Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

5.24 This can principally be achieved through the reduced use of polluting vehicles by: ● Locating development where there is good access to active travel, coupled with access to affordable, frequent, reliable and high quality public transport options; ● Better cycle and pedestrian connectivity – achieved by developments directly and through a coordinated s106 infrastructure programme; ● Ensuring new development includes tree planting. 5.25 Land at Fishers Lane, Orwell can contribute to achieving improvements in air quality as it is in a sustainable location, whereby future residents would not be reliant on the private car for all their daily needs. Shepreth station is within cycling distance of the site and the proposals will seek to enhance pedestrian connectivity into the centre of the village. Furthermore, the proposals incorporate extensive tree planting and landscaping throughout which can contribute to improvements in air quality and carbon capture.

6.1 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 paragraph 59). 6.2 The Local Plan should also allow for a range of tenure types to come forward. In accordance with the NPPF, this includes affordable rent, starter homes, discounted market housing and other options such as build to rent/private rented sector. The Local Plan should be flexible in relation to the mix of housing tenures, to ensure that the Plan can respond to changing needs throughout the Plan period.

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6.3 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. 6.4 Housing requirements are minimums, not maximums to stay under at all costs. There is a wellevidenced 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.”1 6.5 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.

6.6 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 1 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Industrial Strategy 2019, p13 Issues and Options Consultation 2020 – Land at Fishers Lane, Orwell Page 12 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. 6.7 Flexibility will be key to a successful Local Plan; through market housing, low-cost and affordable housing. 6.8 Land at Fishers Lane, Orwell has the potential to deliver up to 190 homes comprising both market and affordable housing of a range of size, type and tenures to meet the needs of not only Orwell but the wider district. The proposals could also deliver an element of build to rent, helping to increase accessibility to housing for different sections of the community.

6.9 Local Plan policies can require a high standard of design for new residential development, leading from Government policy and guidance. Appropriately worded design policies should require a high quality design for new dwellings. This could include sustainable design principles including measures to improve the energy efficiency of new homes, water saving measures, use of efficient insultation material and heating systems, the reduction and recycling of construction materials, provision of appropriate amenity space and accessibility. 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. Furthermore, high standards of design should not be restricted to the architectural quality of buildings, high quality places and spaces should be encouraged as a baseline in new developments. 6.10 The promoters of Land at Fishers Lane, Orwell, Countryside Properties, are an established housebuilder and are promoting the site for allocation in the Local Plan. Countryside Properties has a reputation for delivering high quality schemes and houses and has been the recipient of numerous design awards. The Council’s ambition for the Local Plan to ensure that high quality developments and homes are delivered aligns with Countryside’s values as a business and the development of the site would contribute to the delivery of high quality housing across the area.

7.1 This can principally be achieved through locating new development in locations which have 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. 7.2 Land at Fishers Lane, Orwell would enable future residents the opportunity to use sustainable modes of travel and ensure that trips made by private vehicles are minimised or only used for a part of the journey. The site is within close proximity to the village store, post office, pub, primary school, employment opportunities and bus stops offering services to Cambridge, encouraging residents to walk and cycle, rather than travel by private car, to these facilities. The site is also located approximately 3.5km from Shepreth station, which is within cycling distance, encouraging residents to travel via sustainable modes using existing infrastructure. There are existing bus stops within the village and future development proposals could contribute to the upgrading of these stops and their accessibility.

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8.3 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. Larger developments, above the thresholds set out in the current Local Plan, also have the potential to deliver a wider range of benefits, at a more meaningful scale, given their size. Smaller developments can place additional burdens on existing services and infrastructure whilst larger developments may be able to deliver improvements to existing communities through the delivery of new, or upgrading of existing infrastructure 8.4 Some sites might be capable of accommodating higher density development which can enable a more sustainable distribution of growth, particularly in the case of villages, such as within the District, such as Orwell, which provide access to services and facilities, thereby making them sustainable locations for development. A more flexible approach towards considering the appropriate scale of development in villages should therefore be used when allocating development sites and in the determination of planning applications. 8.5 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, employment and village services and facilities and provided it is not overly constrained in terms of other environmental designations.

