Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

Response to Question 2 The landowner has submitted the proposed site option at the 2019 Call for Sites stage. However further work has been done on the A428 dualling route in readiness for the Development Consent Order application by Highways England – anticipated for submission Summer 2020. The detailed plans for the A428 have now been made available through its 2019 consultation exercise and whilst the previous submission is still relevant as a broad location for growth, the attached concept plan incorporates the detail from the proposed A428 general arrangement plans. The position of the Toseland Road overbridge and its proposed connections into the site are reflected on the attached Concept Plan to demonstrate how an early phase of development could be delivered. The preferred route of the East West Rail Link has now been identified, including a new rail station at Cambourne. Options for the Cambridge Area Metro (CAM) to be extended along the route of the existing A428, once downgraded, leads to further consideration as to how development in this location could contribute to the objectives of sustainable development. NPPF 2019, para 72 directs strategic-policy makers to consider the opportunities presented by existing or planned investment in an areas infrastructure when considering suitable locations for new development. The Concept Plan shows how a garden village concept within the Greater Cambridge Local Plan administrative boundary could be achieved. It can either be standalone for circa 1,750 homes and associated supporting infrastructure on part or all of the 106 hectares that lies within South Cambridgeshire administrative boundary or it has the potential to form an early phase 1 of a larger garden village community of up to 4,000 new homes in the future, through cross boundary working with Huntingdonshire District Council. The land is under a single ownership and can be phased over plan periods to continue delivering to 2050. A proposed Garden Village at Croxton would be a unique, practical and exciting opportunity to deliver housing and growth needs using Garden Settlement principles in Greater Cambridge without requiring the release of further Green Belt land. As guided by NPPF 2019, non-Green Belt options should be fully explored before considering any further Green Belt releases for strategic-scale development. The proposed location, being bounded by the existing and new A428 road could provide a unique solution towards meeting the identified social and economic needs and addressing the housing and development delivery during the plan period and beyond.

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Agree

We agree that 2040 is an appropriate date to plan for delivery of housing on the basis that the minimum housing and employment needs are already set out – i.e. minimum 41,000 new homes between 2017 and 2040, potentially increasing up to 66,700 to rebalance new housing against jobs growth. The current uncertainty about the Oxford-Cambridge expressway and other national infrastructure projects that are being explored, but are not yet committed, should be considered but should not overly influence the plan for this review. We consider there should be a clear mandate to consider the complementary 2050 vision that may give rise to an additional growth in terms of how sites that would already meet the NPPF objective of delivering sustainable development can be readily extended to meet further housing requirements from 2041-2050.

Agree

We agree with the identified cross boundary issues. In terms of priority, strategic transport solutions could be key to achieving the other objectives of carbon-reduction and creating a properly connected green infrastructure strategy.

Agree

We agree.

Development Management Policies can be designed to support this commitment, building on the improvements to be gained through the changes to the Building Regulations and introducing other complementary policies for new buildings and their immediate environments. However, to create a step change to the key issue for Greater Cambridgeshire – transport impacts – this has to come from locating development in a different way to the existing local plan strategies that can truly deliver on the objectives of non-car travel whilst helping to improve the sustainability of the existing settlements and urban environments. We consider that there is an opportunity to improve the relative sustainability of existing settlements through co-locating new development on a scale that can deliver new physical and social infrastructure to seek to reverse the impacts of smaller villages and rural communities. The opportunity to utilise the new rail and road links for non-car travel initiatives such as the CAM should be prioritised above new development in locations that are not able to take advantage of these alternative options.

The establishment of garden communities can provide clear opportunities for new green infrastructure which is known to have health and well-being advantages.

The Biodiversity Impact Metric is proving to be a useful tool in assessing the impacts and creating mitigation strategies for new developments to secure improvements. It is often the case that development can offer improvements above agricultural use given the increase in flora and fauna through its green spaces and planting management strategies – including both cultivated and wildlife areas within developments.

Yes, somewhat agree

We agree. The new Local plan should support the Cambridge Tree Strategy. This will influence the location and type of new development being planned for. We consider there is more opportunity to create development strategies that can specifically deliver on this issue in the more rural areas where land availability is greater with less pressure than edge of Cambridge Locations where the reduction in Green belt is a priority.

The Issues and Options documents recognises that the Local Plan can be a powerful tool to improve wellbeing and social inclusion through directing what kind of jobs are created, and where; the availability of suitable and affordable housing; access to services; cultural facilities; green spaces; learning opportunities and employment; as well as positively influencing individuals’ health and lifestyle. It is important that decision-makers recognise that good growth can be delivered within new settlements in the rural area, where opportunities present themselves in locations that can also deliver on climate change and other objectives.

At this stage, the average annual requirement for Greater Cambridge is to ensure sufficient land is identified to deliver a minimum 1,800 dwellings per annum (using the Governments standard methodology) or 2,900 dwellings per annum to deliver jobs related growth by 2040. To achieve this, it will need a selection of options and choice of sites to sustain the pace of delivery. There should be a spread of delivery over the period to 2040 to ensure the market can support the step change in the level of growth envisaged through the economic growth model. Introducing further land supply through alternative locations where they are not affected by largescale upfront infrastructure requirements with long lead in periods can enable new communities to be established quicker. For example, utilising planned infrastructure projects to direct growth to areas that have the necessary infrastructure capacity and options to influence delivery rates is key. Taking advantage of this immediate opportunity that new transport connections will offer during the plan period will help create new markets to offer market choice and avoid market saturation. The committed road funding for the A428 should be a key focus for locating new housing where the route unlocks new housing locations through better connectivity and accessibility i.e. facilitating the CAM along the original route; opportunities to increase provision of schools and other services in the rural area. The rationale for creating new communities is to balance development across the districts and improve the relative sustainability of the rural area.