Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

Response to Question 2 The application site occupies an area of land to the south east of the A10 Royston Road and to the west of Station Road, covering approximately 1.28 hectares. The site was formerly used as amenity land associated with Villiers Park Educational Trust, comprising grassland with trees and hedges on the boundary. The site is currently not in use. The site in Foxton was promoted through call for sites process in March 2019 on behalf of Laragh House Developments Ltd. The representations to the Issues & Options consultation document will refer to that promoted site where relevant. The Site is well related to the existing built form of Foxton and closely located to a number of existing local services and facilities. The site has access to local employment opportunities and has excellent public transport links, being so close to Foxton train station. The existing level of services and facilities in the village make the village a sustainable location for a larger population, where job opportunities and facilities are close by.

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Response to Question 2 - ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The application site occupies an area of land to the south east of the A10 Royston Road and to the west of Station Road, covering approximately 1.28 hectares. The site was formerly used as amenity land associated with Villiers Park Educational Trust, comprising grassland with trees and hedges on the boundary. The site is currently not in use. The site in Foxton was promoted through call for sites process in March 2019 on behalf of Laragh House Developments Ltd. The representations to the Issues & Options consultation document will refer to that promoted site where relevant. The Site is well related to the existing built form of Foxton and closely located to a number of existing local services and facilities. The site has access to local employment opportunities and has excellent public transport links, being so close to Foxton train station. The existing level of services and facilities in the village make the village a sustainable location for a larger population, where job opportunities and facilities are close by.

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Natural Cambridgeshire’s Developing with Nature Toolkit seeks to achieve a net gain in biodiversity through new development. It is agreed that development can deliver significant biodiversity enhancements. It is suggested that in deciding sites to allocate for development the emerging GCLP assesses not only whether the potential impacts on protected species and habitats can be mitigated but also whether development can deliver biodiversity enhancements. A Preliminary Ecological Appraisal was submitted with the previous planning application at Villiers Park produced by agb. The promoted development includes a new area of public open space and the Planting of a native hedgerow on the north-eastern boundary, install wildlife boxes for birds, bats, hedgehogs and insects, and create a log pile. It is considered that the promoted development would deliver biodiversity enhancements. The proposed development at Royston Road has been designed to minimise any impact on the existing natural landscape, with the dwellings being positioned in areas of low biodiversity value within the site. The hedgerows and the majority of the trees along the site boundaries will be retained. Careful consideration and a sensitive approach to the proposed development will result in minimal impacts on habitats of value and result in an enhancement to biodiversity.

It is considered that meeting housing and affordable housing needs is part of the well-being and social inclusion theme because housing falls within the social objective of sustainable development (as set out in Paragraph 8 of the NPPF). There are substantial affordability issues in Greater Cambridge associated with the high cost of buying and renting housing, and those that cannot afford to live in Cambridge or South Cambridgeshire close to employment opportunities having to endure longer commuting. Paragraph 8 and Chapter 8 of the NPPF identifies the other factors that relate to the wellbeing and social inclusion theme, which are about creating well-designed and safe developments, providing access to services and facilities, and providing open space. It is suggested that to achieve ‘good growth’ the emerging GCLP will need to allocate suitable sites that deliver housing and affordable housing, are accessible to services and facilities, include open space and recreation facilities. The promoted development at land off Royston Road in Foxton would include housing and affordable housing, open space and other green infrastructure. The promoted development would support the existing services and facilities within Foxton.

Section 4.3.3 of the Issues & Options consultation document identifies the factors that are relevant to the creation of safe and inclusive communities. As set out in the response to Question 16, there are substantial affordability issues in Greater Cambridge associated with the high cost of buying and renting housing, and those that cannot afford to live in Cambridge or South Cambridgeshire close to employment opportunities having to endure longer commuting. It is considered that the emerging GCLP should include a development strategy that seeks to meet housing and affordable housing needs and locate housing closer to employment opportunities to reduce in-commuting. The identified Royston Road site is sustainably located within Foxton and is close to a number of village services and facilities including a Primary School and a pre-school, village post office and convenience store, a public house and a number of sports clubs and social clubs. There are also various public transport options available, including the train station with links to London and Cambridge within walking distance of bus stops.

