Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

There is an overreliance on strategic and large-scale sites which risks delays to housing delivery and fails to support rural growth. There is insufficient support for rural growth with minimal allocations in rural communities such as Great Abington, limiting local vitality, housing choice and affordability. Great Abington is in close proximity to major employment hubs on the edge of Cambridge, is located on an established active travel route and accessible to the CSET travel hub, which makes it a good location for some development. A more balanced distribution of growth is sought to ensure delivery and plan soundness.

Carefully worded criteria based policy which is supportive of organic growth adjacent to existing built up areas should not perpetuate unfettered incremental growth. In order to focus district wide housing delivery in sustainable locations and to ensure delivery is appropriately distributed across greater Cambridge, further consideration of small to medium sites on the edge of rural settlements such as Great Abington is needed.

The draft Local Plan does not support the ‘organic’ growth of smaller settlements. It is argued that minimal allocations, tightly drawn development boundaries and prescriptive limits on scheme size will constrain organic growth, leading to stagnation and potential loss of local services. Treating all countryside sites equally is unjustified, and that sensitively designed development on the edge of sustainable villages such as Great Abington would not cause significant harm. A more flexible, criteria-based approach is sought to support appropriate rural growth and a balanced distribution of housing across Greater Cambridge.

In order to focus district wide housing delivery in sustainable locations and to ensure delivery is appropriately distributed across Greater Cambridgeshire, further consideration of small to medium sites on edge of rural settlements such as Great Abington is needed.

We would like to object to the Council's evidence base, in particular the HELAA and the Council's assessment of site reference: 40539 - Land to the north of Pampisford Road, Great Abington.

Cheffins has been instructed by Charlotte Sawyer Nutt and Garry Wiles as Trustees of the Christopher Young Nutt Deceased Will Trust (“the Landowner”) to promote their interests in Land north of Pampisford Road, Great Abington (“the Site”) as part of the ongoing Regulation 18 consultation of the Greater Cambridgeshire Local Plan.
The Site has previously been submitted to Greater Cambridge Shared Planning (“the Council”) for consideration as part of the previous “call for sites” process. The supporting Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) includes a high-level assessment of the sites that have been put forward for allocation within the forthcoming Local Plan; the Site was assessed as part of the HELAA and granted the following reference number: HELAA 40539.
The Site was a number of sites considered within the parish of Great Abington. However, no sites have been allocated within the draft Local Plan.
Physical Context
The Site represents a highly sustainable location for residential development, with employment opportunities, key local services and facilities being only 500m from the village shop, post office, pub, hall, playing fields, primary school and pre-school within easy reach via public transport, foot, and cycle. The site is accessible by public transport, cycle and foot to major employment hubs on the south side of Cambridge including Granta Park, Babraham Research Campus, Wellcome Genome Campus, Addenbrokes Hospital and Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
The Site comprises circa. 11.6ha of surplus agricultural land located to the north of Pampisford Road, Great Abington adjoining the existing settlement envelope of Great Abington. The total developable area is circa. 5.37ha with the remaining land to be allocated as chalkland grassland open space. To the north is residential development (Larkfield) and community allotments, to the east agricultural fields, to the south by Pampisford Road and to the west by existing residential development. The Site is considered to be suitable, available and achievable within a 5-year period. The indicative site capacity included within the HELAA is between 135-175 dwellings, which would appear to be reasonable (pending more detailed assessment and masterplanning).
The Regulation 18 Draft Local Plan designates Great Abington as a Group Village – one of the smaller less sustainable settlements in the district. However, The Settlement Hierarchy Study (Appendix 1H of the Development Strategy Topic Paper) notes that Great Abington is served by good sustainable transport links with the Linton Greenway located to the north of the proposed Site, and the CSET travel hub which is approximately 2.5 miles from the proposed site. Great Abington is also host to key services, including local shops, a post office, pub, a village hall and Institute, playing fields, Great Abington Primary School and Great Abington Pre-School.
The Site has excellent accessibility to key local services, transport and employment opportunities by a range of modes of transport. Development of the Site would provide a sustainable level of residential development , including affordable and starter homes, proximal to rapidly expanding employment hubs south of Cambridge, making commuting via active travel a more viable option for incoming employees that move to the local area.
As recognised by the HELAA Summary of Sites, the Site is not situated within designated Green Belt land, does not form part of Countryside Protection Zones, does not form part of any protected open spaces or historic parklands, and does not form part of any protected ecological sites (e.g. sites of special scientific interest, nature reserves, ancient woodlands, and local wildlife sites).
Comments on the HELAA Assessment of the Site
The HELAA assesses 13 individual planning constraints for every site. In the case of the Site (HELAA 40539), three constraints were given a “green” rating, 9 constraints were given a “amber” rating with one constraint given a “red” rating. The constraints that were granted an “amber” and “red” rating comprise the following:
• Adopted Development Plan Policies RAG 2025 – albeit the assessment concludes that whilst the site has some potential policy constraints, these could be overcome through the planning application process.
• Settlement development limits (the land is adjacent to the existing settlement boundary)
• Landscape sensitivity
• Flood Risk
• Biodiversity
• Archaeology
• Accessibility
• Site Access
• Transport
• Noise, Vibration, Odour and Light Pollution
• Contaminated Land
With regards to the Council’s assessment that development of this site would erode the linear nature and result in the loss of the rural landscape character, we would disagree with this assessment.
We acknowledge that whilst the landscape character of the Site will be altered due to its change in use, the “loss of local rural character” can be mitigated through careful landscape-led design, responding to the Site’s context, character and distinctive qualities, the development of this Site would not cause wider adverse effects.
The retention and enhancement of the existing vegetative cover that would screen or filter urban disturbance is also key to the preservation of a sense of tranquillity experienced in the country lanes and local footpath network.
The urban fabric of Great Abington is diverse, and the pattern of development extends between Little and Great Abington. The recent Larkfield development (constructed in 2020/21) to the north of the Site has created a linear sprawl along Linton Road which has altered the historic village shape. Development of this Site with established development on the northern and western boundaries would reinstate the nucleated character of the village, reconnect the urban area to the eastern part of the village and create a positive rural edge with expansive green open space to the south and east.
The February 2025 HELAA submission for the Site was accompanied by a Landscape & Visual Study (prepared by Stone & Meadow – February 2025) setting out the key design principles to mitigate any visual impact and demonstrating how the nuclear character of development can be readily incorporated into the landscape. (see Figure 1 below).

