Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

OBJECT

The Elbourn Family is promoting land off Fenny Lane in Meldreth for residential development, and in these representations is requesting that the site is allocated in emerging GCLP. Meldreth is defined as a Group Village in the settlement hierarchy for South Cambridgeshire, and the Elbourn Family agree with the status of the village. The village contains a good range of services and facilities, including a primary school and special education needs school, convenience store, and public house. There are additional services in Melbourn, including a secondary school. There is a train station at Meldreth, which is within walking and cycling distance of the Fenny Lane site, providing services to Cambridge and London. Meldreth is also on a bus route with services to Royston. It is considered that Meldreth is a suitable and sustainable location for additional residential development, with sustainable modes of transport available within the village providing an alternative to the car for some journeys including for employment.

As set out in the representations to Policy S/SB: Settlement Boundaries, it is considered that there is limited capacity within the settlement boundaries of most villages. There are few outstanding development opportunities for up to 8 dwellings (or 15 dwellings on previously developed sites) within existing settlement boundaries in Group Villages, and Meldreth is an example where there are no opportunities within the boundary for sites of 8 dwellings or more. It is likely that in most cases only small sites for one or two dwellings would be available. It is considered that the site size thresholds for each category of village are largely irrelevant and ineffective because very few sites are actually available, and those that are available would fall below the threshold where affordable housing is required e.g. less than 10 dwellings.

Requested Change

It is requested that a capacity assessment is undertaken of all villages in South Cambridgeshire to determine which potential housing sites might be deliverable or developable during the plan period to 2041, and the number of dwellings that might be delivered from each of those sites.

It is requested that the site size limits for each category of village are deleted and replaced with a general policy that supports development within existing settlement boundaries, in conjunction with a revised development strategy that allocates suitable sites on the edge of existing sustainable villages including at Meldreth.

OBJECT

The Elbourn Family does not object to the principle of settlement boundaries being defined around villages. However, the existing defined settlement boundaries for most villages in South Cambridgeshire have remained largely unchanged since the Local Plan 2004. The settlement boundaries were adjusted in some cases to take into account allocations at some villages through the Site Specific Allocations DPD 2010 and the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018. It is very likely that most of the development opportunities within existing village boundaries would have been taken up by now. It is also likely that heritage assets within some villages, such as conservation areas and listed buildings, will constrain development opportunities.

The Councils have not undertaken an assessment of the capacity land within the existing settlement boundaries of villages to accommodate additional development. It is likely that such an assessment would demonstrate that the capacity is limited.

It is considered that the emerging GCLP should seek to allocate suitable sites on the edge of existing sustainable villages and to adjust the settlement boundary to accommodate those allocations. The site promoted by the Elbourn Family off Fenny Lane in Meldreth is suitable and available for residential development, and should be allocated. There is a need for additional housing sites in the more sustainable villages to support existing services and facilities and to meet identified affordable housing needs in those villages.

Requested Change

It is requested that a capacity assessment is undertaken of all villages in South Cambridgeshire to determine which potential housing sites might be deliverable or developable during the plan period to 2041 and the number of dwellings that might be delivered from each of those sites.

If the capacity assessment identifies no suitable sites to meet identified affordable housing needs it is requested that additional allocations are made on the edge of those villages to deliver sufficient housing to meet those affordable housing needs.

OBJECT

It is considered that the growth of the more sustainable villages must be part of the development strategy for emerging GCLP, and particularly those villages that contain a good range of services and facilities, are accessible by a range of modes of transport, and where there is an identified need for affordable housing for those with a local connection to the village.

Paragraph 79 of the NPPF seeks to promote sustainable development in rural areas and acknowledges that housing can enhance or maintain the vitality of rural communities and support local services. The promoted development by the Elbourn Family at land off Fenny Lane in Meldreth would support the existing services and facilities in the village, including the convenience store, public house, and bus and train services.

Paragraph 69 acknowledges the role that small and medium sized sites can make towards meeting the housing requirements, and that such sites are often built-out relatively quickly. Small and medium sized sites typically only require limited new physical infrastructure and amendments to the access arrangements. The housing monitoring data from Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire confirms that small and medium sites are delivered quickly i.e. within two to three years. It is considered that small and medium sized sites make a significant contribution towards the short term housing land supply and the five year housing land supply position in Greater Cambridgeshire. It is requested that small/medium sized sites such as land off Fenny Lane in Meldreth are allocated to meet the requirement for a mix of sites including those that are easily deliverable.

Paragraph 104 of the NPPF expects transport issues to be considered at the earliest stages of plan-making. Those issues include opportunities created by existing or proposed transport infrastructure in terms of the scale, location and density of development, and opportunities to promote walking, cycling and public transport use. Paragraph 105 expects significant development to be focused on locations which are or can be made sustainable. There is a train station at Meldreth providing services to Cambridge and London. Meldreth is also on a bus route with services to Royston. The Greater Cambridge Partnership has identified a potential rural travel hub at the railway station, which would provide additional cycle parking facilities. The site promoted by the Elbourn Family at land off Fenny Lane in Meldreth is accessible to all of the services and facilities in the village by walking, cycling and public transport. As such, there are realistic alternatives to the car for travel to and from Meldreth.

Paragraph 62 of the NPPF expects the size, type, and tenure of housing needs of the community to be assessed and reflected in planning policies, including for example those with an affordable housing need, students, renters and self-builders. South Cambridgeshire District Council's 'Housing Statistical Information Leaflet' (December 2019) identified a need for 36 affordable dwellings in Meldreth for those with a local connection to the village – see https://www.scambs.gov.uk/media/18316/affordable-housing-housing-statistical-information-leaflet-december-2019.pdf. This identified need would not be met without allocations in Meldreth. The promoted development by the Elbourn Family at land off Fenny Lane in Meldreth would include housing and affordable housing to meet local needs of the village.

For all these reasons, small scale housing allocations should be made in the more sustainable villages within the rest of the rural area, including Meldreth, because those villages are accessible by sustainable modes of transport, there is a need to support the existing services and facilities within those villages, and there is an identified need for affordable housing in those villages which would not be met via other means.

The Elbourn Family’s representations to the assessment of the land off Fenny Lane site in the HELAA (Site Ref. 40036) comment on the potential constraints identified with the promoted development and explain how those constraints would be addressed. In summary, the watercourse, hedgerows, and trees at the site would be retained and enhanced, additional landscaping would be provided on the northern boundary of the site, and the existing footways would need to be upgraded. An amended plan is submitted with the representations to the HELAA site assessment to include the existing access from Fenny Lane at the eastern edge of the site to provide a secondary access into the promoted development.

Requested Change

It is requested that the development strategy for the rest of the rural area includes an additional allocation in Meldreth at land off Fenny Lane.

It is requested that land off Fenny Lane in Meldreth is allocated with the following policy requirements:

• Site Area of 4 Ha
• Capacity for approx. 100 dwellings, including affordable housing and self/custom build
• Development should address the following constraints:
o Main access adjacent to No.12 Fenny Lane
o Landscaping at northern boundary
o Retain and enhance watercourse at western boundary
o Avoid harm to significance of heritage assets