Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

This policy defines that settlement boundaries will be identified around existing settlements and planned new development outlined in the Plan. It is proposed that boundaries would take into account the existing built-up areas but will not normally include buildings associated with countryside uses, such as farm buildings nor development which is detached from the main concentration of buildings in an existing area.
It is also proposed that outside defined settlement boundaries that no development would be permitted except for:
• allocations within Neighbourhood Plans that have come into force;
• Rural Exception Sites which help meet local needs for affordable housing;
• development for agriculture, horticulture, forestry, outdoor recreation and other uses that need to locate in the countryside; or
• development supported by other policies in the plan.
This policy limits the opportunity for suitable sites on the edge of settlements to come forward that can meet the needs of Extra Care development where it is required, and which can effectively tackle the known affordability crisis in the district. This policy needs to ensure that affordable housing is delivered quickly and in areas in which it will support the local community. PPG notes that ‘A wide range of settlements can play a role in delivering sustainable development in rural areas, so blanket policies restricting housing development in some types of settlement will need to be supported by robust evidence of their appropriateness.’ (Paragraph: 009 Reference ID: 67-009-2019072)
As outlined above, there is a defined current and future substantial unmet need for specialist housing. The current need of specialist housing is rising, and it is unlikely that this need will be met at urban extension or within new settlements, which are likely to come forward in the later parts of the plan period. Given the overall demand for housing in Greater Cambridge and the inflexibility of the Councils’ overall strategy the nature and extent of supply in these locations is such that operators within the specialist older persons housing sector face extreme pressures of competition in securing development opportunities. This is an issue exacerbated in circumstances where the limited provision that exists (in some cases) as part of committed developments fails to meet the operational requirements of the sector in terms of scale and scope to deliver a full and comprehensive range of services to residents as part of the Extra Care model.
Consideration should therefore be given to the release of such sites for development beyond sustainable settlement envelopes such as land at Branch Road and Long Lane, Comberton.