Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

There should be flexibility within the Local Plan to respond to changing housing needs over the Local Plan period. It is important to identify a baseline housing need but there should be scope for further development to come forward if it meets a particular housing need. This would support the Government’s objective of significantly boosting the supply of homes to ensure that a sufficient amount and variety of land can come forward where it is needed and that the needs of groups with specific housing requirements are addressed (NPPF Para. 59). The emerging GCLP will need to be consistent with national guidance on meeting housing needs. Paragraph 59 of the NPPF confirms the Government’s objective to significantly boost the supply of housing, and to achieve this by ensuring that a sufficient amount and variety of land for housing is identified. Paragraph 60 expects the standard method to be used to determine the minimum number of houses needed. Paragraph 61 expects the size, type and tenure of housing needs of the community to be assessed and reflected in planning policies, including for example those with an affordable housing need, students, renters and self-builders. Section Id.2a of the Planning Practice Guidance explains how housing and economic needs assessments should be undertaken, including how to calculate local housing needs using the standard method. Paragraph 010 of Id.2a makes it clear that the standard method is the minimum starting point for determining local housing needs and acknowledges that there may be circumstances where actual housing need is higher than the standard method indicates. As set out in Paragraph 010 the circumstances where increases to housing need that exceed past trends are as follows: there is a growth strategy in place to promote and facilitate additional growth; strategic infrastructure improvements are likely to lead to an increase in the number of homes needed locally; and, an authority has agreed to accommodate unmet housing needs from a neighbouring area. The first two circumstances are relevant to Greater Cambridge. Paragraph 024 of Id.2a explains how the need for affordable housing is calculated, and it is suggested that the overall housing target should be increased where it could help deliver the required number of affordable homes. There is an urgent need to improve the affordability of housing and to boost affordable housing delivery in Greater Cambridge. Therefore, the emerging GCLP should use the standard method to calculate the minimum local housing need, and then make appropriate adjustments taking into account the growth strategies and strategic infrastructure improvements identified for Greater Cambridge, and a further adjustment to ensure affordable housing needs are met

Nothing chosen

While the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that the minimum number of homes a plan-making authority should plan for should be calculated using the Local Housing Need Standard Method (LHNSM), the presumption in favour of sustainable development and the tests of soundness still require an objective assessment of need (OAN) to determine if a higher number of homes should be targeted. This OAN for housing should be based on demographic need and housing market signals. However, in a rapidly growing economy, such as Greater Cambridge, it is impossible to ignore the demand for housing generated by the incoming workforce. The alternatives would be to either stymie that economic growth or accept increased inflow of commuters; neither of which are compatible with the presumption in favour of sustainable development, or the Government’s aspirations for the Cambridge – Oxford Arc. To support the Government’s objective of significantly boosting the supply of homes, a sufficient amount and variety of land needs to be identified to meeting housing needs within the Joint Local Plan area. The Cambridge and Peterborough Independent Economic Review (CPIER) (September 2018) suggests that higher housing target numbers are likely to be needed in Cambridgeshire if the potential for higher growth in employment is to be met. As is widely recognised, the economy of Cambridge is too important nationally for the Council to plan for the minimum number of homes required by the standard method. The increased demand for housing arising from the economic success of Cambridge also makes the area increasingly unaffordable. In addition to being a concern to residents, affordability will impact upon the businesses looking to locate in the area. There is a danger that if there is an insufficient supply of housing, the economic growth plans will not be realised. The role of housing in attracting and retaining skilled employees is widely recognised and should be adequately address in the Plan. There is a well-evidenced affordability problem in Greater Cambridge; a greater supply of homes will be part of the solution. “Too many of the people working in Cambridge have commutes that are difficult, long and growing: not out of choice, but necessity due to high housing costs.”3 The Cambridge and Peterborough Independent Economic Review (CPIER) (September 2018) suggests that higher housing target numbers are likely to be needed in Cambridgeshire if the potential for higher growth in employment is to be met. It identifies a need for at least 2,900 per annum within this Local Plan. As is widely recognised, the economy of Cambridge is too important nationally for the Council to plan for the minimum number of homes required by the standard method. The increased demand for housing arising from the economic success of Cambridge also makes the area increasingly unaffordable. In addition to be a concern to residents, affordability will impact upon the businesses looking to locate in the area. There is a danger that, if there is an insufficient supply of housing, the economic growth plans will not be realised. The role of housing in attracting and retaining skilled employees is widely recognised and should be adequately addressed in the Plan. If the economic growth of the area is to be facilitated through increased commuting from beyond the sub-region, then the goal of zero carbon and balancing health and wellbeing will not be achieved. A Housing Needs Report accompanies this representation that undertakes an objective review for what the future housing needs of Greater Cambridge are. It finds that there is an underlying and systemic affordability issue that is making it increasingly difficult for those on lower incomes to afford to live in the Greater Cambridge area. Alongside, the Cambridge economy has seen a prolonged and steady increase, which has attracted a larger workforce and increased the pressure on the housing market; availability and affordability. Alongside this trend is a clear political aspiration to see the Cambridge economy grow further; mostly clearly expressed by the Combined Authority that has a growth target as set out in its Devolution Deal of doubling GVA over 25 years. All of this clearly points to the need to plan for an amount of housing well above the minimum housing requirement indicated by the Standard Method.

