Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

2.3 New developments enrich wellbeing and support healthy lifestyles by incorporating facilities into sites to meet the needs of new residents and deliver enhancements for existing residents. High quality facilities should be in place to ensure residents choose to use such facilities, and where facilities are insufficient new and improved facilities should be supported by planning policies and allocations. 2.4 Paragraph 91 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out that planning policies should aim to achieve healthy and inclusive places, that ‘promote social interaction, including opportunities for meetings between people who might not otherwise come into contact with each other’ and ‘enable and support healthy lifestyles, especially where this would address identified local health and well-being needs – for example through the provision of safe and accessible green infrastructure, sports facilities’. Paragraph 92 follows that planning policies should plan positively for the provision and use of shared spaces and community facilities. 2.5 In Teversham there is a need identified by the Parish Council for additional sporting facilities and meeting space for local groups. The Land at Fulbourn Road, Teversham site has been identified as having the potential to meet these needs. The Chair of Teversham Parish Council has indicated that the site could be subject to local consultation to determine whether the proposed development could be supported. Subsequently the Parish Council have confirmed that they remain interested in exploring the use of this site to meet the needs of the village. 2.6 The proposed development of Land at Fulbourn Road, Teversham includes a new village hall, sports pavilion and sports pitches in direct response to local needs. The development of these facilities will aid the wellbeing of residents, providing facilities to promote health, mental wellbeing and social interaction. The sports pavilion will provide a high quality internal space for users of the sports facilities and provide a venue for events. The provision of a village hall will also be a significant benefit to the village, allowing the Parish Council to have a space for meetings and village gatherings. 2.7 The provision of these facilities is therefore considered to be of significant social benefit to those residing in Teversham, and would have the potential to support the healthy lifestyles of new and existing residents.

2.8 The Local Plan should meet housing needs by providing the necessary supply of housing. In doing so the Councils’ must allocate a sufficient number and scale of sites to provide realistically deliverable developments, which will come forward at the time that they are needed. The NPPF sets out the Government’s objective of ‘significantly boosting the supply of homes’ and stresses the importance of providing ‘a sufficient amount and variety of land … where it is needed’ (Paragraph 59). The Council should therefore look to identify a wide range of sites across the full spectrum of development scales to ensure consistent delivery throughout the Plan period. 2.9 It is acknowledged that Cambridge is surrounded by the Green Belt, and Land at Fulbourn Road, Teversham is within the Green Belt. Further commentary is provided on Green Belt release in a later section of these representations. It is however considered that some Green Belt will need to be released to enable sufficient residential development to meet the needs of the area.

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2.10 The Issues and Options document sets out that the next Local Plan period will be 20172040. The currently allocated sites and planning permissions are likely to provide 36,400 homes, and a further 9,660 may be built after 2040. A number of sites are already planned which will contribute to future housing need for the next Local Plan. However, the current calculations using Standard Method indicate a need for 1,800 homes per year or 40,900 for plan period 2017-2040. 2.11 In addition, job growth has been faster than expected and is likely to continue to grow meaning demand for housing has been exceptionally high and housebuilding has not kept up with the demand. In the Issues and Options document it is set out that if job growth is achieved then 2,900 homes a year would need to be built, equating to 66,700 homes between 2017-2040. There is therefore likely to be an additional need beyond the local housing need derived from the standard method of an additional 30,000 homes. 2.12 Continued economic growth within the Greater Cambridge area is a key priority. The resulting implication of this is the demand for more housing to meet the needs of those employed in the area. In this regard the Councils’ clearly acknowledge this in their Issues and Options by providing the above higher end figures. It is therefore considered that the need for housing and the ambition for economic growth are inherently linked, and in order to double the total economic output of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough over the next 25 years, additional housing will be required.

2.13 It is important that wide range of housing types are provided, and are facilitated by both allocations and policy as part of the new Local Plan. Clearly there is a need for both market and affordable housing, but it is also important that the new Local Plan provides additional types of housing, including housing for older people. This can ensure that older people feel that they can downsize into appropriate accommodation in the right locations. This would in turn release housing stock for other households.

2.14 This questions relates very closely to the following section; determining where to build new development. In order to encourage more sustainable modes of transport, development must be delivered in locations that provide opportunities for alternative means of travel to the private car. 2.15 Development in Teversham would help facilitate a shift away from car use, and certainly reduce any journey times by car owing to its proximity to Cambridge. Teversham is highly accessible and is linked to the edge of Cambridge by footways. Teversham is also linked to Cambridge for cyclists via local links on road and separate from traffic. The site is less than 2 miles from the Newmarket Road Park and Ride site which gives direct access to the Centre of Cambridge. Bus services serve the village linking it to Cambridge, along with nearby villages and town. The closest railway station to the site is Cambridge Station, which is under 5 miles from the site. 2.16 The Issues and Options document places a key emphasis on the need to meet the net zero carbon target by 2050. It is therefore most logical to direct development to locations where the need to travel is reduced and where there are sustainable travel options. Teversham clearly benefits from a wide range of sustainable transport opportunities, including being accessible by foot and cycle from Cambridge.

