed policy direction does not provide a suitably balanced approach and could stop sustainable development in the countryside coming forward when needed. The justification for and inclusion of Important Countryside Frontages needs to be robustly evidenced and the policy needs to provide the necessary flexibility at the edge of villages.

Comment

Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

GP/GB: Protection and enhancement of the Cambridge green belt

Representation ID: 60316

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Gladman Developments

Representation Summary:

Gladman support the inclusion of a Green Belt policy but the policy must not simply duplicate national policy set out in the NPPF (2021). Other issues relating to the protection of the Green Belt with regard to the spatial strategy have also been outlined.

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