Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

Response to Question 2 - Additional Information Land South of Milton Road, Impington was promoted to the call for sites process in March 2019 for the proposed development of up to 50 dwellings, including affordable dwellings, and a community park (4.8ha) to provide recreation and leisure facilities. The site is located on the north eastern edge of the village of Impington and currently comprises agricultural land. Existing residential development is located to the south of the site along St Andrews Way. The remainder of the site’s southern boundary is formed by an existing field boundary. An existing residential dwelling also borders the site to the east. The remainder of this site boundary is also formed by an existing field boundary. The northern and western site boundaries are defined by Milton Road. The site is currently located within the Green Belt. It is considered that exceptional circumstances exist to justify the release of land from the Green Belt, which are related to the need for housing and affordable housing in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire and the deficit that there is in open space provision with Histon and Impington. It is also considered that the development at the site would have no adverse impact on the compactness or setting of Cambridge and it would not lead to merging of villages, as such, the site makes a limited contribution to the purposes for including land within the Green Belt. The adopted development strategy seeks to direct development to locations in the following order of preference: sites on the edge of Cambridge; within new settlements; at Rural Centres; and at Minor Rural Centres. Histon and Impington are designated as a Rural Centre. The villages of Histon and Impington extend to the south west of the site and have a number of facilities and services including schools, doctor’s surgeries, sports centre, shops, pubs, restaurants and a post office. Histon and Impington are connected to Cambridge and Ely by a frequent bus service, and are also on a cycle route into Cambridge. The site is promoted by a developer, Flagship Housing Group, who has previously submitted and withdrawn a planning application for the proposed development. All necessary technical surveys have been completed and formed part of the application submission. Flagship are a Housing Association (registered charity) and provide homes for affordable and market rent, and for sale, across the East of England. They maintain their own housing stock and support the communities which they are part of. Flagship have approximately 28,000 homes (335 of which are in South Cambridgeshire with more currently being built at Papworth Everard and Cambourne), 1,045 employees (including 18 apprenticeships), and achieve a customer satisfaction rate of 90%. Flagship’s purpose is to provide homes for people in need and the proposed development of Land South of Milton Road, Impington will be key to contributing to this purpose.

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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 South of Milton Road, Impington incorporates significant areas for open space and landscaping within the Community Park element of the proposal which could be utilised to deliver biodiversity enhancements across the site in order to ensure that a net biodiversity gain is achieved.

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 South of Milton Road, Impington could contribute significantly to achieving the Council’s aim of good growth that promotes wellbeing and social inclusion. The proposals include for a significant area (4.8ha) to be brought forward as a Community Park. This would provide much needed additional open space for leisure and recreation within the villages, where there is a deficit of 10.75ha of open space against South Cambridgeshire District Council’s policy requirements. This would clearly bring significant benefits for the wellbeing of residents by offering additional opportunities for sport, recreation and spending time outside and surrounded by nature. This would also be a place that would encourage interaction between members of the community which will assist with social inclusion within the villages. Additionally, the developer, Flagship, are a Housing Association (registered charity) whose purpose is to provide homes for people in need. They maintain their own housing stock and support the communities which they are part of. In addition to the delivery of the Community Park described above Flagship are committed to delivery 50% affordable housing on this site. The proposals for Land South of Milton Road, Impington can clearly make a significant contribution to achieving the Councils aim of good growth that promotes wellbeing and social inclusion.18. How do you think we can make sure that we achieve safe and inclusive communities when planning new development? 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 to reduce in-commuting.

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. The promoted development at Land South of Milton Road, Impington would make a significant positive contribution to support healthy lifestyles. The proposals include for a significant area (4.8ha) to be brought forward as a Community Park. This would provide much needed additional open space for leisure and recreation within the villages, where there is a deficit of 10.75ha of open space against South Cambridgeshire District Council’s policy requirements. This would clearly bring significant benefits for promoting healthy lifestyles within the community as residents would have the space they required for to pursue sports and recreational activities. In addition to this significant area of open space, the previous application for the proposed development of the site included significant improvements to pedestrian and cycle connectivity to the site. These would encourage active modes of travel both for user of the Community Park and future residents of the proposed residential development, also contributing to promoting healthy lifestyles. Histon and Impington also have good existing cycle links into Cambridge with a journey time form Impington to Central Cambridge of approximately 20 minutes. This makes cycling for the purpose of commuting to work a real possibility and can also encourage healthy lifestyle choices.31. How should the Local Plan help to meet our needs for the amount and types of new homes? 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.

