Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

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8.1 The Local Plan should be focussed on providing sustainable development in the most appropriate locations. To prioritise the four big themes will result in some development impacts. 8.2 Notwithstanding the underlying purposes of the Green Belt (Para. 134 of the NPPF), where it can be demonstrated that appropriate development can be brought forward in the Green Belt, sites should be considered within the context of their individual circumstances and their ability to maximise the opportunities to achieve sustainable development and underpin a sustainable spatial strategy. Proposals should be considered in the context of Para. 136 of the NPPF, including an assessment as to whether it can be demonstrated that a proposed development would bring benefits, outweighing the loss of Green Belt land and thereby demonstrate exceptional circumstances needed to justify Green Belt release. In accordance with Para. 138, Green Belt boundaries should be reviewed to reflect the need to promote sustainable patterns of development. If the release of Green Belt can facilitate more sustainable patterns of development, then there should be a spatial strategy that allows for its release to be able to achieve a new way of planning if the four big themes are to truly shape the new Local Plan and not just repeat historic patterns that have led to the climate emergency. 8.3 A village such as Cottenham, a Rural Centre, is well placed to accommodate some new development, but it is curtailed by the Green Belt running right to its southern edge, preventing that land from contributing new homes in an established and sustainable village.

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8.4 The presumption in favour of sustainable development is recognised, however there should be a degree of flexibility in terms of allowing appropriate development outside of the settlement boundaries of villages, in particular, if development meets a particular local business or community need as set out within Para. 84 of the NPPF. Sustainable development in rural areas is also supported under Para. 78 of the NPPF, which requires planning policies to identify opportunities for villages to grow and thrive, especially where this will support local services.

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8.5 There should be more flexibility when considering the scale and size of developments that are permitted within village boundaries. The Local Plan currently restricts the amount of development that is permitted in Minor Rural Centres (Policy S/9) to 30 dwellings; in Group Villages (Policy S10) to eight dwellings and in exceptional circumstances to 15 dwellings; and in Infill Villages (Policy S/11) to two dwellings and in exceptional circumstances to eight dwellings. These policies should not restrict development to a certain number of dwellings and should instead encourage an appropriate density depending on the context of the site that is being considered for development. Some sites might be capable of accommodating higher density development which can enable a more sustainable distribution of growth, particularly in the case of some villages within the district which are well connected in terms of being located on key transport corridors with access to rail, bus and cycleway links, thereby making them sustainable locations for development. A more flexible approach towards considering development in villages should therefore be used when allocating development sites and in the determination of planning applications. 8.6 There should also be more flexibility in terms of considering applications which are located outside village boundaries, provided the site is suitable in other terms including its access to transport and village services and provided it is not overly constrained in terms of other environmental designations.

8.9 The NPPF paragraph 136, provides allowances for development within the Green Belt, under exceptional circumstances, subject to the site being evidenced and justified to an appropriate level. Careful consideration should therefore be given to sites located within the Green Belt that offer a suitable, appropriate and sustainable use. 8.10 A hybrid approach needs to be taken when considering sites for allocation within a local plan, including Green Belt land. Paragraph 137 require local authorities to consider all other reasonable options for development, ahead of exceptional circumstances sites. Green Belt land must be considered if there is a benefit to its preferential development over other land, just because it is not Green Belt without considering the real sustainable and climate change impacts.

8.10.1 The Local Plan should seek to allocate a component of its housing need towards the growth of existing villages. Sustainable development in these areas provide financial support for existing services, opportunities for enhancements to biodiversity and open space provision, improvements to existing services including doctor’s surgeries and schools and provides an opportunity for the provision of market and affordable homes to those who may not be able to live in these settlements. 8.10.2 Careful consideration should be given to the location of development within villages. Minor Rural and Rural Centres should be the focus of development, due to the provision of existing services capable of supporting an additional population. Sustainable transport should be expected with the locations, including clear and safe cycle lanes, footpaths and a good level of public transport. 8.10.3 Cottenham, for example, is a sustainable location to accommodate some new development and help to cater for some of the growth needs of Greater Cambridge. The development of the site to the south of Oakington Road, Cottenham could deliver social, economic and environmental benefits to the village including: ● The opportunity to deliver affordable homes to help meet the housing needs of Cottenham and the wider district; ● Locating residential development within one of the District’s largest and most sustainable villages. The site is located within 1km of the village centre; ● A landowner who wishes to work closely with the local residents to provide residential development to address their needs; ● Supporting the existing services of Cottenham; ● Enhancing net biodiversity on site, by delivering high quality green infrastructure for the benefit of ecology as well as existing and future residents.

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8.7 No single solution will deliver a sound Local Plan; rather, a combination of approaches to the distribution of spatial growth will be necessary in order to establish the appropriate locations of new housing and employment development in the district. A hybrid approach will be required, but underpinned with a focus on transport corridors, places that offer a foundation for sustainable living and accessible areas. 8.8 It is considered that village dispersal should form part of a hybrid spatial strategy. Whilst a village dispersal approach should consider villages from across the settlement hierarchy, it should seek to allocate sites for development at locations in villages which are or can be made sustainable. To contribute to this strategy, Cottenham, a Rural Centre and the fifth most sustainable village in the District, is a sustainable location for future development given the significant range of services and facilities it contains.

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Response to Question 7 5.2 The four big themes are all considered to be important aspects to achieving positive development. All four themes should be used to inform the spatial strategy within the Local Plan in terms of distributing growth and determining planning applications to deliver growth. It is therefore not considered necessary to rank the options in order of preference.