Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Object

Representation ID: 208104

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Sawston Parish Council

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

The issues in this policy are largely covered by the existing S106 provisions of the outline permission granted under S/4329/18/OL. The education requirements may however have been under estimated. Whilst accepting that the demographic of the resident population on this site may not be typical of development elsewhere in South Cambridgeshire. Department of Education pupil yields suggests that for 1,500 homes, 540 primary and 255 secondary school places would be required. This would imply a need for a second primary school at some stage and allowance should be made for this in the masterplan. The provision of secondary education should also be reviewed as nearby schools are over subscribed.

Object

Representation ID: 208105

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Sawston Parish Council

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

We question whether, in view of alternative transport initiatives serving this area, in particular CSET Phase 2, significant further development on this very constrained site, beyond access improvements, is appropriate.

Object

Representation ID: 208106

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Sawston Parish Council

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

The policy appears to be based heavily on the ‘Whittlesford Station Masterplan Stage One, Baseline Report, Final’ from 2018 which is out of date. Many of its key proposals were shown to be either unfeasible or not cost-effective. The only potentially available site within the policy area, Land North of 39A Station Road (West), was recently given permission for a residential estate of 48 dwellings (23/01150/FUL). Future use of land which might become potentially available to increase parking provision is likely to be in conflict with the proposed revised NPPF Policy Change 2 – ‘Building homes around stations’.

Object

Representation ID: 208107

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Sawston Parish Council

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Access from the A505 to both Station Roads East and West is already addressed in the Royston to Granta Park Strategic Transport Study, (Strategic Outline Case, 2025).

Object

Representation ID: 208108

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Sawston Parish Council

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

A number of the assumptions around the future importance of Whittlesford as a transport interchange have been overtaken by changes in local development policies and the CSET Phase2 proposals for a travel hub at the Fourwentways A1307/A11 junction. Significant drivers for growth in usage of Whittlesford is cited in the 2018 Masterplan report. The Uttlesford Local Plan was withdrawn during the EIP and the Garden Village proposal dropped. The current Uttlesford emerging plan proposes no major development in the North of the District and this aspect of the Local Plan has been considered generally sound. It is noted that the GCP is no longer funding the Whittlesford Station Transport Infrastructure Strategy.

Object

Representation ID: 208109

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Sawston Parish Council

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

CSET Phase 2 will also offer direct and rapid access to Cambridge and Cambridge South stations and faster, freuqent journeys to Kings Cross and Liverpool Street Stations. It will also offer direct access to the East Coast mainline at Hitchin and eventually to Cambourne and Oxford via EWR. Depending on the patterns of service operated by the rail and bus companies, it is likely that if CSET Phase 2 proceeds, Cambridge and Cambridge South will become the stations of choice for users in the South East of the District.

Object

Representation ID: 208110

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Sawston Parish Council

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

If it is still considered that a major rail-based transport hub is needed in this area, consideration should be given to the relocation of Whittlesford Parkway to a new site adjacent to the entrance to the former Spicers’ Site on the A1301 Sawston Bypass. This site is better located to serve both Whittlesford and Sawston to both of which it is well connected by active travel routes. It has better access, is less constrained and would also serve as a major stimulus for the re-development of the former industrial site. Since it would involve a specific green belt release, land acquisition costs would be substantially less than within the proposed policy.

Object

Representation ID: 208111

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Sawston Parish Council

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

The Authority is already managing the growth of three new rural settlements within its area posing the question of whether it has the capacity to manage a fourth on an isolated rural site. The authorities are facing compulsory amalgamation into a new unitary authority including County Council. Before a new settlement is contemplated, further consideration should be given to meeting the necessary housing delivery numbers by increasing the rate of land release and build out on existing new settlement sites.

Object

Representation ID: 208112

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Sawston Parish Council

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Whilst it is proposed that the new settlement will be self-sufficient, previous experience at Cambourne and Northstowe has shown that it is many years after the start of construction that this ideal is likely to be achieved. The social dislocation, mental health issues and anomie in the early stages of new town development have been well documented. This solution to meeting housing delivery targets should therefore only be contemplated as a last resort.

Object

Representation ID: 208113

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Sawston Parish Council

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

For S/GF: Land adjacent to A11 and A1307 at Grange Farm: Since Little Abington will be separated from the site solely by the A1307, the objective referred to in Para 5.196 is impossible to achieve in respect of that village.