8.8 The Local Plan should seek to allocate a component of its housing needs towards growth at existing villages. Sustainable development in rural areas is supported under paragraph 78 of the NPPF, which requires planning policies to identify opportunities for villages to grow and thrive, especially where this will support local services. Development within existing villages can help to sustain existing and deliver new facilities and infrastructure, support shops and business uses and meet both the market and affordable housing needs of the local community. However, growth at villages should be in locations which are or can be made sustainable. 8.9 Land at Fishers Lane, Orwell is a sustainable location for development and an opportunity to support the village of Orwell. The development proposals could deliver numerous tangible social, economic and environmental benefits to Orwell and the local area, including: ● The opportunity to deliver a valuable amount of affordable housing, including an element of build to rent, to help meet the needs of Orwell and the wider District; ● Locating residential development within a sustainable location, in close proximity to the village store, post office, pub, primary school, employment opportunities and bus stops offering services to Cambridge, encouraging residents to walk and cycle, rather than travel by private car, to these facilities. The site is also located approximately 3.5km from Shepreth station, which is within cycling distance, encouraging residents to travel via sustainable modes using existing infrastructure; ● The opportunity to deliver a substantial amount of open space that would be available to new and existing residents. In addition, the site could accommodate areas for children’s play space and allotments. The open space could be configured in a manner to provide an extension of the Local Green Space which lies adjacent to the site's eastern boundary. As a new recreation asset, the site could also alleviate recreation pressures on the nearby SSSI; ● Supporting Orwell’s economy, including local shops and services; and ● Enhancing biodiversity levels across the site. The site is predominantly agricultural land and can currently be considered to be of low ecological value.

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3.9 As outlined within the Local Plan Issues and Options document, the future Local Plan must aim to ensure sustainable development. In order to achieve this, competing priorities and issues need to be balanced. Greater Cambridge Planning has grouped these into the following themes: - Climate Change; - Biodiversity and Green Spaces; - Wellbeing and Social Inclusion; and - Great Places. 3.10 It is considered that my clients’ site can help address the four big themes, creating a well designed development, in a sustainable location, in one of the largest villages in South Cambridgeshire, with capacity for development. 3.11 It is considered that the vision for land adjacent to Balsham Road, Linton is in full accordance with all four objectives of the Local Plan. Countryside Properties have a proven track record of the delivery of high quality developments, with particular emphasis on the creation of landscape corridors and open spaces as integral part of developments. 3.12 As shown on the Opportunities and Constraints Plan, prepared by Barton Wilmore and also submitted as part of the Call for Sites exercise last year (refer to Appendix 1), it is proposed for the development parcels within the scheme to be separated by strong landscape corridors, which will provide space for substantial planting, but also provide for wildlife corridors. In addition, substantial tree planting and a biodiversity net gain area is proposed to the east boundary of the site. The proposed employment hub for small startup businesses also has substantial potential to promote wellbeing and social inclusion and could include facilities such as a day nursery and a café as a central focus to the development. Countryside Properties are fully committed to tackling climate change and seeking to design new homes to minimise the carbon footprint of the development. All these matters will be developed further at planning application stage, but are fully consistent with the four big themes of the Local Plan.

3.13 It is important that robust planning policies are implemented to allow opening up and improvement to the existing green space network and to promote landscape and biodiversity corridors. 3.14 As identified on the opportunities and constraints plan, prepared by Barton Wilmore as part of the Call for Sites, land adjacent to Balsham Road provides the opportunity to provide for a connected green space network throughout the proposed site. It will give existing residents in the village additional access to green space and new public open space, that is currently inaccessible. 3.15 Countryside Properties are committed to substantial tree planting, which will assist with enhancing the green space network on the site.