As categorised in the HELAA the site sits wholly within Flood Zone 1, and low risk of surface water. Likewise, archaeology, contamination, noise, vibration, odour and lighting, biodiversity can all be mitigated through technical surveys and assessments and incorporating any mitigation and enhancement measures required through careful site layout and design. These constraints are not considered to present a barrier to development.
In terms of the proposed Site access from Pampisford Road, the HELAA states that this is acceptable in principle subject to the detailed design at a planning application stage. Likewise there is no evidence to suggest that the development of the Site would result in a significant impact on the strategic road network. The geometry of the Site access and internal roads will accord with Cambridgeshire County Council General Principles for Development.
The main site access via the Larkfield development at the northern end of the Site provides connectivity to the Linton Greenway which routes along Linton Road and the A1307 to the north of the Site. This is a high-quality active travel route which connects Linton in one direction and Cambridge in the other direction. There are existing pedestrian access routes to the communal allotments adjacent to the northern Site boundary, to the residential estate adjoining the western boundary and to the existing footway on Linton Road all of which provide connectivity on foot to the village centre. Many residents would naturally therefore opt to travel to work via train or bicycle. Car use could be further reduced through the detailed design of the development and appropriate measures (e.g. cycle parking and storage, low car parking provision, facilities for homeworking and the implementation of a detailed Travel Plan).
Development could also be phased if necessary over the plan period, allowing opportunities to monitor the cumulative highway impacts of the proposal and the success of the measures imposed to encourage sustainable travel.
Summary
The landowner disagrees with the Council’s assessment of the Site.
The Site scores green on three constraints –
• Policy – the site is not on a protected open space designation. Any impact of the proposed development can be reasonably mitigated or compensated.
• Historic Environment – there are no heritage related issues that would be affected by the proposed development
• Air Quality Management Area – the site does not lie within an AMQA and there will be minimal traffic impact on the AQMA.
The amber constraints can easily be overcome by undertaking technical surveys and reports to support a future planning application.
The Site scored red on only one constraint – Landscape sensitivity. Stone & Meadow Landscape and Visual Study (February 2025) demonstrates how any loss of the rural landscape character can be mitigated through appropriate landscape-led design principles, including a nucleated development combined with a substantial chalk grassland open space, the preservation and enhancement of vegetation and creation of positive urban edge and interface with the contextual rural landscape.
The Site is considered to be suitable, available and achievable within the first 5 years of the plan period and should be reconsidered for site allocation in the Local Plan.
For these reasons, the allocation of Land North of Pampisford Road, Great Abington (HELAA 40539) for 130-175 dwellings is required to allow for an appropriate level of growth and to maintain the vitality and rural growth in the village.