Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

Natural Cambridgeshire’s Developing with Nature Toolkit seeks to achieve a net gain in biodiversity through new development. It is agreed that development, and in particular large-scale development with sufficient land available, 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. Land to the east of the Ridgeway and Old Pinewood Way, Papworth Everard was subject to a full suite of biodiversity surveys through the course of the previous applications for the proposed development of the site. These included recommendations for proposed mitigation and ecological enhancements including: retention of existing trees; avoiding vegetation clearance during the nesting bird season; complying with pollution prevention guidance; planting wildlife enhancing plants, trees and hedges; and installing bird, bat, hedgehog and insect boxes across the site.

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. Land to the east of the Ridgeway and Old Pinewood Way, Papworth Everard would provide additional housing and affordable housing for Papworth Everard. There are limited opportunities for infill development within the existing Development Framework boundary of the village. The proposed development would include significant areas of public open space, green infrastructure and biodiversity enhancements. The protected trees within the site would be retained and significant new woodland planting would take place. This approach to the proposed development would ensure that the proposals created an environment that would have a positive impact on the well-being of future residents and existing residents of the village utilising the new facilities that the proposed development would provide. The proposals would deliver the benefits that were associated with the previous proposal for the site including: reserving land for a pre-school facility; contributions towards primary and secondary school provision; library contribution; contribution for improvements to Papworth Surgery; enhancements to off-site public footpaths; enhancements to bus services to deliver an additional service in the peak hour; contributions towards cycle and pedestrian links between Papworth Everard and Cambourne. All of these contributions would assist in meeting the Council’s aim of achieving achieve ‘good growth’ that promotes wellbeing and social inclusion. The proposed development would also support existing services and facilities in Papworth Everard. Papworth Everard is defined as a Minor Rural Centre in South Cambridgeshire District Council's current settlement hierarchy and therefore sits towards the top of the Council’s settlement hierarchy. Papworth Everard contains an extensive range of services and facilities including a convenience store, hairdressers, fish and chip shop, coffee shop and a restaurant, a primary school, children’s nurseries, post office, library, doctor’s surgery/health centre, veterinary surgery, churches and village hall. Development has also commenced to deliver a bakery, microbrewery and Public House on the former print works site, south of Church Lane. Papworth Hospital was previously the main employer in the village although the facilities and functions of the hospital have now been relocated. The former hospital site is however positively promoted within the adopted plan for future employment generating uses and is being actively marketed currently. Papworth Business Park, located at the southern edge of the village, is the main employment area. The extensive range of services, facilities and employment opportunities which exist within Papworth Everard are all reflective of its designation as a Minor Rural Centre. Where people do need to travel out of the village, access to an established bus service which provides connections from the village to Cambourne, St Neots, Cambridge, Huntingdon and St Ives. The main bus route is provided by the X3 bus. While this service currently provides an hourly service, there are gaps in the timetable during the AM and PM peak hour. As a result, it is very difficult for residents of Papworth to utilise this as a commuter service. It was therefore agreed with the operator during the consideration of the previous applications on the site that the development would deliver enhancements to the service to provide additional services in the AM and PM peak hours. Such an improvement will significantly boost the attractiveness of the service for existing and future residents. In addition to the above, Cambridgeshire County Council are seeking to deliver a cycle and pedestrian link from Papworth to Cambourne. It is the County Council’s intention to deliver a 2m wide cycle path along the eastern side of the A1198 to provide a link between the existing cycle path located north of the A1198/A428 junction, and the existing footpath network at the southern point of Papworth. The County’s programme for delivering this connection are not known at this time, it was however agreed that the previous applications would contribute towards the delivery of this link. When delivered, it will provide a direct cycle link to Cambourne and all of the facilities provided within it. In January 2020 the preferred route options for East West Rail was announced and it was confirmed that this would link existing stations in Bedford and Cambridge with communities in Cambourne, just to the south of Papworth Everard. East West rail plans to connect communities between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge, creating new opportunities and improving quality of life for people across the area by: • Making it cheaper and quicker to get around the area – connecting people to their jobs, homes and families, as well as businesses to their employees, suppliers and customers. • Supporting new housing to make it more affordable – so people can afford to live and work in the area, and businesses can afford to create more jobs and increase productivity. It is proposed that services would run all the way from Oxford to Cambridge before the end of the decade. At the moment it is estimated that the current journey times by public transport could be reduced to: • Around 35 minutes between Bedford and Cambridge, a reduction of 40 minutes compared to the existing bus link. • Around 90 minutes between Oxford and Cambridge, a reduction of around 60 minutes compared to existing rail connections via London. East West rail will clearly bring significant benefits to Greater Cambridgeshire. Whilst the exact location of the proposed station at Cambourne is yet to be confirmed, given Papworth Everard’s proximity to Cambourne and the existing and proposed links that there are between Papworth Everard and Cambourne; the village is in a prime location to sustainably accommodate new development where resident will have a genuine choice of sustainable travel modes to access employment, facilities and services. In addition to East West Rail, Highways England announced their preferred route for the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet Improvements in February 2019. Following this (June and July 2019) consultation took place on their developed route option. These improvements will result in significant benefits including: • Safety: Improve safety at junctions, side roads and private accesses by reducing traffic flows on the existing A428. • Connectivity: The improvements will cut journey times by more than a third at peak times between Black Cat and Caxton Gibbet junctions. • Economic growth: Enable growth in jobs and housing and improve connections between people and jobs. • Community: Improve the safety of horse riders, cyclist, walkers and connecting communities. Highways England remain committed to the new road opening in 2025/26. As Caxton Gibbet is located just to the south of Papworth Everard, these proposed improvements will significantly improve accessibility to and from the village, particularly when accessing employment, services and facilities to the west. It is clear from the proposed infrastructure projects described above that Papworth Everard is in a prime location to benefit from these schemes which will improve transport choice and reduce journey times. Papworth Everard, an already sustainable settlement, is therefore in a location within Greater Cambridge that will become increasingly sustainable over the Plan period and should be a key focus for growth in order to ensure that the benefits of these infrastructure projects are fully exploited by the emerging GCLP. The site is, therefore, clearly accessible to a range of services, facilities and employment opportunities providing a positive platform to encourage social inclusion for all.

