Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

It is considered that the growth of villages must be part of the development strategy for emerging GCLP, and there is national guidance that supports this approach. As set out in the response to Qu.32, Barton Willmore assessed housing delivery, existing allocations and commitments and potential strategic allocations to inform how and where the housing requirements should be distributed. Paragraph 78 of the NPPF seeks to promote sustainable development in rural areas and acknowledges that housing can enhance or maintain the vitality of rural communities and support local services. The promoted development at land south of Old House Road in Balsham could support the existing services and facilities within the village, including the village shop, post office, public houses, and bus services. As identified in the Barton Wilmore report, it is considered that the GCLP should take the approach within the Taylor Review (2008) to review whether additional development will enhance the sustainability of the location in which it is taking place, rather than basing the decision on the existing situation. Paragraph 68 acknowledges the role that small and medium sized sites can make towards meeting the housing requirements, and that such sites are often built-out relatively quickly. Small and medium sized sites typically only require limited new physical infrastructure and amendments to the access arrangements. The housing monitoring data from Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire confirms that small and medium sites are delivered quickly i.e. within two to three years, and that such sites are located within villages in South Cambridgeshire. It is considered that small and medium sized sites make a significant contribution towards the short term housing land supply and the five year housing land supply position in Greater Cambridge. Therefore, it is requested that small/medium sized sites, such as land south of Old House Road in Balsham, are allocated in the emerging GCLP to meet the requirement for a mix of sites including those that are easily deliverable. It is predicted that the promoted development would be completed within one year once planning permission has been granted. Paragraph 102 of the NPPF expects transport issues to be considered at the earliest stages of plan-making. Those issues include opportunities created by existing or proposed transport infrastructure in terms of the scale, location and density of development, and opportunities to promote walking, cycling and public transport use. Paragraph 103 expects significant development to be focused on locations which are or can be made sustainable. As set out in the response to Qu.37, the promoted development at land south of Old House Road in Balsham is accessible by walking, cycling and public transport. As set out in the call for site submission and the supporting technical work for the site, there are no significant constraints to development at land south of Old House Road in Balsham. For example, the site is not in the Green Belt and is not affected by any heritage assets. The site is located in Flood Zone 1 which means it has a low probability of flood risk. The trees and hedgerows would be retained at the site and additional planting would be provided at the site boundary, and as a result there should not be a significant adverse effect on the landscape setting of the village. There is an existing access to the site, which will need to be upgraded to provide footways and junction arrangements for the promoted development and mitigation measures to protect residential amenity. The promoted development would include biodiversity enhancement measures, including additional landscaping with native planting and bird and bat boxes. For all these reasons it is requested that land south of Old House Road in Balsham is allocated for residential development in emerging GCLP. The Proposed Block Plan and Development Brief (prepared by Saunders Boston Architects) submitted with the call for sites response explained the design and layout of the promoted development, and could be used as a basis for a site allocation.