Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

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A mix of uses should be offered, which is appropriate to the context of its local community and scale of centre. This should be combined with the opportunity to reduce the need for travel where possible.

It is vital that the right number of homes are delivered in the right locations. Housing in Cambridge has an important role to play in supporting both the local and national economy, as well as being critical in promoting well-being and achieving positive health outcomes. Cambridge is at the centre of significant housing growth however there is shortage of all types of tenure and in particular a lack of affordable housing. This growth is needed to support the strong and growing economy at the eastern end of the Oxford Cambridge Arc. The provision of a mix housing tenures in a central, wellconnected location can help to ensure residents access services, as well as encourage people to travel by more sustainable means, i.e. walking and cycling. The currently challenges facing the housing market in Cambridge can lead to employers facing issues with the recruitment and retention on staff due to the city’s high house prices and high levels of housing need. Therefore, the co-ordination and the provision of residential and employment use within a site can alleviate some of these concerns by resulting in people living more locally. This reduces commuting which leads to a reduction in the impact on the environment from the air pollution associated with daily commuting.

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Previously, the Housing Delivery Test (HDT) measurement result published in February 2019 for Cambridge City Council is 388% therefore there were no required consequences. The HDT measurement result for South Cambridgeshire was much lower, scoring 78% with a consequence of a buffer. However, this had no consequences as MHCLG is recommending for housing trajectories for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire to be considered jointly, including future calculations for the 5 year housing land supply. MHCLG acknowledges that the sequences for development involves more development in Cambridge initially in the plan period and more development later in the plan period in South Cambridgeshire. Altogether, it has been estimated that there are more than 30,000 extra homes above those already in the pipeline that could be built in the Greater Cambridge area by 2040. These new homes need to be supported by sites, which provide jobs and leisure facilities. The Clifton Road Area site allocation could positively contribute towards these goals.

Cambridge’s objectively assessed housing need identifies the type, scale, mix and range of housing required in the area. Providing a mix of different tenures and products will contribute to catering for the needs of all in Cambridge.

USS supports the Council’s ambition to deliver high quality homes, which are safe, secure and long-lasting. USS encourage the Council to adopt a design-led approach to the acceptability of development proposals, particularly on high density development. The national spaces standards ensure homes are fit for purpose and USS consider these remain appropriate. However, USS does encourage the Council to explore having specific standards for energy efficiency, accessibility and adaptability to respond to local needs and the impact this has on affordability.

Transport infrastructure, which includes the infrastructure to encourage more sustainable modes of travel i.e. walking and cycling, can have positive impacts on people’s health and wellbeing. This can also reduce transport related emissions on the environment. Therefore, this will result in healthier communities, which will have a positive effect on air quality, all contributing towards sustainability objectives of the emerging Local Plan. The Clifton Road Area site allocation is within close proximity to public transport links and is within walking/cycling of the city centre and science parks to the south of the city.

More sustainable forms of transport should be encouraged i.e. walking and cycling, to reduce the impacts of climate change. New developments should aim to reduce the dependency on car parking especially when the development is close to excellent public transport links.

NPPF paragraphs 122 and 123 state that sites should make optimal use of its land in order to meet identified need for housing as much as possible. Therefore, the NPPF supports high density development, especially in highly accessible locations subject to good quality design. Increased residential densities should be supported in highly sustainable locations (e.g. by the Cambridge Train Station) such as the Clifton Road Area of Major Change. The increase in housing densities will be essential to enable the Council to achieve the level of housing growth predicted under this emerging Local Plan.

Policy 21 of the Cambridge Local Plan (2018) allocated the USS site (Site M2) as part of a wider site allocation for mixed-use development, including residential, employment, leisure and open space. USS fully support this policy and site allocation, and encourage the emerging Local Plan to continue to allocate the Site for development.