Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Object

Representation ID: 211244

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Manor Oak Homes - Cottenham Site

Agent: Carter Jonas

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Policy S/JH of the draft GCLP sets out the targets for jobs and housing during the plan period from
2024 to 2045. The jobs target is 73,300 additional jobs, and the housing target is a minimum of
48,195 dwellings. The proposed housing target is derived from the national standard method figure for
calculating local housing needs, which for Greater Cambridge is 2,295 dwellings per annum. In
summary, the housing target is not consistent with national policy because upward adjustments for
growth and affordable housing have not been considered.
It is noted that the job target is not aligned with the housing target. It is considered that a job target
that is higher than the housing target would require potential employees to commute into Greater
Cambridge to fill those jobs. This outcome would lead to an increase in in-commuting to Greater
Cambridge. It is anticipated that most of the in-commuting would be by car, particularly if public
transport options are not available or the delivery of transport infrastructure projects are subject to unconfirmed funding decisions and associated development.

Object

Representation ID: 211245

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Manor Oak Homes - Cottenham Site

Agent: Carter Jonas

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Policy S/DS of the draft GCLP sets out the development strategy. In summary, the development
strategy comprises delivery at the following locations: sites within Cambridge; existing urban
extensions on the edge of Cambridge; existing new settlements; proposed new settlements; housing
and employment at employment sites in the rural southern cluster; proposed new strategic
employment allocations; and, a limited number of sites at villages in the rural area. It is acknowledged
that the principle of development at most of the strategic sites is already established through adopted
development plan documents e.g. Eddington, Cambourne West, Northstowe, Waterbeach, Bourn
Airfield, and Cambridge East. The proposed strategic sites at Cambourne North (related to the
proposed East West Rail and new station for Cambourne) and proposed new settlement at Grange
Farm (related to a new stop on the proposed Cambridge South East Transport project) are new
strategic allocations for draft GCLP.
It is considered that there are a number of risks associated with the development strategy in Policy
S/DS. It is proposed that 44% of the housing target would be delivered at new settlements. It is very
reliant on the delivery of the existing strategic sites, but there is no evidence that delivery at these
sites will increase above current rates. It is assumed that housing delivery at some of the strategic
sites would be 300 dwellings per annum, but this rate has not been achieved at existing strategic sites
in Greater Cambridge or delivered at these rates for a sustained period. The housing delivery rates at
some of these strategic sites appear to be optimistic and not based on evidence from other similar
developments. The delivery of the proposed strategic sites at Cambourne North and at Grange Farm
are reliant on the delivery of transport projects that are not approved, and where funding and delivery
timescales are uncertain. Most of the existing new settlements will deliver less affordable housing
than the normal policy requirement of 40%, mainly because of the need for these developments to
also deliver significant levels of new transport and community infrastructure in initial phases. It is
anticipated that affordable housing delivery at Cambourne North and at Grange Farm would also be
reduced for the same reasons. It is requested that the housing delivery assumptions for all of the
strategic sites are reassessed.

Comment

Representation ID: 211246

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Manor Oak Homes - Cottenham Site

Agent: Carter Jonas

Policy S/SH of the draft GCLP defines the settlement hierarchy. Manor Oak Homes has promoted the
Land at Beach Road, Cottenham.
Cottenham is defined as a Minor Rural Centre in the settlement hierarchy. Minor Rural Centres have
an indicative maximum scheme size of 30 dwellings within the defined development extents of those
villages.
Cottenham contains a good range of services and facilities, and employment opportunities. Key
village facilities include a doctor’s surgery, pharmacy, primary school, village college, church, shops,
village hall, library, and a community sports centre, and access to the Guided Busway for wider
transport.

Comment

Representation ID: 211247

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Manor Oak Homes - Cottenham Site

Agent: Carter Jonas

Policy S/DE of the draft GCLP set out the approach to development within and outside the defined
development extents of villages. Manor Oak Homes do not object to the principle of settlement
boundaries being defined around villages. However, the existing defined settlement boundaries for
most villages in South Cambridgeshire, including Cottenham, have remained largely unchanged since
the Local Plan 2004. The settlement boundaries were adjusted in some cases to take into account
allocations at some villages through the Site Specific Allocations DPD 2010 and the South
Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018.
No Neighbourhood Plan Area application has yet been made in relation to Cottenham.
The currently defined development framework boundary for Cottenham means that limited
development would take place in this village.

