DRAFT version for various committee meetings.
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What will this policy do?
This policy will allocate sites for housing in villages within the southern cluster area.
Proposed policy direction
The following housing and employment allocations are proposed in or adjoining villages within the rural southern cluster.
New allocations
Housing
S/RSC/HW Land between Hinton Way and Mingle Lane, Great Shelford
- Site area of 10 hectares
- Maximum capacity limited to 100 homes, relating to Cambridgeshire Fire Service requirements for no more than 100 homes to be served via a single vehicular access. There may be potential for a higher capacity if an additional access could be provided.
- Very well located in relation to existing railway station, with resulting excellent access to Cambridge, and to Cambridge Biomedical Campus once the new Cambridge South station is open, providing the exceptional circumstances required for Green Belt release.
- Development should accommodate the following constraints:
- Design of development should preserve key views from Stapleford Conservation Area including from Mingle Lane past St Andrew’s Church and the adjacent vicarage.
- Open space to be provided to the east of the built development to help provide compensatory improvements to the environmental quality and accessibility of remaining Green Belt.
- Non-vehicle access only from the access adjacent to the vicarage to St Andrew’s Church, Stapleford.
S/RSC/MF Land at Maarnford Farm, Hunts Road, Duxford
- Site area of 2 hectares
- Capacity for approximately 60 homes
- Well related to existing village – close to school, and within walking distance of Whittlesford Parkway Station. Site is supported by the parish council.
- Development should accommodate the following constraints:
- Provide space for existing telecoms mast
- space for substantial landscape edge
Employment
S/RSC/CC Comfort Café, Fourwentways
- Site area of 0.8 hectares
- Suitable for employment Class E(g)(ii) (Research and development of products or processes) with ancillary E(g)(i) Offices (to carry out any operational or administrative functions) providing laboratory space for start-up and small businesses primarily.
- A brownfield site meeting evidenced demand for start-up and grow on space close to existing research parks, in a sustainable location with close proximity to the proposed future travel hub for the South East Cambridge Transport Scheme.
- Development should accommodate the following constraints:
- Tree Preservation Orders located upon western boundary
- Transport proposals in the area including the A505 study, the South East Cambridge busway and GCP Linton Greenway proposals (contributions will be expected).
Continuing existing allocations
Housing
The following allocation which is included within the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018 is proposed to be carried forward into the new Greater Cambridge Local Plan:
- S/RSC/H/1 (c): land south of Babraham Road, Sawston (Part of the site is in Babraham Parish) (pdf)
Allocations not proposed to be carried forwards
The following allocations are not proposed to be carried forward for the reasons set out below:
Housing
- Dales Manor Business Park, Sawston (H1/a): much of the site has been taken forward for redevelopment as employment land, making it no longer available for housing.
- Land north of Babraham Road, Sawston (H1/b): the housing development is under construction.
Employment
- Pampisford: West of Eastern Counties Leather, London Road (E/4:2) – the Greater Cambridge Employment Land and Economic Development Evidence Study (November 2020) recommends that the allocation is no longer required, as the wider area has been substantially developed.
Why is this policy needed?
The rural southern cluster area provides the opportunity to provide new homes that are close to the research parks and potentially in locations with sustainable transport opportunities, as well as potential for further local employment opportunities.
To help support this aim, we looked for new sites in all Rural Centres, Minor Rural Centres and Group villages within the southern cluster area that have either or both of a Greater Cambridge Partnership Cambridge South Eastern Transport Scheme stop or mainline railway station, and considered the findings of the Housing & Employment Land Availability Assessment, including the environmental impacts of possible sites.
Most of these villages are located within Green Belt. The Councils consider that the carbon benefits of locating homes close to jobs in the research parks, where there are existing opportunities for very high quality sustainable travel, could provide the exceptional circumstances required to justify removing land from the Green Belt in this location but only if considered alongside the environmental impacts.
Two new suitable sites have been identified for new homes, one of which is in the Green Belt.
For employment, the Greater Cambridge Employment Land and Economic Development Evidence Study (ELR) (GL Hearn, with SQW, Cambridge Econometrics, and Iceni Projects) identifies demand for start-up and grow on space in both the Life Science and ICT sectors, two of Greater Cambridge’s key sectors. Using the same approach as for considering new sites for housing, we identified one small new employment opportunity.
The adopted 2018 South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018 includes a number of land allocations at villages in the rural southern cluster area. Most of these have been developed, gained planning permission or are being progressed, and therefore it is no longer necessary to include a policy framework for their development in the Local Plan. Land south of Babraham Road, Sawston is at the start of the planning application process, and therefore a policy framework needs to be retained for this site. However, this will be kept under review as the plan progresses.
What consultation have we done on this issue?
This is the first formal consultation on these proposed housing sites.
What alternatives did we consider?
We considered a range of alternative sites within the southern cluster area having regard to the overarching development strategy and conclusions of the Housing & Employment Land Availability Assessment. We discounted sites considered to be less suitable for development.
Supporting evidence studies and topic papers
- Greater Cambridge Housing & Employment Land Availability Assessment 2021
- Greater Cambridge Local Plan Topic Paper 1: Strategy
Existing policies in adopted 2018 Local Plans
South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018
- Policy H/1: Allocations for Residential Development at Villages
- Policy E/4: Allocations for Class B1 Employment Uses
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