Policy S/DE: Defined development extents

1.

This refers to development in its widest sense, including buildings, and streets, spaces and places. It also refers to both redevelopment, including refurbishment, as well as new development.

and redevelopment of unallocated land and buildings within defined development extents (as shown on the Policies Map) will be permitted provided that: 

  a.

This refers to development in its widest sense, including buildings, and streets, spaces and places. It also refers to both redevelopment, including refurbishment, as well as new development.

is of a scale, density and character appropriate to the location, and is consistent with other policies in the

A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

; and 

  b. Retention of the site in its present state does not form an essential part of the local character, and development would protect and enhance local features of green space, landscape, ecological or historic importance; and 

  c. There is the necessary infrastructure capacity to support the development. 

2. Outside defined development extents, development will not be permitted except for: 

  a. allocations within Made Neighbourhood Plans; 

  b. Rural Exception sites meeting local need for affordable housing; 

  c. development for agriculture, horticulture, forestry, outdoor recreation and other uses which need to be located in the countryside; or 

  d. where development is supported by other policies in this plan. 

Defined development extents define where policies for the built-up areas of settlements give way to policies for the countryside. This is necessary to ensure that the countryside is protected from gradual encroachment, but in particular they help guard against incremental growth in unsustainable locations. An important element of the development strategy is to focus growth in more sustainable locations, and defined development extents help achieve this aim.

In the countryside, development is generally restricted to uses that need to be located there. The plan includes some flexibility for reusing existing buildings, for development which supports the rural economy, and for other uses which need a countryside location. 

Within defined development extents, policies in the plan generally support development and redevelopment of previously developed land subject to a range of policies which seek to ensure the development is sustainable and suitable for its location. This includes residential development, as indicated in Policy S/SH: Settlement Hierarchy. 

This refers to development in its widest sense, including buildings, and streets, spaces and places. It also refers to both redevelopment, including refurbishment, as well as new development.

extents have been defined to take into account the present extent of the built-up area and planned development. Buildings associated with countryside uses (e.g. farm buildings, houses subject to agricultural occupancy conditions or affordable housing schemes permitted under the rural exceptions policy) are not normally included within the defined development extents. Defined development extents have not been defined around small clusters of houses or areas of scattered development where such buildings are isolated in open countryside or detached from the main concentration of buildings within Cambridge or a nearby settlement. Although it is recognised that such dwellings may be considered locally as 'part' of the nearest settlement in community terms, it is important in planning policy terms to limit the amount of new development that can take place in rural areas with few services and little or no public transport. 

It should be noted that case law has established that the National Planning Policy Framework's (NPPF) exception to

A statutory designation made for the purposes of checking the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas, preventing neighbouring towns from merging into each other, assisting in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment, preserving the setting and special character of historic towns and assisting in urban regeneration by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land. Specific Green Belt purposes have been set out for Cambridge.

development being inappropriate if it comprises ‘limited infilling in villages’ is not restricted to sites that fall within defined policy extents for villages established by local plans. As such, consideration of

A statutory designation made for the purposes of checking the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas, preventing neighbouring towns from merging into each other, assisting in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment, preserving the setting and special character of historic towns and assisting in urban regeneration by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land. Specific Green Belt purposes have been set out for Cambridge.

policy is therefore a separate consideration to the application of the defined development extent policy, which still applies in

A statutory designation made for the purposes of checking the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas, preventing neighbouring towns from merging into each other, assisting in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment, preserving the setting and special character of historic towns and assisting in urban regeneration by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land. Specific Green Belt purposes have been set out for Cambridge.

areas. 

Where a village's form extends beyond a defined development extent and is situated within the

A statutory designation made for the purposes of checking the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas, preventing neighbouring towns from merging into each other, assisting in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment, preserving the setting and special character of historic towns and assisting in urban regeneration by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land. Specific Green Belt purposes have been set out for Cambridge.

, the Local Planning Authority will need to assess whether or not the proposal site could be understood as falling within the wider understanding of the village extent, and thus subject to the limited infilling exception. Proposal sites in villages with no defined development extent will need to be assessed on a case-by- case basis. It is considered that there are very few opportunities for limited infilling in smaller villages where no defined development extent has been defined. Should any proposals come forward, these will be considered on their planning merits, taking into account national and local planning policies, including any policies in made Neighbourhood Plans. 

Property boundaries shown on Ordnance Survey (OS) mapping have been taken into account in defining defined development extents. However, since there are many large gardens on the edge of settlements, the defined development extents sometimes cut across such gardens, especially (but not solely) if parts of those gardens relate more to the surrounding countryside than they do to the built-up areas. The 'cutting' of some gardens is regarded as a positive development management tool to limit the potential for further residential development in smaller villages with few facilities and little or no public transport. However, in such circumstances this policy will not be operated to establish a presumption against the grant of planning permission for ancillary domestic buildings in those parts of residential curtilages excluded from the defined development extent. Where permission is required for such developments, applications will be considered on their individual merits. 

A local community preparing a neighbourhood plan may wish to make allocations for community led proposals in a neighbourhood plan that lie outside of the defined development extent of a village. The Council would generally be supportive of parish- led neighbourhood plan allocations where they have received community support which means that the proposals are capable of being included in a neighbourhood plan. 

• The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

  A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

  : Topic Paper 1: Strategy
• Strategy topic paper appendix XX: Defined

  This refers to development in its widest sense, including buildings, and streets, spaces and places. It also refers to both redevelopment, including refurbishment, as well as new development.

  Extents report

We will consider all comments while developing the next version of the

A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

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All comments must be received by 30 January 2026 at 5pm.