What will this policy do?-
This policy will set a strategic vision for achieving high quality design in for both urban and rural areas. This provides a clarity of expectation around understanding the context of development proposals – both in terms of impact on the place around them and the needs of users.
Proposed policy direction-
The policy will require all applicants to demonstrate how their proposals sustain and enhance the unique qualities of the area and the subtleties in the different landscape and settlement forms. is a place of varied and subtle character, from the historic core of the Cambridge urban area to emerging business clusters, the biodiverse fen landscapes to the north and rolling countryside to the south, the historic villages and new towns. The policy will require all planning applications to include a comprehensive design and access statement that address this context. proposals will be supported that:
Respond to ’s communities by:
- Identifying and responding positively to their context, including existing physical features and characteristics of natural, historic, social or local importance.
- Ensuring that proposals meet the principles of inclusive and healthy design, and in particular meet the needs of disabled people, older people and those with young children.
- Be designed to remove the threat or perceived threat of crime and improve community safety, especially those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act.
- Using community engagement to inform design decisions.
Improve ’s connectivity by:
- Being well connected to, and integrated with, the immediate locality and wider area including existing or planned social, environmental, and transport infrastructure.
Support the climate emergency response by:
- Being designed to be long lasting and low impact in delivery and maintenance.
Enhance the character of by:
- Having a positive impact on their setting in terms of location on the site, height and skyline, scale and form, townscape and landscape impacts and available views, to create a legacy of beautiful buildings and spaces in
- Using appropriate local characteristics to inform the siting, massing, scale, form, materials and landscape design of new development.
- Tall building proposals must be of exceptional quality and ensure that the character or appearance of Cambridge, as a city of spires and towers emerging above the established tree line, is maintained.