Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 208696

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Guilden Morden Developments Ltd

Agent: JMS Planning & Development

JMS Planning welcomes this policy; however, we seek further information on 1.d. The Council is invited to accommodate the role of contributions to affordable housing in lieu of, and how this is taken into account in determining whether development would lead to permanent net loss of C3.

Comment

Representation ID: 208697

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Guilden Morden Developments Ltd

Agent: JMS Planning & Development

JMS Planning and GMD support the inclusion of a policy controlling the reuse of buildings in the countryside. We would, however, suggest that it is an unreasonable
requirement to have to market a property for 12 months and not take the existing state of the property into account. JMS Planning would suggest restricting the requirement for marketing information to properties that are vacant but capable of accommodating employment uses, and which are not in poor condition. A market assessment report by a suitably professionally qualified firm or firms should be sufficient to identify the potential re-use in its existing Use Class.

Comment

Representation ID: 208698

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Guilden Morden Developments Ltd

Agent: JMS Planning & Development

JMS Planning welcomes the inclusion of a policy for sustainable transport and connectivity. While this Local Plan will be tested against the December 2024 NPPF,
JMS Planning would recommend that the Council consider making reference to the Department for Transport’s Connectivity Tool in order to future-proof the Local Plan.
Part 3 of the policy states that ‘development will only be permitted where they do not have an unacceptable transport and highways safety impact’. This should be updated to reflect the 2024 NPPF’s requirement to avoid severe highway safety impacts.

Comment

Representation ID: 208700

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Guilden Morden Developments Ltd

Agent: JMS Planning & Development

The Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) provides the starting point for determining housing need in accordance with national policy, identifying a requirement for 2,295
dwellings per annum. It should be noted that the commuting assumptions show a need for 2,422 dwellings per annum, and clarification as to why this figure has not been adopted is required.

Comment

Representation ID: 208702

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Guilden Morden Developments Ltd

Agent: JMS Planning & Development

The Sustainability Appraisal (October 2025) evaluates spatial options against several objectives, referring to Appendix E for the full assessment and justification of the
strategy adopted.

JMS Planning disagrees with the proposition in the Development Strategy Topic that if Group Villages do not have a train station then they should be removed from the
Development Strategy (paragraph 5.220) The approach of curtailing growth in the rural area to those that are designated as neighbourhood plan areas or those
settlements with ‘very good’ public transport links is a potential unnecessary narrowing of locations suitable for sustainable development.

Spatial strategies involving smaller settlements can positively contribute to the plan’s resilience and implementation. It is questionable as to why settlements
with good access to public transport are removed from the development strategy for the area.