Paragraph 91 of the NPPF seeks to deliver healthy, inclusive and safe places, and identifies a number of approaches to support healthy lifestyles. It promotes social interaction through mixed-use developments, strong neighbourhood centres, street layouts that include pedestrian and cycle connections, and active street frontages for example. It enables and supports healthy lifestyles, by providing green infrastructure, sports facilities, local shops, access to healthier food, allotments, and layouts that encourage walking and cycling for example. NHS England Healthy Towns Initiatives identified ten principles to deliver healthy places, which relate to the provision of health services, meeting local and community health needs, and development design matters. In terms of design matters it is suggested that compact neighbourhoods, active travel, healthy eating opportunities, play and leisure facilities would contribute towards the delivery of healthy places. It is considered that the promoted development at land off Royston Road in Foxton would be consistent with guidance and initiatives to support healthy lifestyles. The promoted development would include open space and a play area. It is accessible to the services and facilities within Foxton by walking and cycling, including Foxton Station. It is noted that the Greater Cambridge Partnership has proposed two transport improvement projects in Foxton to encourage active and sustainable travel: a Foxton Rural Travel Hub which includes additional cycle parking at the railway station; and, the Melbourn Greenway which includes a new shared use path for walking and cycling on the A10 through Foxton, improvements to junction arrangements, and speed reduction measures in Foxton.

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.

Yes, somewhat agree

Yes. As set out in the response to Question 31, upward adjustments to the minimum figure derived from the standard method are required to take into account growth strategies, strategic infrastructure improvements and housing affordability in Greater Cambridgeshire. The National Infrastructure Commission, the Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority and the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership acknowledge and support the economic growth potential of the Greater Cambridge area, and consider that there is a need to substantially increase housing delivery in order to support that economic growth and address the significant housing affordability issues that exist. The identified site off Royston Road would bring considerable benefits to the local economy during the construction phase of the project and in the longer term new residents would help to support shops and services in the village through an increase in local household spending. It is considered that the additional residents resulting from the proposed development would help the viability of existing services within the village and their future retention.

Paragraph 61 of NPPF 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. It is noted that the existing and planned new settlements in South Cambridgeshire and some of the strategic sites are not delivering policy compliant levels of affordable housing. As such, it is considered that emerging GCLP should seek to allocate sites which are capable of delivering policy compliant levels of affordable housing. The promoted development at land off Royston Road in Foxton includes housing and affordable housing. The settlement is capable of sustainably accommodating the level of growth proposed and the provision of market housing in this location will provide an important source of accommodation both for existing Foxton residents and for those who wish to move to this location, in addition to making a meaningful contribution to the housing (including affordable housing) in the District.

Paragraph 103 of the NPPF seeks to ensure that development is located where the need to travel will be minimised and the use of sustainable transport modes can be maximised. Therefore, the site selection process for potential allocations in emerging CGLP will be an important part of increasing travel by sustainable modes of transport. Foxton has a railway station which connects the village to the surrounding towns and cities including Cambridge, Hitchin, Stevenage and London, and is on bus routes with services to Royston, Melbourn, Trumpington and Cambridge. The Greater Cambridge Partnership has proposed two transport improvement projects in Foxton, which are the Foxton Rural Travel Hub and the Melbourn Greenway, which would deliver new walking and cycling routes and facilities. The Greater Cambridge Partnership also identifies the closure of Foxton Level Crossing and replacement with a railway bridge/underpass as a potential future transport project. The promoted development at land off Royston Road in Foxton would be accessible to the services and facilities within the village by walking and cycling, and it is well related to the bus stops. The bus service to Cambridge and Royston is every hour Monday – Saturday and there are two cycle routes from Foxton to Cambridge which runs from the northern edge of Foxton village along Cambridge Road through Harston and into Cambridge. There is also a dedicated cycle path between Frog End, Shepreth and Foxton. The site is easily accessible to both pedestrians and cyclists with good public transport links and benefiting from a train station which provides a frequent train service to Cambridge and Royston and a direct service to London Kings Cross every hour. Therefore, the promoted site is sustainable in transport terms, and for this reason it should be allocated in the emerging GCLP.