Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

We act on behalf of Edward Sills Trust in relation to the Land adjacent Greenacres, Gamlingay which was put forward as part of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan Call for Sites undertaken in Spring 2019. The Greater Cambridge Local Plan will shape how Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire changes over the period to 2040, and possibly beyond. The Issues and Options 2020 Consultation enables the first conversation and explores big themes that will influence how homes, jobs and infrastructure are planned. As set out in the Issues and Options 2020 consultation the cost of renting or buying a home in Greater Cambridge is much higher than the national average. If the Local Plan does not make provision for a larger quantity of housing this will be exacerbated. To achieve this, the Council must set itself an ambitious housing target for the plan period. Greater Cambridge is at the heart of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, the UK Innovation Corridor and the Cambridge-Norwich Tech Corridor, all of which will transform the regional economy, it is imperative the Councils plan for a higher number of homes than the minimum required by government. The Local Plan should provide a range of housing sites, both small and large scale to enable flexibility and competition in the market. As set out in paragraph 68 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2019 small and medium sites make an important contribution to meeting the housing requirement of the area and can be built out quickly alongside larger scale developments such as significant extensions to existing villages and towns, provided they are well located and designed and supported by the necessary infrastructure and facilities as set out in paragraph 72 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2019. There is significant demand for housing within Gamlingay given its level of services and facilities and it is accessible to surrounding towns and villages such as Potton, Sandy, Biggleswade, St Neots, Huntingdon and Cambridge. The land adjacent Greenacres, Gamlingay is well related to the village edge and the site has good access links to the village centre and facilities, and can deliver a range of housing types and tenure to meet the housing need in Gamlingay. The site will enable a soft green edge to the village with further landscaping and this also provides the opportunity to create biodiversity net gain, one of the big themes outlined in the Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues and Options 2020. The National Planning Policy Framework 2019 sets out in paragraph 78 that to promote sustainable development in rural areas, housing should be located where it will enhance or maintain the vitality of rural communities. 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 nearby villages. Given the services and facilities in Gamlingay the village is ideally placed to accommodate further growth. The Greater Cambridge Local Plan should help to meet its housing need by having a combination of large and small sites. Therefore, dispersal through new settlements and villages would be appropriate locations to develop housing and the land adjacent Greenacres, Gamlingay is ideally placed to assist with achieving this aim and enable sustainable development in accordance with paragraph 8 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2019.

No uploaded files for public display