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 and public transport hubs to reduce in-commuting and travel by car.

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. Land to the east of the Ridgeway and Old Pinewood Way, Papworth Everard would be consistent with guidance and initiatives to support healthy lifestyles by including significant areas of public open space and green infrastructure. Two LEAPs are proposed, one located within the northern half or the site and one in the southern half. Both are located within larger areas of open space and in areas in close proximity to proposed or existing recreational routes in order to maximise their accessibility to help create a valuable new community asset and promote healthy lifestyles. At the detailed design stage, they would be designed to complement their attractive setting by incorporating natural materials, play elements and new landscaping. In accordance with the Council’s Open Space New Development SPD, the LEAPs would be equipped with a minimum of 9 pieces of play equipment that would aim to provide play opportunities for a range of age groups. At the detailed design stage, the play areas would also be designed to take account of the needs of disabled children. The areas of public open space that enclosed the Proposed Development to the north and east, together with the new open space corridors that cross the Site in an east to west direction, would provide a substantial new asset for informal recreational activities. This would be bolstered by the proposed area of additional woodland planting to the north of Papworth Wood SSSI. An extract from the previously submitted plan identifying the location of this new woodland is provided below for completeness. See attached PDF Residents of the proposed development would also support existing services and facilities in Papworth Everard. Papworth Everard is defined as a Minor Rural Centre in South Cambridgeshire District Council's current settlement hierarchy and therefore sits towards the top of the Council’s settlement hierarchy. Papworth Everard contains an extensive range of services and facilities including a convenience store, hairdressers, fish and chip shop, coffee shop and a restaurant, a primary school, children’s nurseries, post office, library, doctor’s surgery/health centre, veterinary surgery, churches and village hall. Development has also commenced to deliver a bakery, microbrewery and Public House on the former print works site, south of Church Lane. Papworth Hospital was previously the main employer in the village although the facilities and functions of the hospital have now been relocated. The former hospital site is however positively promoted within the adopted plan for future employment generating uses. Papworth Business Park, located at the southern edge of the village, is the main employment area. The services, facilities and employment opportunities which exist within Papworth Everard are all reflective of its designation as a Minor Rural Centre. Having services, facilities and employment opportunities within the village is likely to encourage active modes of transport, such as walking and cycling, which would also promote healthy lifestyles.

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. It will also be important to ensure that the emerging GCLP allocates sites which have good prospects of deliverability within appropriate timescales. This is considered more important withing Greater Cambridge as new settlements allocated in previous Plans have been slow to deliver and this has had a negative effect on the supply of both market and affordable housing across Greater Cambridgeshire. Land to the east of the Ridgeway and Old Pinewood Way, Papworth Everard is being promoted by a housebuilder that would develop out the site themselves. The site has been subject to two previous planning applications and Bloor Homes Eastern remain committed to the delivery of housing at this site. Should the site be allocated, Bloor Homes Eastern would expect a delivery rate of 60 dwelling per year for a site of this size. The site could therefore be built out within 2.7 years once a start on site was made and therefore within the early years of the plan period.

Yes, strongly 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.

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 submitted Concept Masterplan for land to the east of the Ridgeway and Old Pinewood Way, Papworth Everard demonstrates how 160 dwellings could come forward on the site. The promoted development includes options to provide a range of dwelling sizes and styles and affordable housing to meet local needs of Papworth Everard. In 2018 there was an identified need for 56 affordable dwellings in Papworth Everard for those with a local connection to the village – see South Cambridgeshire District Council's 'Housing Statistical Information Leaflet' December 2018. The delivery of 160 dwellings at Land to the east of the Ridgeway and Old Pinewood Way, Papworth Everard with a level of affordable housing which is compliant with current planning policy requirements (40%) would deliver 64 affordable dwellings. This would address the current need that there is for affordable housing within Papworth Everard and help address future needs also.

