Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Object

Representation ID: 208114

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Sawston Parish Council

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

The proposed housing densities of 55dph are well above the 40dph hitherto considered appropriate for a new settlement and and suggest a cramped, urban form of development. Experience at Trumpington Meadows and the other Cambridge Southern Fringe developments suggests that In order to achieve these densities, building heights of at least four storeys will be required over substantial parts of the site. The site contours rise from about 30m to 70m towards the East, making development on this scale particularly prominent in this otherwise open rural landscape.

Object

Representation ID: 208115

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Sawston Parish Council

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Department of Education pupil yields suggests that, by completion, 480 Early Years, 2,160 Primary and 1,060 Secondary School places would be needed for a development of 6,000 dwellings. Since there is very little spare capacity in existing schools, this provision would need to be entirely on site and adequate provision put in place before the first occupations. Whilst the SA acknowledges, in passing, in the need for adequate provision within the development, the policy is silent on the considerable land take needed provide these schools on an already congested site, or how the objective of incorporating ‘high-quality open spaces’ will be achieved.

Object

Representation ID: 208116

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Sawston Parish Council

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

The two accesses to the site would both be on to the same short section of the A1307, approximately 600m apart. The vulnerability of such an arrangement to blockage by congestion or a traffic incident on the A1307 should be obvious. A monitoring point on the A1307 south of the junction with the A11, i.e. the section on which the access roads to the proposed development would be located, has been shown to have the heaviest traffic flow of 15 points between Haverhill and Cambridge.

Object

Representation ID: 208117

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Sawston Parish Council

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Traffic flows on this section are likely to be boosted by further development in Haverhill and by the proposed construction of a travel hub in the SW arm of this junction as part of the CSET proposals. It is assumed that the transport needs of the Grange Farm will be fully met by the CSET Phase 2 proposals. At the time of writing, a date has yet to be set for the examination. Inclusion of Policy S/GF is therefore contingent on CSET. The business plan is based on meeting current transport needs and is unlikely to be able to accommodate the extra demands. This conclusion is supported by recent experience; occupations at Northstowe Phase 2 which increased its size from 1,500 to 5,000 dwellings were prohibited by condition until the A14 upgrade was completed, despite the new settlement being served by an existing busway.

Object

Representation ID: 208118

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Sawston Parish Council

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

The site is located on the Holywell Nodular and New Pit Chalk formations; (BGS, 1:50,000 Series, Sheet 205) which places it over a major aquifer highly sensitive to contamination from pollutant runoff. The extent to which this risk can be mitigated is unclear, but a major development in this location is clearly undesirable in this water-stressed region.

Object

Representation ID: 208119

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Sawston Parish Council

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

The natural pattern of drainage of the site is towards the River Granta which flows through Great Abington. This river is vulnerable to flooding at its confluence with the Western tributary of the Cam at Stapleford and any increased flows in the system are likely to exacerbate this problem.