Greater Cambridge Local Plan: Proposed Submission

The representation seeks amendments to the Development Strategy to reassess housing supply assumptions, including applying realistic delivery rates to strategic allocations and removing reliance on windfall allowances within the five-year deliverable supply where inconsistent with national policy. It requests the use of the Sedgefield method rather than the Liverpool method to address housing shortfalls. The Council should allocate additional sustainable, deliverable sites capable of providing early housing delivery to improve flexibility, resilience and certainty of supply, including sites such as Land Between Mingle Lane and Hinton Way, Stapleford, to meet both district-wide and local housing needs.

The representation seeks modifications to Policy S/DS to deliver a more robust, flexible and resilient development strategy. It argues that housing trajectories for major strategic sites are overly optimistic, the proposed use of the Liverpool method is unjustified, and the Plan relies excessively on windfall delivery and a small number of infrastructure-dependent allocations. The Council should allocate additional deliverable sites capable of providing early housing delivery, including sustainable village locations such as Stapleford, to address local housing needs, support affordability, improve housing choice, reduce delivery risk, strengthen the viability of CSET, and ensure the Plan remains effective and sound.

The representation seeks modifications to Policy S/JH to increase the housing requirement beyond the minimum standard method target. Specifically, it requests that the Council prepare housing projections aligned with the economic growth ambitions of Greater Cambridge, including the CPCA Local Growth Plan, Government growth objectives and planned infrastructure investment. The representation also seeks a reassessment of housing needs using higher growth scenarios and requires the Council to evaluate how additional housing provision could help address acute affordability pressures and identified affordable housing needs, ensuring the Plan is positively prepared, justified and consistent with national policy.

The representation seeks amendments to PolicyS/JH to increase the housing requirement beyond the minimum standard method figure. It argues that the current target does not reflect Greater Cambridge’s economic growth ambitions, including those set out by Government, the CPCA Local Growth Plan and the Cambridge growth agenda. The Council should reassess housing needs using higher growth scenarios and plan for a significantly greater level of housing delivery. The representation also requests that the Council explicitly consider how increased housing provision could help address severe affordability pressures and identified affordable housing needs, ensuring the Plan is positively prepared, justified and effective.

The representation seeks modifications to Policy S/DS to reassess housing supply assumptions by excluding windfall allowances from the five-year deliverable supply and applying realistic delivery rates to major strategic sites. It requests the use of the Sedgefield method rather than the Liverpool method to address housing shortfalls and ensure a significant boost in housing delivery. The Council should also allocate additional sustainable and deliverable sites capable of providing early housing delivery, and adopt a more balanced mix of housing allocations, including sites such as Land Between Mingle Lane and Hinton Way, Stapleford, to improve resilience, meet local housing needs and support economic growth and affordability objectives.

development strategy. It requests that the Council reassess housing supply assumptions using realistic build-out rates for strategic sites, remove inappropriate reliance on windfall allowances within the deliverable supply, and apply the Sedgefield method rather than the Liverpool method to address housing shortfalls. The Council should also allocate additional sustainable and deliverable sites capable of providing early housing delivery, including in well-connected villages such as Stapleford, to improve housing choice, meet local housing needs, support key infrastructure such as CSET, and reduce reliance on a small number of infrastructure-dependent strategic allocations.

The representation seeks amendments to Policy S/SH to enable the allocation of suitable sites adjacent to sustainable Rural Centres, including Great Shelford and Stapleford. It argues that, due to Green Belt constraints and limited windfall opportunities, the policy should explicitly support the release and allocation of appropriate Grey Belt land where it can deliver housing alongside existing and planned infrastructure. The Council should recognise the enhanced sustainability credentials of Stapleford arising from CSET and allow sustainable settlements to accommodate growth that meets local housing needs and contributes to overall housing delivery.

The representation seeks amendments to Policy S/SH to recognise that sustainable Rural Centres such as Great Shelford and Stapleford require opportunities for planned growth beyond existing settlement boundaries. Given the Green Belt constraints affecting these settlements and the limited capacity for windfall development, the Council should support the allocation of suitable Grey Belt and edge-of-settlement sites where they are well served by infrastructure, services and public transport. This includes recognising the enhanced sustainability benefits arising from CSET and ensuring that sustainable villages can contribute meaningfully to housing delivery and the meeting of local housing needs.

The representation seeks amendments to Policy I/SI and the Proposals Map to ensure the safeguarded area for the Cambridge South East Transport (CSET) scheme accurately reflects the land currently required by the Greater Cambridge Partnership. It also seeks revisions to the policy wording to clarify that safeguarding boundaries shown on the Policies Map may be amended as the design and land requirements of transport infrastructure projects evolve. These changes are required to improve the accuracy, clarity and effectiveness of the policy.