Object

Representation ID: 211248

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Manor Oak Homes - Cottenham Site

Agent: Carter Jonas

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Policy S/GB of the draft GCLP sets out the Green Belt policy for Cambridge. Paragraph 143 of the
NPPF sets out the five national purposes for Green Belts. The second purpose listed in Paragraph
143 states “b) to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another;”. The third purpose for the
Cambridge Green Belt in Policy S/GB states “1c. prevent communities in the environs of Cambridge
from merging into one another and with the city”. Purpose 1c in Policy S/GB is inconsistent with the
second purpose in NPPG Paragraph 143 i.e. it refers to communities and not towns. Consistency with
national policy is one of the soundness tests for local plan policies. The reference to communities
rather than towns could have implications for how inappropriate development in the Green Belt is
assessed and the implementation of grey belt policy at planning application stage.

Object

Representation ID: 211249

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Manor Oak Homes - Cottenham Site

Agent: Carter Jonas

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

As set out elsewhere in these representations, it is considered that upward adjustments are required
to the housing target, the development strategy should direct development to the more sustainable
villages, and there are exceptional circumstances to release land from the Green Belt. All these
factors indicate that additional allocations should be made in the draft GCLP to meet development
needs.
Manor Oak Homes has promoted the Land at Beach Road, Cottenham (Site Ref. 40251). There are
no significant constraints to development at this site.
Cottenham contains a good range of services and facilities, and employment opportunities. Key
village facilities include a doctors surgery, pharmacy, primary school, village college, church, shops,
village hall, library, and a community sports centre, and access to the Guided Busway for wider
transport.

Comment

Representation ID: 211250

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Manor Oak Homes - Cottenham Site

Agent: Carter Jonas

Policy I/ST of the draft GCLP seeks to ensure that development promotes sustainable transport in
order to reduce reliance on the car. Paragraph 110 of the NPPF expects the planning system to
actively manage patterns of growth to support transport objectives. It is expected that significant
development would be focused on locations which are or can be made sustainable, by limiting the
need to travel and offering a genuine choice of transport modes. Paragraph 115 identifies factors that
should be considered when assessing sites to be allocated for development, including that
sustainable transport modes are prioritised, safe and suitable access can be provided, and the
impacts on the transport network and highway safety can be mitigated. Policy I/ST is broadly
consistent with this national policy.
Manor Oak Homes has promoted the Land at Beach Road, Cottenham. The principle of directing
development to locations that are accessible by sustainable modes of transport is supported, but land
should be allocated in the more sustainable villages including Cottenham to implement this approach.
Cottenham is defined as a Minor Rural Centre in the settlement hierarchy.
Cottenham contains a good range of services and facilities, and employment opportunities. Key
village facilities include a doctors surgery, pharmacy, primary school, village college, church, shops,
village hall, library, and a community sports centre, and access to the Guided Busway for wider
transport.

Comment

Representation ID: 211251

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Manor Oak Homes - Cottenham Site

Agent: Carter Jonas

Appendix D of the draft GCLP identifies a housing requirement for the period 2024 to 2045 for those
designated neighbourhood plan areas. There is a made Cottenham Neighbourhood Plan (made May
2021), which makes no allocations for housing. However, Figure 14 lists Cottenham’s possible
development sites, which includes Manor Oak Homes’ Land at Beach Road site.
The housing requirement for Cottenham in Appendix D is 130 dwellings between 2024 and 2045. It is
positive that a housing requirement is identified for Cottenham, but it is considered that additional
policy support is required in draft GCLP to ensure that the additional housing is actually delivered in
Cottenham during the plan period. It is suggested that the housing requirement for neighbourhood
plan areas should take into account the affordable housing needs of a village.
The Cottenham Neighbourhood Plan made in May 2021 does not allocate any land for development.
It was not able to release land from the Green Belt because the adopted South Cambridgeshire Local
Plan 2018 does not include a policy that would have allowed that to happen. It is noted that
Paragraph 104 (Id.41: Neighbourhood Planning) of the Planning Practice Guidance indicates that any
housing requirement provided for a neighbourhood plan is not binding, and it is for the neighbourhood
plan group to decide the scope of the document and whether to allocate land for development. It is
also noted that the Government is no longer providing funding support for neighbourhood plans. In
these circumstances, it is very unlikely that the Cottenham Neighbourhood Plan will be updated to
address the housing requirement identified in Appendix D for the village. There is no policy in draft
GCLP that would ensure the identified housing requirement for Cottenham is delivered during the plan
period if the Cottenham Neighbourhood Plan is not updated. A new policy is requested to deal with
this potential scenario, in order to ensure that the identified housing requirements are met.