Policy S/RSC/HW – Residential Allocation at Hinton Way and Mingle Lane Great Shelford

SUPPORT

Mrs Johnson owns land included within the preferred allocation at land between Hinton Way and Mingle Lane in Great Shelford (Site Ref. S/RSC/HW), and as such support the preferred allocation.

The rationale for selecting this site as a preferred allocation in emerging GCLP is explained in Topic Paper 1: Strategy – see pg. 158 to 161. The reason for directing development to the Rural Southern Cluster and the decision to release land from the Green Belt at the preferred allocation is stated as follows: “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”.

It is agreed that Stapleford and Great Shelford, and the land off Hinton Way and Mingle Lane, are very well related to Cambridge Biomedical Campus and other employment opportunities within and on the edge of Cambridge. Stapleford and Great Shelford contain a very good range of services and facilities, and the villages and the site are accessible by sustainable modes of transport. Shelford Station is located close to the site. There are bus routes on Hinton Way, Mingle Lane, Station Road and Cambridge Road, all of which are close to the site. There are cycle routes through Stapleford and Great Shelford into Cambridge. The route for the proposed Cambridge South East Transport project by the Greater Cambridge Partnership is located to the north west of the site, and there is a proposed stop at Hinton Way that would be within close proximity of the site.

It is agreed that accessibility to key employment locations and access by sustainable modes of transport represent exceptional circumstances to release land from the Green Belt. However, other exceptional circumstances also exist to justify the release of Green Belt land, which are related to the need for housing generally and affordable housing need in the villages. There is a need for additional housing to support the economic growth of Greater Cambridge. The cost of buying and renting housing in Greater Cambridge is high, and the affordability ratio is high too. Those that cannot afford to live in Greater Cambridge will need to live elsewhere and undertake longer distance commuting to access their job, and if as is likely those journeys are undertaken by car this would add to traffic congestion and air pollution. South Cambridgeshire District Council's 'Housing Statistical Information Leaflet' (December 2019) identified a need for 28 affordable dwellings in Stapleford and 47 affordable dwellings in Great Shelford for those with a local connection to the villages. No alternative strategy has been identified to meet those affordable housing needs, other than through the allocation of a suitable site in emerging GCLP that are capable of delivering policy compliant levels of affordable housing. The preferred allocation at land off Hinton Way and Mingle Lane would include housing and affordable housing to meet local needs of the villages. It is considered that all of these factors also represent exceptional circumstances to justify the release of land from the Green Belt at Stapleford and Great Shelford and at land off Hinton Way and Mingle Lane.

The site was assessed in the HELAA against a series of suitability criteria and potential constraints – see Site Ref. OS216. The site mostly scored ‘amber’ for the majority of the suitability criteria, with a few ‘green’ scores, and the commentary identified how those identified constraints could be addressed e.g. for landscape and heritage impacts. The one identified ‘red’ score for the sites relates to strategic highway impacts. However, as set out above, the site is very accessible by sustainable modes of transport including bus and rail in terms of access to employment opportunities and to retail, leisure, and recreation facilities. As such, there are realistic alternatives to the car for most journeys from the site to reduce potential increases in traffic on the strategic highway network.

The harm to the Green Belt from development at the site is identified in the HELAA assessment as ‘moderate high’. As set out above, there are exceptional circumstances to justify the release of land from the Green Belt, including in Great Shelford and at the site. The site is sustainable in transport terms, and development at the site would represent a sustainable pattern of development. Those exceptional circumstances and the sustainability credentials of the site need to be balanced against the harm to the Green Belt. The promoted development would include additional landscaping to avoid impacts on the character of the area including harm to the Green Belt. The route for the Cambridge South East Transport project should be taken into account in the assessment of harm to Green Belt purposes associated with development at the site. The development at the site would have no adverse impact on the compactness or setting of Cambridge and it would not lead to the merging of villages. It is suggested that, taking into account all these factors, the harm to the Green Belt from development at the site would be less than stated in the assessment.

The site was assessed in the SA against a series of sustainability objectives and compared against other reasonable alternative site options – see Table 4.21 in SA. In summary, the site scores well against sustainability objectives and when compared against alternative site options. The findings of the site assessment for access to services and facilities needs to be corrected because there is very good access from the site to the services and facilities within Stapleford and Great Shelford. The mineral resources at the site will need to be investigated, but it is unlikely that the site would be suitable for mineral extraction because of the close proximity of residential areas. The promoted development at the site would include mitigation measures to address potential impacts on landscape, biodiversity, heritage, climate change and air quality. The design and layout of the promoted development would respect the character of the site and surrounding area.

Policy S/RSC/HW identifies a number of policy requirements for the promoted development at the site, relating to site area, quantum of development, exceptional circumstances for Green Belt release, heritage matters, location of open space, and access arrangements. As set out above, there are additional exceptional circumstances that are relevant to the decision to release land from the Green Belt and should be referred to for this site. A number of technical reports will need to be prepared to support a planning application, including a landscape assessment, heritage assessment, ecological appraisal and transport assessment, in order to demonstrate that the promoted development is acceptable. The policy requirements identified at this stage are all appropriate, but might need to be added to or adjusted once the technical work has been completed. In addition, it would also be appropriate to refer to the suggested landscape mitigation measures referred to in the site assessment for the HELAA e.g. landscape buffer on northern and eastern boundaries and dwellings to be set back from the village edge.

In conclusion, the preferred allocation at land off Hinton Way and Mingle Lane is supported. No changes are required to the preferred allocation.