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2.17 The most sustainable location for development will inevitably be adjacent to existing development, and in particular, adjacent to Cambridge itself. This is where the majority of services and facilities are, along with public transport opportunities, employment and housing. In order to meet the target for net zero carbon by 2050, the most realistic option is for development to be delivered in locations that offer the most sustainable transport options. Given that the Green Belt closely wraps around the extent of Cambridge, in order to deliver sustainable development some Green Belt release will be necessary. 2.18 Furthermore, the Green Belt consumes the boundaries of many villages that surround Cambridge, which also acts to restrict growth in these locations. Many of these settlements are sustainable for further growth in their own right, as well as by reason of their proximity to Cambridge. 2.19 Implicit in the allocation of development sites in the Green Belt is therefore the need to review and amend the Green Belt boundary. The NPPF is clear that any alterations to Green Belt boundaries should be fully evidenced and justified through the preparation of a Local Plan (paragraph 136). When reviewing Green Belt boundaries the need to promote sustainable patterns of development should be taken into account (paragraph 138). 2.20 Over the past 20 years there have been numerous reviews of the Green Belt, and the value of certain parts of it. It is considered that where areas of the Green Belt have been deemed to be of lesser value and importance, and where these sites are in sustainable locations, these should be those first considered for release and subsequent development. The land around Teversham is such an area, and therefore this supports the consideration of Land at Fulbourn Road, Teversham for development. The development of the sports pitches and pavilion would not necessarily be inappropriate in the Green Belt (paragraph 145 of the NPPF). 2.21 The Inner Green Belt Boundary Study Review (Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire Councils 2012) includes Plan 4: Areas of Significance of Development on Green Belt. This identifies the site as being within an area considered of low significance. Taking the Green Belt shown on this plan as a whole, the area ascribed the lowest significance (with two small exceptions) is that in the vicinity of this site. The Inner Green Belt Study Review 2012 Plan Extract 2.22 Specifically the site is within Sector 16 Area 2. The detailed assessment states that Sector 16 Area 2 is of: • low importance to setting; • low importance to character; • low importance to physical separation, distribution, setting, scale and character of Green Belt villages; and • low importance to the Green Belt. 2.23 Overall the conclusion from the Significance Matrix is that the significance of development on Green Belt is ‘low’. The only factor where anything other than ‘low’ was given in the detailed character area type assessment related to ‘importance to rural character’. 2.24 In contrast to the site, the majority of the areas assessed on the outskirts of Cambridge are considered very high significance. The only other areas with a similar level of significance are those off Worts Causeway which were released from the Green Belt and allocated for development in the recently adopted Local Plan. The site is therefore considered the most appropriate location for Green Belt release to deliver housing. 2.25 The Cambridge Inner Green Belt Boundary Study (LDA 2015) was undertaken to address concerns raised by the Local Plan Inspectors and some of the findings disagreed with those in the 2012 study. Detailed comments are not made on sub area 16.2 alone and almost all comments relate to Sector 16 as a whole. This has the effect of ascribing characteristics and making judgements of the wider area, which do not apply specifically to the proposed allocation site. 2.26 The 2015 report assesses each sector against 16 criteria which are stated as all being of equal important and each contributes to the performance of Green Belt purposes. Insofar as this site is concerned the assessment demonstrates: • It is too remote from the edge of the city to be adjacent to any characteristic approaches to the city; • It is too remote from the edge of the city to contribute to a human scale city; • There are no key views of the historic core or the majority of the city; • The urban structure of the city has little relationship to the area; and • There is a relative lack of string landscape structure. 2.27 The ‘positive features’ identified relate to the fact that the sector is in a predominately rural setting and that development would detract from this character. The overall conclusion is that it is unlikely development could be accommodated without causing harm to the setting of Teversham. However this assessment was based upon a very large scale sector as a whole and the site, the subject of these representations, has not been individually assessed. In this regard the site represents a very modest amount of development of only a very small percentage of the assessed sector. Furthermore the 2015 report does not provide any plans that demonstrate the significance of different parts of the Green Belt. The assessment is therefore overly generalised and cannot be afforded any significant weight in the appraisal of the potential of the proposal site for delivering sustainable residential development. 2.28 The South Cambridgeshire Local Plan states (paragraph 2.30) the established purposes of the Cambridge Green Belt are to:  Preserve the unique character of Cambridge as a compact, dynamic city with a thriving historic centre;  Maintain and enhance the quality of its setting; and  Prevent communities in the environs of Cambridge from merging into one another and with the city. 2.29 In conclusion, the site plays a very limited role in meeting Green Belt purposes. Dealing with each of the 3 purposes of the Cambridge Green Belt set out above: • Unique character of Cambridge – the site is within a part of the Cambridge Green Belt that The Inner Green Belt Boundary Study Review (Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire Councils 2012) describes as an area considered of low significance. Therefore the site cannot be reasonably considered to form part of the unique character of the city; • Quality of setting of the city – the development of the site will have no impact on the quality of the setting of Cambridge, again, as it is considered of low significance to the Green Belt; and • Prevent communities from merging into one another – the provision of sports pitches will ensure that a gap is retained between existing developments. In any case, the developments both sides of the site are considered part of the same settlement, Teversham. 2.30 It is considered that the harm to the Green Belt arising from the development of the site would be very limited. This clearly demonstrates that it will be appropriate for some land to be removed from the Green Belt in order to deliver development in locations that are sustainable.

