Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

3.1 The Local Plan will need to provide sufficient amount and variety of land to ensure that housing needs in Greater Cambridge are fully met. Alongside economic evidence, it is equally important to understand the environmental implications of future growth and how low carbon developments and lifestyles can be facilitated through the development strategy. 3.2 Large, strategic sites located within transport corridors have huge potential to promote a transition towards low/zero carbon lifestyles through the scale of improvements that such settlements can deliver in terms of: • District/Community-scale heating systems, renewable energies, water efficiency/greywater recycling systems etc. • sustainable transport infrastructure • location of higher housing densities around services and transport nodes • high degrees of internalization and reduced travel needs • provision of mixed uses and co-located uses • access to open space and sports • integration of smarter infrastructure and technologies 3.3 As stated in paragraph 72 of the NPPF, the supply of large numbers of new homes can often be best achieved through large scale developments, such as new settlements, provided they are well located and designed and supported by the necessary infrastructure and facilities. The Site put forward by Gallagher Development Groups Limited is of sufficient scale and location to meet this objective and to support the delivery of a highly sustainable new settlement.

Yes, strongly agree

4.1 Yes, strongly agree. 4.2 The current Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire Local Plans seek to provide a combined 33,500 dwellings to be built up to 2031. The area suffers a great disparity between housing provision and affordability. This is acknowledged within Figure 19 of the Issues and Options document itself and accompanying paragraph 4.6.3 confirms ‘Greater Cambridge is an expensive place to buy or rent a home. High prices are fuelled by high demand, which itself is fuelled by the strength of the local economy which attracts highly skilled workers’. The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Independent Economic Review (CPIER) Report confirms that growth in the employment sector has not been matched by proportionate house-buildings. The result has been large increases in house prices. 4.3 Greater Cambridge is located within the key economic corridors of the Oxford – Cambridge arc, the London – Stansted - Cambridge corridor and the Cambridge – Norwich tech corridor. The Oxford – Cambridge arc seeks to create a strategic vision corridor between the University cities. Its goal is to deliver 1 million dwellings in the arc by 2050, to be complemented by the infrastructure projects of the East-West Expressway and East-West Rail. At the eastern end of the arc, the driver is the City of Cambridge and its need for residential development to complement its skilled workforce. 4.4 The CPIER report provides a number of Key Recommendations to assist with growth in the area. Key Recommendation #5 of the CPIER Final Report September 2018 states: “There should be a review of housing requirements based on the potential for higher growth in employment than currently forecast by the EEFM. This review should take into account the continuing dialogue between ONS and the Centre for Business Research on employment numbers as well as the impact of the Cambridge-Milton Keynes-Oxford Arc. This should be used to set new targets which are likely to be higher than those already set – at the very least adding on accumulated backlog.” 4.5 A higher target of dwellings would assist in meeting the goals of the arc. A further positive resulting from increased housing numbers would be the subsequent proportion of affordable housing. At present, Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District Council seek affordable housing provision of 40% for schemes over 15 dwellings. Should the Plan seek 66,700 dwellings rather than the 40,900 dwellings from the standard method calculation, then this could provide over 10,000 much needed affordable houses.

5.1 Creating a modal shift in transport use away from the car will require a significant number of factors working together. The Local Plan has the ability to bring together some of these facets and ensure that, when considered together, the result of developments will likely see less vehicle journeys and an increase use of public transport. 5.2 Two key factors are the location and scale of development. Cambridge suffers from significant congestion at peak times due to daily trips undertaken. Development of new settlements within transport corridors with access to sustainable transport infrastructure are a very effective way of encouraging a shift away from car use towards more sustainable travel modes not only through access to new sustainable transport initiatives such as the Cambridge Autonomous Metro, but also through the creation of mixed use developments with high levels of service provision that reduce the need for external trips. 5.3 Paragraph 103 of the NPPF encourages significant development to be focused on locations which are or can be made sustainable through limiting the need to travel and offering a genuine choice of transport modes. The A428 corridor running due west of Cambridge to Cambourne and St Neots presents a broad transport corridor that is due to receive substantial investment in relation to East West rail (including the new station at Cambourne) and the Cambridge Automated Metro. Both of these transport interventions will provide a sustainable of transport modes within this growth corridor and are due to be constructed well within the next local plan period. Accordingly, this area of Greater Cambridge presents a highly sustainable location for major, strategic development.

7.1 As stated in paragraph 72 of the NPPF, the supply of large numbers of new homes can often be best achieved through large scale developments, such as new settlements, provided they are well located and designed and supported by the necessary infrastructure and facilities. The Site put forward by Gallagher Development Groups Limited is of sufficient scale and location to meet this objective and support the delivery of a sustainable new settlement. 7.2 Paragraph 104 of the NPPF requires planning policies to support an appropriate mix of uses across an area and within larger scale sites to minimize the number and length of journeys needed for employment, shopping, leisure, education and other activities. It requires the planning system to actively manage patterns of growth and direct significant development to locations which are or can be made sustainable. 7.3 Large, strategic sites located within transport corridors have huge potential to meet the objectives set out in paragraphs 72 and 104 of the NPPF and promote a transition towards low/zero carbon lifestyles in line with the core objectives of Greater Cambridge. 7.4 New settlements also make a significant contribution to the Councils’ 5 year housing supply. Once planning permission has been obtained, such sites can deliver quickly and obtain consistent high build out rates that often endure throughout the plan period. 7.5 The incorporation of Garden City principles in new settlements creates an opportunity to deliver high quality places that are holistically planned and sustainable in both economic, social and environmental terms in line with the NPPF.

8.1 Paragraph 103 of the NNPF requires the planning system to actively manage patterns of growth and direct significant development to locations which are or can be made sustainable. Paragraph 104 of the NPPF requires planning policies to support an appropriate mix of uses across an area and within larger scale sites to minimize the number and length of journeys needed for employment, shopping, leisure, education and other activities. 8.2 The A428 corridor running due west of Cambridge to Cambourne and St Neots presents a broad transport corridor that is due to receive substantial investment in relation to East West rail (including new station at Cambourne) and the Cambridge Automated Metro. Both of these transport interventions will provide a good choice of sustainable transport modes within this growth corridor and are due to be constructed before 2030. As such, this area of Greater Cambridge presents a highly sustainable location for major, strategic Development.

No choices made

6.1 Paragraph 103 of the NPPF requires the planning system to actively manage patterns of growth and direct significant development to locations which are or can be made sustainable. Large, strategic sites located within transport corridors have huge potential to meet this objective, promoting highly sustainable development and a transition towards low/zero carbon lifestyles in line with the core objectives of Greater Cambridge. 6.2 The A428 corridor running due west of Cambridge to Cambourne and St Neots presents a broad transport corridor that is due to receive substantial investment in relation to East West rail (including new station at Cambourne) and the Cambridge Automated Metro. Both of these transport interventions will provide a good choice of sustainable transport modes within this growth corridor and are due to be constructed before 2030. As such, this area of Greater Cambridge presents a highly sustainable location for major, strategic Development.