Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

Land West of High Street, Fowlmere, Cambs

2.6

Site 40252 map

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Response to Question 2 3.1 The Site was submitted as part of the Call for Sites consultation in 2019 and Wates Developments are continuing to promote the Site for allocation in the Local Plan. 3.2 Wates Residential are submitting two parcels of land at Fowlmere for consideration and site allocation in the Greater Cambridge Local Plan. A Site location plan is included at Appendix 1. The sites include the following: ● The northern parcel is 2.4 hectares and could accommodate approximately 40-50 dwellings. ● The southern parcel is 7.6 hectares and could accommodate approximately 120-150 dwellings. The Opportunity 3.3 The Site lies outside but adjacent to the existing development framework and a residential allocation is sought through the emerging new Local Plan. The Site offers the potential to create a high quality and sustainable extension to Fowlmere though the provision of market and affordable new homes. Wates Residential is seeking to develop approximately 10ha of land. 3.4 Our proposal would seek to retain and enhance existing natural features including trees and hedgerow for the benefit of flora and fauna. The retention of trees and hedgerows provides mature planting with aesthetic value that helps to mitigate the visual impact of future development. 3.5 The site has the ability to provide new public open space and consolidate the character of the proposed development. New houses will have the ability to front onto the new public open space created for the new and existing community. The proposal could come forward in such a way to create views to the countryside, in doing so, helping to maintain the rural character of the village. 3.6 The site offers the opportunity to provide a landscape corridor connecting landscape assets. These landscape corridors provide conduits for local wildlife while also providing safe and attractive routes for pedestrians and cyclists. 3.7 The site can be allocated for new market and affordable homes with a variety of types and materials that blend well with the existing historic character of Fowlmere. A range of housing types allow for villagers with families or those who wish to downsize or get a foot onto the housing ladder as first-time buyers. 3.8 The principles can be summarised as following: ● Provide up to 200 homes (Inc. affordable housing); ● Retain and enhance existing natural features for the benefit of flora and fauna; ● Retention of trees and hedgerows provides mature planting with aesthetic value that helps to mitigate the visual impact of future development; Page 5 ● Establish views through the Site providing connections with the open countryside helping to maintain the rural character of the village; and, ● Provision of green infrastructure to encourage ecological corridors and increase bio-diversity. Responding to the Four Big Themes 3.9 The proposal responds to the four ‘big themes’ of the emerging Local Plan as follows: ● Climate Change – new dwellings will be providing improvements to energy efficiencies and the potential to include renewable energies. The Site is close to Foxton Railway Station providing alternatives to private car use for residents. ● Biodiversity and Green Space – the Site has potential of on-site green infrastructure and retaining and enhancing vegetation will create an ecological and recreational asset to be enjoyed by future and existing residents; ● Wellbeing and Social Inclusion – the proposals would incorporate a mix of housing sizes, types and tenures, to help meet the needs of the District and local community. The proposals would also promote healthy lifestyles and wellbeing through the provision of on-site recreation; and, ● Great Places – a landscape-led approach would ensure the design and layout of the scheme comes forward creating high quality residential dwellings. Benefits to be delivered by the proposals 3.10 The Site has the potential to deliver sustainable development in accordance with the three dimensions of sustainable development identified at paragraph 7 of the NPPF, whilst also securing a number of benefits to both Fowlmere and the wider Greater Cambridge area, including the following: Economic Benefits ● New jobs will be created through the construction phase of the development, both directly and through supply chains; ● New residents will help to sustain existing shops, services and facilities across a number of small villages due to higher footfall and patronage once the development is occupied; ● Unlike a series of smaller scale developments, a proposal of this size is likely to generate Section 106 contributions towards improving local infrastructure; ● Additional revenue will be generated through the New Homes Bonus. Social Benefits ● The potential to deliver market and affordable new homes to assist Greater Cambridge in meeting their objectively assessed housing needs; ● The potential to deliver a range of dwelling size, type and tenure to meet locally identified housing need and creating a mixed and sustainable community; ● There is potential to create significant accessible open space. The provision of such a large area of open space is unlikely to be feasible on smaller scale or constrained brownfield sites; ● There is potential to deliver play facilities on the Site to meet an identified local need. Again, the provision of play facilities is unlikely to be feasible on smaller scale or constrained brownfield sites. Environmental Benefits ● Despite the rural location, the Site is near Foxton Railway Station providing an alternative to car travel to Cambridge and beyond; ● The Site is not at risk of flooding; ● The majority of the existing tree and hedgerow planting around the periphery of the Site and along the internal field boundary can be retained and incorporated into the proposal; ● Significant additional tree planting can be incorporated throughout the Site. This will also contribute towards biodiversity enhancements; ● The Northern Site includes a series of former buildings and structures, the proposal would potentially improve the appearance of this Site, which is also in a Conservation area; ● The Site offers the potential for significant biodiversity net gain. Deliverability 3.11 This Site is considered “deliverable” as defined by the NPPF (Glossary). Specifically, the Site is available now, offers a suitable location for development now, and is achievable with a realistic prospect that housing will be delivered on the Site within five years of adoption of the plan. 3.12 The Site is located in a sustainable location, Fowlmere is a village with a primary school and has a range of services and facilities appropriate for its size and character. It is in close proximity with other small settlements which, together, offer a range of services and facilities that a thriving rural community requires.

