Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

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8.3 The presumption in favour of sustainable development is recognised, however there should be a degree of flexibility in terms of allowing appropriate development outside of the settlement boundaries of villages, in particular, if development meets a particular local business or community need as set out within Para. 84 of the NPPF. Sustainable development in rural areas is also supported under Para. 78 of the NPPF, which requires planning policies to identify opportunities for villages to grow and thrive, especially where this will support local services.

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8.4 There should be greater flexibility when considering the scale and size of developments that are permitted within village boundaries. The Local Plan currently restricts the size of development permitted in Minor Rural Centres (Policy S/9) to 30 dwellings; in Group Villages (Policy S10) to eight dwellings and in exceptional circumstances to 15 dwellings, and in Infill Villages (Policy S/11) to two dwellings and in exceptional circumstances to eight dwellings. These policies should not restrict development to a certain number of dwellings but instead should encourage an appropriate density depending on the context of the site that is being considered for development. Some sites may be capable of accommodating higher density development to enable more sustainable distribution of growth, particularly in the case of some villages such as Impington and Histon which have good connections close to key transport corridors with access to rail, bus and cycleway links, thereby making them sustainable locations for development. A more flexible approach towards considering development in villages should therefore be adopted when allocating development sites and in the determination of planning applications. 8.5 There should also be more flexibility in terms of considering applications which are located outside village boundaries, provided the site is suitable in other respects including its access to transport and village services and is not overly constrained by other environmental designations.

8.8 There should be more flexibility within the Local Plan to consider growing villages such as Impington and Histon, given its access to nearby services, facilities and transport links, which combined, make Impington and Histon a sustainable location for new development. 8.9 Development within existing villages can help to sustain existing and deliver new facilities and infrastructure, support shops and business uses and meet both the market and affordable housing needs of the local community. 8.10 Land to the rear of Woodcock Close and St George’s Way is a sustainable location and provides an opportunity to grow the village of Impington and Histon by allocating residential sites that are considered to be part of an appropriate spatial strategy for the district. 8.11 As stated in paragraph 3.15 of this document, it is considered that the development proposals could deliver numerous tangible social, economic and environmental benefits to the local area, including: ● Residential development providing up to 50 dwellings (including 40% affordable housing), of an appropriate scale and form which supports, and is informed by, its village edge location. This is also compliant with the policies in the Histon and Impington Neighbourhood Plan; ● New publicly accessible open space and play space in line with local plan policy; ● Pedestrian and cycle access through the site linking to the existing network; ● Provision of green links to encourage ecological corridors and increase bio-diversity; ● Supporting Impington and Histon’s economy, including local shops and services; ● A sustainable site location with good access to the facilities and services in Impington and Histon; and ● Relocation of Hollyoaks Veterinary Surgery to purpose built premises at Bedlam Farm, Impington.

