Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

Policy S/SH Settlement Hierarchy
Ickleton PC agrees with this policy, and accepts Ickleton’s designation as an Infill Village. The policy should help prevent speculative development in the least sustainable places.

There is fear in communities in the south, along the A1301 corridor, of a process of urbanisation from Stapleford to Saffron Walden. Major planning applications have been considered on a standalone basis, with scant consideration for cumulative or incremental impacts on landscape and existing settlements. A moratorium is required on proposals for large developments in the upper Cam valley. Water usage/stress, landscape impacts, and impacts on the fragile river/chalk stream environment to be reassessed once developments already permitted, or planned for in the current process or the Adopted Plan, are in place. Cross-border liaison under Duty to Cooperate is required.

It is of utmost importance to Ickleton PC that the “tie” conditions for the development of up to 1500 new homes restricting them to Campus workers are rigorously applied. Under no circumstances should homes on the site become available to non-Campus personnel. Failure to limit growth of what is effectively a new settlement on this site will have unacceptable impacts on neighbouring communities, particularly Hinxton.
Consideration should be given at an early date to civic governance issues. The new settlement may need to have its own parish council. Having one parish council for Hinxton and the new settlement would effectively remove the non-Genome electors from democratic representation. Their views for instance on planning matters would be lost in the majority voice which would be dependent on the Campus for employment and housing. The Wellcome Trust owns much of the land in Hinxton, and the stifling of the local voice on development

Ickleton PC supports officers’ assessments that the following sites are unsuitable for development:
Land at Coploe Road, Grange Road, Ickleton
Land south of Ickleton Road, Great Chesterford.
Land east of the A1301, south of the A505 near Hinxton, & west of the A1301, north of the A505 near Whittlesford (all options related to the refused Agri-Tech Park).
Land east of the M11, west of Duxford, Duxford.

Ickleton PC disagrees with the HELAA assessment that land to the rear of 24 Brookhampton Street, Ickleton is suitable for development. There are strong and compelling planning reasons why it is not suitable. The site should have been graded Red. Although we note SCDC does not propose taking the site forward, it should be noted that attempts to take the Call for Sites proposals forward will meet with much local opposition.

Ickleton PC suggests a moratorium on large development proposals in the upper Cam valley from Stapleford to the boundary with Essex until impacts of developments (including cumulative impacts) given permission in recent years or planned for in this and the adopted Local Plan are properly considered following the rollout of such developments. E.g., Huawei, Genome Campus, Sawston housing, Unity Campus, Whittlesford Parkway Area. This is essential if you are serious about protecting the River Cam and the landscape around it. Under the Duty to Cooperate with Uttlesford DC protection of the upper Cam valley should extend into that District.

Ickleton PC strongly supports this policy. We are pleased to note that existing identified Local Green Spaces will be carried forward from the 2018 Adopted Plan.

Ickleton PC strongly supports this policy in all respects.
Preservation of landscape character is vital if fostering a sense of living in a great place is desired.
We agree the setting of villages in South Cambs should be protected and enhanced. We also specifically support the continued protection of identified Important Countryside Frontages.

Ickleton PC supports this policy.

Ickleton PC strongly supports this policy. In the absence of such a policy, it would be difficult to prevent the encroachment of settlements on the countryside, and small rural communities could quickly lose their character. Potential rural exception sites would dry up while proposals based on maximising developer profits would predominate.