Granta do not object to the principle of a safeguarding policy. However, the policy area as set out within the draft Proposals Map is incorrect as far as it relates to Site Ref: 115189 and the Cambridge South East Transport scheme by virtue of the fact that it shows more land being safeguarded than is currently expressly required by the Greater Cambridge Partnership to deliver the project. The Proposals Map should be updated in liaison with the GCP to accurately reflect the area required for safeguarding of CSET before adoption of the plan.

The representation seeks amendments to the HELAA assessment of Site 115189 and its allocation for residential development. It requests that the Council review landscape, ecology, heritage and transport assessments in light of submitted technical evidence, which demonstrates that identified constraints can be appropriately mitigated and do not preclude development. The representation argues that the Site is a sustainable, accessible and deliverable location for housing, well related to existing services, public transport and proposed CSET infrastructure. The Council should therefore revise the Site’s HELAA scores and allocate the Site to contribute towards housing delivery and local housing needs.

The representation seeks amendments to the HELAA assessment and allocation of Site 115189 within the Local Plan. It requests that the Council review and amend the Site’s landscape, ecology and transport assessments to reflect updated technical evidence demonstrating that development impacts can be appropriately mitigated and that the Site is highly sustainable and deliverable. The Council should recognise the Site’s ability to support housing growth, local housing needs, and sustainable transport objectives, particularly in relation to CSET. The representation therefore seeks the allocation of the Site for residential development as part of a more balanced and resilient housing strategy.

The representation seeks amendments to the HELAA assessment of Site 115189 and its allocation for residential development. It requests that the Council review landscape, ecology, heritage and transport assessments in light of submitted technical evidence, which demonstrates that identified constraints can be appropriately mitigated and do not preclude development. The representation argues that the Site is a sustainable, accessible and deliverable location for housing, well related to existing services, public transport and proposed CSET infrastructure. The Council should therefore revise the Site’s HELAA scores and allocate the Site to contribute towards housing delivery and local housing needs.

The representation seeks amendments to the HELAA assessment and allocation of Site 115189 within the Local Plan. It requests that the Council review and amend the Site’s landscape, ecology and transport assessments to reflect updated technical evidence demonstrating that development impacts can be appropriately mitigated and that the Site is highly sustainable and deliverable. The Council should recognise the Site’s ability to support housing growth, local housing needs, and sustainable transport objectives, particularly in relation to CSET. The representation therefore seeks the allocation of the Site for residential development as part of a more balanced and resilient housing strategy.

The representation seeks amendments to Policy I/SI and the Proposals Map to ensure the safeguarded area for the Cambridge South East Transport (CSET) scheme accurately reflects the land currently required by the Greater Cambridge Partnership. It also seeks revisions to the policy wording to clarify that safeguarding boundaries shown on the Policies Map may be amended as the design and land requirements of transport infrastructure projects evolve. These changes are required to improve the accuracy, clarity and effectiveness of the policy.

Granta do not object to the principle of a safeguarding policy. However, the policy area as set out within the draft Proposals Map is incorrect as far as it relates to Site Ref: 115189 and the Cambridge South East Transport scheme by virtue of the fact that it shows more land being safeguarded than is currently expressly required by the Greater Cambridge Partnership to deliver the project. The Proposals Map should be updated in liaison with the GCP to accurately reflect the area required for safeguarding of CSET before adoption of the plan.

The representation seeks amendments to the Development Strategy to increase housing provision beyond the minimum standard method requirement, ensuring the Plan supports Greater Cambridge’s economic growth ambitions and responds to acute affordability pressures. It requests that the Council reassess housing needs using higher growth scenarios and plan for additional housing delivery in line with national, regional and local growth objectives. The representation also seeks a more resilient development strategy with reduced reliance on a small number of infrastructure-dependent strategic sites through the allocation of additional sustainable and deliverable sites capable of providing early housing delivery, including land at Stapleford.

The representation objects to Policy S/JH on the grounds that it is unsound, not positively prepared, ineffective and inconsistent with national policy. It argues that the proposed housing requirement of 48,069 homes merely reflects the minimum standard method need and fails to respond to Greater Cambridge’s nationally significant economic growth ambitions. The Plan does not adequately support forecast economic growth, address acute affordability pressures, or meet identified affordable housing needs. Given substantial unmet housing demand and strategic growth objectives, the Council should plan for a significantly higher housing requirement to support economic prosperity and improve housing affordability across Greater Cambridge.