Waterbeach Neighbourhood Plan - Submission version

Comment

Representation ID: 168643

Received: 14/04/2021

Respondent: South Cambridgeshire District Council

Mapping
In earlier comments to the Waterbeach Neighbourhood Plan we had suggested to the Parish Council that they should include a map to cover the whole of their parish to provide a comprehensive Policies Map. The Submission Plan does not include such a map that brings together all the site allocations and site-specific issues. Practitioners generally find it useful to go to a single point for land related designations, such as in a Policies Map with more detailed Inset Maps for areas where there are a number of policy designations, rather than have a number of maps to look at that are dotted through a Plan.

We also highlighted that any map showing the intention of policies in the Plan show be accurate and at a scale large enough to be clearly seen. We consider that the Plan would benefit if a Policies Map at A3 scale were included so that it is easy to read for a future user of the Plan. Alternatively consideration could be given to the approach used in our Local Plan Policies Map where individual villages can be covered by several A4 maps at legible and easy to read scales.

Comment

Representation ID: 168644

Received: 14/04/2021

Respondent: South Cambridgeshire District Council

Glossary
The Submission draft has not included a comprehensive glossary which may be helpful to explain a number of specific planning terms used in the Plan that the local community may not be familiar with.

Comment

Representation ID: 168645

Received: 14/04/2021

Respondent: South Cambridgeshire District Council

General comments on the Plan
It would be helpful if the Summary of Policies and Lists of Maps, Figures and Tables included page numbers to improve the navigation through the Plan

Comment

Representation ID: 168646

Received: 14/04/2021

Respondent: South Cambridgeshire District Council

Table 2.1
We are always hesitant/concerned when a neighbourhood plan only highlights some policies in the Local Plan as being relevant as this implies others are of lesser importance.

Comment

Representation ID: 168647

Received: 14/04/2021

Respondent: South Cambridgeshire District Council

Map 2.1 and 2.2
We would suggest that these maps should be at a larger scale to clearly show the boundaries of the Local Plan designations.

Comment

Representation ID: 168648

Received: 14/04/2021

Respondent: South Cambridgeshire District Council

10. References in the vision to new development not being overbearing or overwhelming are unclear in applicability to the new town as are references to development complementing rural vistas and the existing Fen Edge landscape. We had suggested in earlier comments that the vision should make reference to the vision for the new town included in the adopted Waterbeach New Town Supplementary Plan. This has not been referred to in either the vision or the supporting text.

Comment

Representation ID: 168649

Received: 14/04/2021

Respondent: South Cambridgeshire District Council

Policy WAT 2 Pedestrian and cycle route from Waterbeach village railway station to relocated railway station

As there is only one part to this policy there is not a need for the ‘1’ within the policy

Comment

Representation ID: 168650

Received: 14/04/2021

Respondent: South Cambridgeshire District Council

Policy WAT4 - Creating and maintaining sustainable access routes to Waterbeach village primary school.

Map 6.3 – Mention is made in the policy of particular roads which are indicated on Map 6.3. Whilst it is obvious from the key that these roads are those marked in red would it also be useful for the specific roads to be named in the map for those not familiar with Waterbeach?

Comment

Representation ID: 168651

Received: 14/04/2021

Respondent: South Cambridgeshire District Council

Policy WAT 5 Creating and Maintaining Sustainable Access Routes to Waterbeach New Town schools

• Part 2 of policy: The references to the location of schools and that children should not have to cross primary and secondary roads to get to school are not considered to be practicable or in general conformity with the Local Plan policy SS/6 ‘Waterbeach New Town’ sections 1 and 17 which states that an SPD will be prepared for the new town to establish the broad location of key components of the new town or with the spatial framework diagram which identifies school locations and a primary and secondary road layout.

• We had suggested amendments to part 2 of the policy which have not been included. These amendments are as follows ‘To assist this, as far as practicable, school entrances should not be located beside through roads. Additionally, the new town should be arranged, as far as practicable and in general conformity with the Spatial Framework Diagram included in the Waterbeach Supplementary Planning Document, such that the need for children having to cross primary and secondary roads to attend school is minimised and preferably avoided altogether…… ‘

Comment

Representation ID: 168652

Received: 14/04/2021

Respondent: South Cambridgeshire District Council

Policy WAT6 Improving road safety in Waterbeach village

Table 6.1 and Policy – There are many roads mentioned in the policy but without a knowledge of the parish it is not possible to know where they are. Map 6.4 does show these hotspots but it is not at a scale that it is easy to read – it would help if it was at A4.