Yes, somewhat 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. Land South of Milton Road, Impington could provide a mix of dwelling types and sizes to meet the varied need that there is for additional housing across Greater Cambridge.

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. The previous planning application that was submitted for Land South of Milton Road, Impington included significant improvements to pedestrian and cycle connectivity to the site. These would increase the sustainability of the site and encourage a shift away from car use for users and the Community Park and future residents of the proposed dwellings. This would also encourage active modes of travel contributing to promoting healthy lifestyles. Histon and Impington are also in a sustainable location with a number of different travel options available to residents. There are good existing cycle links into Cambridge with a journey time form Impington to Central Cambridge of approximately 20 minutes. There is a shared-use footway/cycleway along the entire length of Milton Road, to the north of the Land South of Milton Road, Impington site, providing access to the Milton Road Park and Ride to the east. The shared-use footway/cycleway adjacent to the Guided Busway can be accessed via the oncarriageway cycle route along New Road, to the east of the site, which connects to the National Cycleway on Bridge Road. Histon and Impington also benefits from regular bus services to destinations including: Cambridge, Cottenham, Ely, Milton and Milton Park and Ride. Cambridge North Railway Station is located approximately 5km south-east. Access to Cambridge North Railway Station can be achieved via bus services A and N that operate along the Guided Busway. Alternatively, the station is highly accessible for cyclist via the shared use footway/cycleway which extends east along the Guided Busway, with journey times of approximately 16 minutes. Services to London Kings Cross operate every 30 minutes and facilitate access to a number of destinations including Letchworth Garden City, Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City. Services to London Liverpool Street and Norwich operate hourly. The service to London Liverpool Street provides access to destinations in Bishops Stortford, Harlow and Cheshunt. The service to Norwich facilitates access to Ely and Thetford. The rail services towards London from Cambridge North Railway Station also provide access to Cambridge Railway Station where services can be boarded toward Birmingham, Stansted Airport, Kings Lynn and Ipswich. There are, therefore, a number of existing options within Histon and Impington that encourage the use of more sustainable travel modes. This increases the sustainability credentials of the settlement and highlights its importance in supporting future sustainable development within Greater Cambride