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2.31 As set out, many villages within the Greater Cambridge area are sustainable in their own right, with local services and public transport facilities. Furthermore, a large number of villages in the area are in close proximity to the outer fringe of Cambridge. As such, several villages within the Greater Cambridge area are sustainable for the development of both jobs and homes. Therefore the new Local Plan should look to allocate for appropriate levels of employment and housing to the edge of villages. 2.32 As has been demonstrated throughout this representation, Teversham is a sustainable settlement in very close proximity to Cambridge. The village benefits from a number of services and facilities, including a primary school, social club, mobile library service, a restaurant, a petrol station and a bus service. Teversham is therefore a village that should be taking a proportionate amount of housing growth in order to meet the needs of the area.

2.37 As has been set our earlier in this representation, it is considered that the edge of Cambridge in the Green Belt should be developed for employment and residential uses, in appropriate locations. 2.38 The most sustainable location for development will inevitably be adjacent to existing development, and therefore adjacent to Cambridge itself, along with its fringe villages. This is where the majority of services and facilities are, along with public transport opportunities, employment and housing. In order to meet the target for net zero carbon by 2050, the only realistic option is for development to be delivered in locations that offer the most sustainable transport options. 2.39 Over the past 20 years there have been reviews of the Green Belt, and the value of certain parts of it. It is considered that where areas of the Green Belt have been deemed to be of lesser value and importance, and where these sites are in sustainable locations, these should be those first considered for release and subsequent development. The land around Teversham is such an area, being a village to the fringe of Cambridge, and therefore this applies to the Land at Fulbourn Road, Teversham.

2.40 As set out, many villages within the Greater Cambridge area are sustainable in their own right, with local services and public transport facilities. Furthermore, a large number of villages in the area are in close proximity to the outer fringe of Cambridge. As such, several villages within the Greater Cambridge area are sustainable for the development of both jobs and homes. Therefore the new Local Plan should look to allocate for appropriate levels of employment and housing growth within and to the edges of villages. 2.41 Paragraph 72 of the NPPF sets out that ‘the supply of large numbers of new homes can often be best achieved through planning for larger scale development, such as new settlements or significant extensions to existing villages and towns, provided they are well located and designed, and supported by the necessary infrastructure and facilities.’ As such there is clear national policy encouragement for the growth of villages. Paragraph 78 adds that ‘planning policies should identify opportunities for villages to grow and thrive, especially where this will support local services. Where there are groups of smaller settlements, development in one village may support services in a village nearby’. 2.42 As has been demonstrated throughout these representations, Teversham is such a village that is sustainable in its own right, but is also in very close proximity to Cambridge. Teversham is therefore a village that is able to accommodate a proportionate amount of new housing growth in order to meet the needs of the area. The development of the Land at Fulbourn Road, Teversham site would also provide new and enhanced local facilities to the benefit of both new and existing residents, helping to boost the sustainability of the settlement further.

2.43 In order to achieve a move towards more sustainable modes of transport, and meet the net zero carbon target by 2050, it is considered very important that residential development is sited along transport corridors. Without easy access to public transport, or cycling and walking routes, there will continue to be a reliance on the private car. 2.44 As has been set out above, development in Teversham would help facilitate a shift away from car use, and certainly reduce any journey times by car owing to its proximity to Cambridge. Teversham is highly accessible and is linked to the edge of Cambridge by footways. Teversham is also linked to Cambridge for cyclists via local links on road and separate from traffic. The site is less than 2 miles from a Park and Ride site which gives direct access to the Centre of Cambridge. Bus services serve the village linking it to Cambridge, along with nearby villages and town. The closest railway station to the site is Cambridge Station, which is just less than 5 miles from the site. 2.45 The Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire Sustainable Development Strategy (2012) states that ‘access to high quality public transport, including bus and rail services, as well as cycling and walking routes is a key objective of the existing development strategy’. This document aims to enable sustainable development. It states that ‘locating jobs, housing and other services in close proximity is a key objective…to make efficient use of land and reduce the need to travel.’