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. Land to the east of the Ridgeway and Old Pinewood Way, Papworth Everard is a sustainable settlement where the use of more sustainable modes of transport can be promoted. Papworth Everard is defined as a Minor Rural Centre in South Cambridgeshire District Council's current settlement hierarchy and therefore sits towards the top of the Council’s settlement hierarchy. Papworth Everard contains an extensive range of services and facilities including a convenience store, hairdressers, fish and chip shop, coffee shop and a restaurant, a primary school, children’s nurseries, post office, library, doctor’s surgery/health centre, veterinary surgery, churches and village hall. Development has also commenced to deliver a bakery, microbrewery and Public House on the former print works site, south of Church Lane. Accessibility to these services from the site is illustrated on Connections Plan. As will be noted, the site is very well connected to existing services and facilities within the village. Papworth Hospital has previously been the main employer in the village although the facilities and functions of the hospital have now been relocated. The former hospital site is however positively promoted within the adopted plan for future employment generating uses and is being marketed for such uses. Papworth Business Park, located at the southern edge of the village, is the main employment area. The services, facilities and employment opportunities which exist within Papworth Everard are all reflective of its designation as a Minor Rural Centre. Where people do need to travel out of the village, access to an established bus service which provides connections from the village to Cambourne, St Neots, Cambridge, Huntingdon and St Ives. The main bus route is provided by the X3 bus. While this service currently provides an hourly service, there are gaps in the timetable during the AM and PM peak hour. As a result it is very difficult for residents of Papworth to utilise this as a commuter service. It was therefore agreed with the operator during the consideration of the previous applications on the site that the development would deliver enhancements to the service to provide additional services in the AM and PM peak hours. In addition to the above, Cambridgeshire County Council are seeking to deliver a cycle and pedestrian link from Papworth to Cambourne. It is the County Council’s intention to deliver a 2m wide cycle path along the eastern side of the A1198 to provide a link between the existing cycle path located north of the A1198/A428 junction, and the existing footpath network at the southern point of Papworth. The County’s programme for delivering this connection are not known at this time, it was however agreed that the previous applications would contribute towards the delivery of this link. When delivered, it will provide a direct cycle link to Cambourne and all of the facilities provided within it.

Highly flexible

It is noted that the existing defined settlement boundaries for most villages in South Cambridgeshire have remained largely unchanged since the Local Plan 2004; although sites were allocated within and on the edge of some villages in the Site Specific Allocations DPD in 2010 and for the adopted South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018. It is very likely that most of the development opportunities within existing village boundaries have been taken up by now. It is also likely that heritage assets within villages, such as conservation areas and listed buildings, will constrain development opportunities. It is not clear whether the Councils have undertaken an assessment of the capacity of villages to accommodate additional development; it is likely that such an assessment would demonstrate that the capacity is limited. This is certainly considered to be so in the case of Papworth Everard On the basis of the above, it is considered that the current site size threshold limits in the adopted South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018 are largely irrelevant and ineffective e.g. there are few outstanding development opportunities for up to 30 dwellings within existing framework boundaries in Minor Rural Centres, and Papworth Everard is an example where there are few opportunities within the boundary. In any event, there are numerous examples between 2014 and 2019 when planning applications were approved and appeals were allowed on sites within and on the edge of settlements that were contrary to the existing site size threshold limits. Therefore, it is considered that the emerging GCLP should seek to allocate suitable sites on the edge of existing sustainable villages, in conjunction with a general policy that supports development within existing framework boundaries but without specifying any size limits. This suggested approach would ensure that sufficient land is allocated for development at villages to support services and facilities and ensure that sufficient physical and community infrastructure can be planned, and would provide some flexibility about development within village boundaries so that the form and scale of development reflects site specific characteristics. In a Papworth context, such an approach would also ensure sufficient growth is delivered to meet the existing and future housing need and specifically affordable housing need which, as se out above, currently stands at 56 dwellings and which is likely to growth in the future. If future growth is constrained, this unmet affordable housng need will remain.

Public Transport Corridors, Dispersal: Villages, Densification of existing urban areas, Edge of Cambridge: Outside Green Belt, Edge of Cambridge: Green Belt, Dispersal: New Settlements

There are limited opportunities and constraints to development within the urban area of Cambridge, there are limited opportunities for development on the edge of Cambridge which are not in the Green Belt and those opportunities require the relocation of existing uses, and new settlements are complex and typically do not provide policy compliant levels of affordable housing. The option of focussing development along public transport corridors, including within existing settlements which are well connected, is preferred. The promoted development at Land to the east of the Ridgeway and Old Pinewood Way, Papworth Everard would be consistent with this approach.