Nothing chosen

Yes. Paragraph 136 of the NPPF allows Green Belt boundaries to be altered through the plan-making process provided exceptional circumstances exist, and those exceptional circumstances should be based on evidence and justified. Therefore, it is appropriate to consider whether to review Green Belt boundaries through the emerging GCLP. It is considered that exceptional circumstances exist to release land from the Green Belt, which are related to the significant need for housing and affordable housing in Greater Cambridge and the need to support economic growth. Paragraph 137 requires plan-making authorities to examine all other reasonable options to meet identified development needs before considering whether exceptional circumstances exist to justify changes to Green Belt boundaries i.e. make as much use of previously developed land, increase the density of development, and consider whether development needs could be accommodated in neighbouring areas. In the case of Cambridge increasing densities and reusing previously developed land is not straightforward and may be inappropriate because of heritage assets and the difficulty of finding alternative sites for existing uses. Paragraph 138 requires any review of Green Belt boundaries to consider the need to promote sustainable patterns of development, and that where the release of land from the Green Belt is necessary that priority is given to previously developed land or sites that are well-served by public transport. It is considered that Histon and Impington are well served by public transport. Land South of Milton Road, Impington should be released from the Green Belt as it provides an opportunity to deliver a Community Park of 4.8ha. This would help to address the existing and significant deficit (10.75ha) that there is for open space within Histon and Impington whilst delivering much needed new homes, including affordable homes, within Greater Cambridge. The site is also in a sustainable location with good public transport links. The proposals for the site would also include measures to increase its accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists, improving the site’s sustainability credentials. Additionally, the developer, Flagship, are a Housing Association (registered charity) whose purpose is to provide homes for people in need. They maintain their own housing stock and support the communities which they are part of. In addition to the delivery of the Community Park described above Flagship are committed to delivery 50% affordable housing on this site. Paragraph 134 of the NPPF states that the Green Belt serves five purposes: a) to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas; Response: The site is located on the north eastern edge of the village of Impington. Impington and Histon are villages which fall within the Cambridge Green Belt although they are located to the north of the city and are physically separated from it by the A14. The proposals comprise a total area of 7.8ha, with the proposed residential element comprising just 3ha, and are not, therefore considered to represent unrestricted sprawl. b) to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another; Response: Milton is the closest neighbouring village to the application site and is located 2km to the east. The proposals will not, therefore, result in the merging of two neighbouring villages. c) to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment; Response: The Landscape and Visual Assessment submitted with the previous application for the site demonstrated that the proposals could incorporate numerous mitigation measures that would assist in integrating the proposed development into the surrounding countryside. Additionally, the community park would allow for increased opportunities for recreational use of the countryside which is encouraged by paragraph 118 of the NPPF and a number of other themes of the emerging LP. d) to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns; and Response: The South Cambridgeshire Local Plan confirms that one of the specific functions of the Cambridge Green Belt is to preserve the setting and special character historic towns. Land South of Milton Road, Impington is removed from the city of Cambridge and the proposal will not have any impact on its setting or special character. Detailed proposals for the site would be designed with the special character of the villages of Histon and Impington in mind. Accordingly, the proposals will not have a detrimental impact on the setting of special character of Histon and Impington. e) to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land. Response: As set out above, in the case of Cambridge increasing densities and reusing previously developed land is not straightforward and may be inappropriate because of heritage assets and the difficulty of finding alternative sites for existing uses.

Strongly agree. It should be noted that some villages, including Histon and Impington, are also located in the Green Belt and are on transport corridors, and as such development options that include these locations are also supported. As set out in the response to Question 39 national guidance allows the release of land from the Green Belt through the plan-making process, and that exceptional circumstances exist to release land which is related to the significant need for housing and affordable housing in Greater Cambridge and the need to support economic growth. Therefore, it is considered that land on the edge of villages and within the Green Belt, such as Histon and Impington, should also be considered as options to meet development needs. Paragraph 102 of the NPPF expects transport issues to be considered at the earliest stages of planmaking. 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. Land South of Milton Road, Impington is in a sustainable location with good public transport links. The proposals for the site would also include measures to increase its accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists, improving the site’s sustainability credentials. Paragraph 78 of the NPPF seeks to promote sustainable development in rural areas, and acknowledges the role that housing has in enhancing or maintaining the vitality of rural communities and supporting local services. Land South of Milton Road, Impington provides a unique opportunity to deliver a Community Park of 4.8ha, to address an existing deficit (10.75ha) in open space provision, alongside 50 much needed new homes. Additionally, the developer, Flagship, are a Housing Association and are committed to the delivery 50% affordable housing on this site to meet local need in Impington. In 2018 there was an identified need for 48 affordable dwellings in Impington for those with a local connection to the village – see South Cambridgeshire District Council's 'Housing Statistical Information Leaflet' (December 2018). Histon and Impington have a number of facilities and services including schools, doctor’s surgeries, sports centre, shops, pubs, restaurants and a post office. There are also a number of employment opportunities within the villages, notably at Compass Point Business Park. The proposed development of Land South of Milton Road, Impington would therefore deliver a significant number of benefits for the villages and the wider Greater Cambridge area and is located in an area that is sustainable and suitable for growth.

No choices made

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 options of focussing development in the Green Belt and along public transport corridors are preferred; the promoted development at Land South of Milton Road, Impington would be consistent with both of these approaches.