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Agree

4.1 Agree - The proposed Local Plan period up to 2040 is considered appropriate and to accord with the requirements set out within the NPPF for local authorities to identify a sufficient supply and mix of sites between years 1-15 of the plan (Para 67). 4.2 As recognised, Greater Cambridge falls at the crossroads of a number of key economic corridors, including the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, London-Stansted Corridor and the Cambridge-Norwich tech corridor. The Oxford-Cambridge Arc in particular is a key economic priority as recognised by Central Government. Further work on the delivery of these initiatives will take place including the need for cooperation between authorities and stakeholders. 4.3 It is imperative that the New Local Plan has flexibility to allow for additional growth to come forward to meet the needs of this important initiative as it develops through cross boundary and national discussions take place, potentially within the early/mid stages of the plan period.

Nothing chosen

5.1 The four big themes for the Local Plan are considered suitable and all are important in the consideration of the spatial distribution of growth in the district, and for the determination of planning applications. 5.2 The four big themes will generate a new way of planning, this may require a different way to make decisions; to allow other impacts to happen to achieve these four priorities. The Local Plan policy framework will need to allow for a clear planning balance to take place to assess and prioritise impacts. 5.3 The development proposals would contribute to the four big themes as outlined in question two.

5.5 The increased focus on climate change is welcomed. Climate change policy and good practice is changing quickly, and the plan will need to build in suitable flexibility to accommodate these changes within the lifetime of the plan. Climate change scenarios predict extensive changes by 2050, much of which is dependent on government and human action so there is substantial uncertainty over outcomes. 5.6 A needlessly stringent policy may inadvertently impede progress towards later years in the plan, or undermine results by not allowing for site-specific refinement. For example, policy for electric vehicle charging points should be sufficiently flexible to accommodate that quickly changing technology, as well the current grid challenges in implemented EV charging places. Energy policies should include flexibility for changing legislation, and technology, as well as the opportunity to refine a plan-wide policy for site specifics. As the Zero Carbon Futures Symposium Report (2019) submitted within the evidence base notes on page 10: where targets are too limited, and without consideration of project contexts, policy can drive dysfunctional behaviour such as photovoltaic solar panels being installed on North facing roofs merely to achieve policy compliance not to produce effective carbon reductions. 5.7 If the new Local Plan is to achieve its ambitious targets on climate change the Councils should consider new ways of achieving net zero. It should recognise that seeking to achieve net zero on all sites regardless of their location and site-specific factors may not be feasible. Linked initiatives such as an offsetting scheme, secured through S106 financial contributions, could be an appropriate way of achieving net zero for small and medium developments. As recognised in the NPPF, small and medium developments, with their ability to be delivered early in the plan period at pace, will play an important role in meeting the Council’s housing requirements and the needs of existing villages. Such sites may best secure net zero by contributing to an offsite initiative or other ways, which further reinforces the need for flexibility in the approach to applying policies. 5.8 The local plan Sustainability Appraisal (SA) should address variable climate change scenarios, as we would expect that different climate change scenarios will be of interest at examination. Lack of rigorous assessment of these scenarios in the SA could lead to the plan being found unsound.

Nothing chosen

5.9 A policy approach with multiple options for delivering net zero carbon is likely to be most effective in delivering development, as well as carbon neutrality. A multi-pronged approach should allow different solutions for different developments, reflecting context. For example, for some developments, Passivhaus energy standards may be achievable (going well above and beyond minimums set out in the Building Regulations), but for others, Building Regulations may need to be followed but an offset solution, such as a green bond or offset fund, could be used to achieve a net carbon reduction. Possible options need to be worked up in more detail as the Plan progresses and must build in flexibility.

5.10 This Local Plan must deliver effective policy which protects and enhances natural capital. We support delivery of net gain for new development. Such policy must be flexible enough to enable creative and cost-effective solutions for the delivery of net gain and support the Vision for the Natural Future of Cambridgeshire in 2050 as outlined by Natural Cambridgeshire and affiliated organisations. 5.11 An off-site net gain solution should be clearly allowed for by policy. While it is a Local Plan priority as a part of one of the four big themes, the Local Plan policy must allow for a planning judgement and balanced decision to allow for site and development specific issues to be considered. 5.12 For reference as to how land west of High Street Fowlmere could improve the natural environment, please refer to Question 2. Development of the site will allow for existing vegetation to be retained and enhanced where appropriate, and together with new planting is likely to have a positive bio-diversity net gain.

5.13 This should come through from an up-to-date base assessment of Greater Cambridge assets, which leads to a Local Plan wide (and beyond) strategy. Development proposals can then be shaped around the identified priorities. As part of a policy framework that allows for off-site mitigation and off-site net gain enhancements can be used to improve the wider green space network.

5.14 The new Local Plan must ensure that policy in this matter is sufficiently flexible to accommodate the required biodiversity net gain in the most effective and efficient way for each development, with both on-site and off-site solutions possible. 5.15 For reference as to how land west of High Street Fowlmere could improve the natural environment please refer to Question 2. Development of the site will allow for, retain and enhance existing natural features for the benefit of flora and fauna where appropriate. The retention of trees and hedgerows provides mature planting with aesthetic value that helps to mitigate the visual impact of future development.