Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

Highly flexible

Paragraph 78 of the National Planning Policy Framework (‘NPPF’) acknowledges the role of villages and states “planning policies should identify opportunities for villages to grow and thrive, especially where this will support local services”. The adopted South Cambridgeshire Local Plan and in particular Policy S/10 does not allow Group Villages like Orwell to grow and as a consequence, given improvements to facilities and local services are often a result of development, the existing policy position does not allow for this. We therefore suggest, the emerging Local Plan is more flexible to development on the edge of a Village which will align with the NPPF and provide opportunities for sustainable growth alongside supporting and/or enhancing local services.

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

No answer given

We suggest by focusing the spatial strategy towards densification (development of brownfield land and building taller buildings) will be challenging and expensive to deliver as a result of acquisition costs, remediation and/or higher than normal construction costs. Not only will this Option be expensive, but we also suggest it will create delays with delivery as discussions around land assembly can be prolonged. In terms of the high development costs, this will invariably impact the viability of development and as a consequence, will affect the provision of affordable housing. Thus, given the existing issues around affordability in the Greater Cambridge area, we suggest the Council adopts a sound and credible spatial development strategy focused towards the development of greenfield land (outside of the Green Belt), that provides a realistic prospect of achieving the 40% target of affordable housing and which can be delivered quickly.

We support this Option. It is vital that a spatial strategy is adopted which allows villages to expand and as a result, will enable local services and infrastructure to be enhanced. As a consequence, this will result in locations becoming more sustainable. As set out in our response to Question 40, the adopted South Cambridgeshire Local Plan and in particular Policy S/10 does not allow Group Villages like Orwell to grow beyond the development framework – this cannot be considered sound. We therefore suggest a strategy is adopted which allows for villages to grow and thrive by providing opportunities for sustainable expansion alongside supporting and enhancing local infrastructure. Such a strategy will then accord with the National Planning Policy Framework (‘NPPF’).

Policy S/10 – Group Villages. As currently worded, the Policy does not allow villages like Orwell to grow. As a consequence, given improvements to facilities, local services and infrastructure are often a result of development, the existing policy does not allow villages to become more sustainable and/or provide for a diversity of population (for example, providing suitable properties for existing residents to downsize allowing new families to move in). We therefore suggest, the emerging Local Plan is more flexible to development on the edge of a Village which will align with the NPPF and provide opportunities for sustainable growth alongside supporting and enhancing local services.