Comment

Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

Representation ID: 59299

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Mr Michael Berkson

Representation Summary:

The Mingle Lane/Hinton Way housing allocation is too small to meet housing targets and release of Green Belt land is not justified.

Full text:

In Fig. 36, the land between Hinton Way and Mingle Lane, Great Shelford (Policy S/RSC site HW) is marked in orange as an existing site when it should be purple as a proposed new site allocation.

I do not accept this new housing allocation, even with your proposed constraints.
1. 100 homes are too small a housing target to justify Green Belt release and is insignificant in relation to your overall housing needs assessment.
2. Great Shelford generates significant housing windfall. See, for example, the continuing sequence of planning applications along Cambridge Road and Hinton Way. If this trend continues, as is likely, the number of new homes will almost certainly exceed 100 over the plan period of 2020-2014.
3. If only 100 homes are allowed on a 10 hectare site, prices per home will be high to justify the developer's costs.
4. A developer will push for more than one vehicular access in order to build more homes, which will increase the damage to the Green Belt.
5. I am not clear where the vehicular access is. If it is into Hinton Way, the road is already a significant bottleneck in peak hours and it is doubtful if the route can handle the additional traffic load. Increase of traffic in Mingle Lane will significantly reduce the amenity value of the existing houses, even with a 20 mph speed limit.
6. Development is incompatible with your Policy J/AL Protecting the best agricultural land.
7. The connectivity of the site is not enormous and will be seriously reduced if, as is likely, Cambridge South Station becomes an origin station, as opposed to a destination one
8. If the present proposals for East West Rail materialise, they are likely to diminish access to Cambridge and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus from Shelford station.
9. The route currently proposed for Cambridge Southeast Busway does not provide reasonable access from Great Shelford and should be discounted. The Busway is also incompatible with your Policy J/AL Protecting the best agricultural land.