There should be flexibility within the Local Plan to respond to changing housing needs over the Local Plan period. Consideration of individual site circumstances and the circumstances of a local area should be taken into account to determine the appropriate type of housing for development sites. Separate housing needs assessments should be used to inform the appropriate size, type and tenure of housing needed for different sections of the community, as set out within the Greater Cambridge Housing Strategy 2019-2023. Flexibility will be key to a successful Local Plan; through market housing, low-cost and affordable housing. The Government is committed to building a housing market and recognise that for too many people homeownership is unaffordable. The Local Plan should seek to facilitate home ownership and support established, new and innovation routes into home ownership. Appropriately worded design policies should require a high-quality design for new developments. Policy should not be prescriptive for precisely how it will be accomplished, it can set a policy level, but developers should be able to use a host of options to achieve the target

L&Q Estates Ltd and Hill Residential Ltd have vast experience of promoting and delivering sites for high quality new communities. The Council’s ambition for the Local Plan to ensure that high quality developments and homes are delivered aligns with the values of the promotors and the development of the Site would contribute to the delivery of high-quality housing across the area.

Incorporating and planning development around sustainable transport links and encouraging walking and cycling, including through ensuring residents can access key services and facilities by walking, cycling or public transport will facilitate a shift away from car use. Only development of the scale of the proposal at Six Mile Bottom will allow for meaningful Masterplanning with a full range of stakeholders and infrastructure provision which will allow for the planned integration of infrastructure with job and homes. Unique to the proposal is that the railway line linking Cambridge with Newmarket runs through the Site. The railway station at Six Mile Bottom closed in 1967 and the nearest station is Dullingham, three miles to the north east. The proposal includes a new station serving the new community at Six Mile Bottom which will provide sustainable east-west rail transport connection reducing car dependency. The proposal would also offer the potential for the extension of a CAM Metro connection. The opportunity for improvements to the railway line to support the Governments endorsed growth in the region is recognised in the Cambridgeshire Corridor Study (Network Rail, Railway investment choices). The proposal will build upon regional rail priorities and objectives. The Six Mile Bottom Estate is near the A11, providing access south towards the M11, Stansted and London, and the A14, providing access north towards Norwich, east towards Ipswich. Development of the scale proposed would enable Junction improvements to connect the A11 and A14 routes more effectively to the Site. While a range of infrastructure proposals relating to rail and road improvements are identified, the opportunity to internalise jobs and homes, and ensuring residents can access key services and facilities by walking, cycling or public transport will facilitate a shift away from car use is central to the proposal at Six Mile Bottom.

New planned settlements are key to meeting the housing need across the planning period and should be encouraged where a sustainable settlement is proposed. This can principally be achieved through locating new development in locations which have good access to sustainable modes of transport. New development should be located to take advantage of existing or planned transport infrastructure and should be designed in a manner which encourages the take up of active modes of travel. After three decades of focusing new development in and around existing settlements, it is now recognised by the Government that a different approach is needed to meet future development requirements. The redevelopment of brownfield land has been hugely successful and, while large areas of brownfield are still available, their distribution across England is uneven. Some large conurbations still have sufficient brownfield land to meet their needs; but areas under particular development pressures and rural areas that had little brownfield land supply to start with, must now look to greenfield sites. The question therefore is what greenfield sites might be most suitable for development. Many existing settlements are not suitable for further extension. Urban extensions upon urban extensions can lead to issues if they are not properly integrated. In particular, the distribution of services can become ad-hoc. In certain areas, therefore, where demand for development space is high and is expected to continue to be high for the foreseeable future, a new settlement might be appropriate. New settlements have the benefit of starting from scratch. They allow the core areas to be suitably sized to meet the future anticipated needs and ensure that transport infrastructure is sufficient. The Government has recognised that new settlements are likely to be an essential tool in meeting future housing and employment needs. To date, the Government has identified 14 locally-led new settlements across the Country. Many others are being pursued through private funding in close collaboration with local authorities. The published Government White Paper ‘Fixing Our Broken Housing Market’ (February 2017) reaffirms the Government’s intention to continue to promote new settlements. Paragraph A.57 of the White Paper seeks to support the delivery of existing and future garden communities and the Government’s commitment to: ● Ensure that decisions on infrastructure investment take better account of the opportunities t0 support new and existing communities; ● Legislate to enable the creation of locally accountable New Town Development Corporations, enabling local areas to use them as the delivery vehicle if they wish to. This can strengthen local representation and accountability, and increase opportunities for communities to benefit from land value capture; and ● Following the previous consultation on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, amend policy to encourage a more proactive approach by authorities to bringing forward new settlements in their plans, as one means by which housing requirements can be addressed.” For the reasons given in Question 2 and as outlined in the accompanying Concept Vision, a planled new community at Six Mile Bottom will allow East Cambridgeshire and the combined Greater Cambridge Authorities to achieve a sustainable form of development by planning for jobs, homes and supporting infrastructure (transport, utilities, services and facilities) in the right places, alongside protecting and enhancing the environment. The scheme can deliver circa 8,500 new homes, jobs, essential central services such as secondary and primary schools, community hubs and medical facilities as well as local retail space and will provide the important elements to allow a new community to thrive.

No choices made

We consider that no single solution will deliver a sound Local Plan; rather, a combination of approaches to the distribution of spatial growth will be necessary to establish the appropriate locations of new housing and employment development in the district. A hybrid approach will be required but should be underpinned by a focus on accessibility to public transport, employment and other daily needs. The most effective approach to delivering the levels of development required is to ensure a wide variety of sites are allocated both in terms of size and location. This will ensure the consistent delivery across the plan period by not concentrating all development in a specific area or resulting in an over reliance on large strategic sites. The level of development and job creation needed will require the creation of new communities, the most appropriate way of achieving this through a new community at Six Mile Bottom. In terms of plan making, Para. 74 of the NPPF (2019) states “The supply of large numbers of new homes can often be best achieved through planning for larger scale development, such as new settlements or significant extensions to existing villages and towns, provided they are well located and designed, and supported by the necessary infrastructure and facilities”.