General Comments on CFS 2.0 Site Context and Background 2.1 Chivers Farms Ltd is submitting Land adjacent to St Georges Way and Woodcock Close, Impington. The site was submitted for consideration as part of the Call for Sites in March 2019. The site is located on the north-eastern edge of the Village of Impington, Cambridgeshire. Impington is adjacent to Histon Village which is situated immediately north of Cambridge and the A14. 2.2 The site consists of three fields currently used for grazing sheep and horses. Hollyoaks Veterinary Surgery is located within the north-eastern section of the site and the Master Plan includes a proposal to relocate this facility nearby. 2.3 The site is enclosed by Impington village to the north, south and west and framed by a tree belt on the eastern boundary between the site and open countryside. The site is approximately 1km from Histon village centre which provides a range of facilities for the local community. Impington and Histon 2.4 Impington and Histon is classified as a Rural Centre in the settlement hierarchy within the adopted Local Plan. Rural Centres are the most sustainable settlement type within the hierarchy and perform a role in terms of providing services and facilities for a rural hinterland. They are considered to have good access to education, employment opportunities, a variety of services and facilities and have good public transport services to Cambridge or a market town. 2.5 The adopted Local Plan states that Rural Centres comprise the most sustainable villages in South Cambridgeshire and there is no strategic constraint on the amount of development or redevelopment of land for housing that can come forward within the development frameworks, provided that the proposals are in accordance with the policies in the Plan. 3.0 Development Proposals 3.1 The site was submitted as part of the Call for Sites consultation in 2019 and Chivers Farms Ltd is continuing to promote the site for allocation in the Local Plan. 3.2 The site lies outside of the existing development framework and is located in the green belt and it is acknowledged that proposals for green belt development could only happen via releases in the Local Plan. The accompanying Masterplan Development Vision Document demonstrates the development potential of the land immediately adjacent to the east of Impington following a process of assessment and evaluation. 3.3 The principles identified in the Masterplan are as follows: ● Achieve 30dph which equates to approximately 50 new dwellings (Inc. affordable housing); ● Utilise existing site accesses; ● Enhance pedestrian and cycle links to connect to existing routes; ● Provision of green infrastructure to encourage ecological corridors and increase biodiversity; and ● Provision of public open space and areas of play. 3.4 The Master Plan proposals demonstrate the site is in a sustainable location, within walking and cycling distance to local services and facilities in Histon and Impington. The proposal creates a sensitive extension in this edge of village location, adjacent to an existing well-established tree belt to the east of Impington Village. The opportunities and constraints of the site have informed the masterplan proposals which have taken into consideration the existing pattern of development and local context, to ensure a village sense of place is reflected, supporting Histon and Impington as a single community. 3.5 The proposals also provide the opportunity to incorporate a pedestrian and cycle links through the site connecting to existing footpaths, enhancing connectivity to the village and providing improved public access to the site. This will enable both new and existing residents to access the provision of open space and formal play contributing to an inclusive community within the village. Summary of Technical Assessments 3.6 A Flood Risk and Drainage site appraisal has been carried out to support this promotion. The site is located entirely in Flood Zone 1 on the Environment Agency Flood Mapping data and, therefore, at ‘low risk’ of flooding. The site is not considered at significant risk of surface water flooding. There are sporadic areas of surface water flooding located in the southern field and surface water flooding only occurs in the northern field in a low risk scenario. 3.7 In conclusion, the site is at low risk of flooding overall and the technical assessment demonstrates that there are a number of mitigation measures that can be implemented to bring forward the development proposals demonstrating practical and sustainable SUDs solutions for both foul and surface water drainage. 3.8 A Transport Access Review of the existing site access has been carried out to support this promotion. This proposes access from the existing access off Woodcock Close. A primary vehicle route aligns from Woodcock Close, crossing the existing drainage channels via a culvert and aligns centrally through to provide access to the northern section of the site. In addition, a private road provides access for the dwellings on the former Veterinary site. 3.9 In terms of the highway capacity, all traffic would enter and exit via the existing access at Woodcock Close onto Milton Road. Flow counts have been undertaken at this junction and a baseline PICADY capacity model of the junction has been prepared which confirms that there are no capacity issues. 3.10 The site is located within a highly sustainable location with the nearest bus stop approximately 500 metres where the Citi 8 bus runs every 20 minutes on weekdays into Cambridge and north to Cottenham. There is also an existing footpath link from Woodcock Close towards Impington Village. Access to the Guided Busway is approximately 1km from the site with pedestrian access along existing roads. The proposal is considered acceptable in highway terms. 3.11 This promotion is also supported by a Preliminary Ecology Appraisal. This document indicates that the site falls within the Impact Risk Buffer Zone of the Cam Washes SSSI, which is located approximately 8.7km to the north-east. It should be noted, however, that Natural England do not consider new residential development within this risk zone to constitute a risk to the SSSI. 3.12 The Preliminary Ecology Appraisal also notes that the site has a baseline biodiversity value of 9.94 habitat units. In order to achieve no net loss to biodiversity, the report stipulates that 0.9 hectares of grassland would need to be retained and enhanced (31% of the total site area). To achieve a 10% net gain, then 1.1 hectares of grassland would need to be retained and enhanced (38% of the total site area). Such calculations, however, do not take into account the opportunity for the provision of additional ecological compensatory measures e.g. the provision of bird and bat boxes across the site. It is therefore likely that less grassland would need to be retained and enhanced in order to achieve a biodiversity net gain, on the basis that additional ecological mitigation is provided as part of the development. 3.13 In terms of protected species, the report indicates that site has the potential to support the following fauna: ● Great Crested Newt; ● Reptile; ● Water Vole; ● Bat; and ● Bird. 3.14 The Preliminary Ecology Appraisal concludes that further surveys of the above species may be required in order to enable an assessment of the impact of the proposed development. Benefits to be delivered by the proposals 3.15 It is considered that the development proposals could deliver numerous tangible social, economic and environmental benefits to the local area, including: ● Residential development providing up to 50 dwellings (including 40% affordable housing), of an appropriate scale and form which supports, and is informed by its village edge location. This is also compliant with the policies in the Histon and Impington Neighbourhood Plan; ● New publicly accessible open space and play space in line with local plan policy; ● Pedestrian and cycle access through the site linking to the existing network; ● Provision of green links to encourage ecological corridors and increase bio-diversity; ● Supporting Impington and Histon’s economy, including local shops and services; ● A sustainable site location with good access to the facilities and services in Impington and Histon; and ● Relocation of Hollyoaks Veterinary Surgery to purpose built premises at Bedlam Farm, Impington.

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Response to Question 2 3.1 The site was submitted as part of the Call for Sites consultation in 2019 and Chivers Farms Ltd in continuing to promote the site for allocation in the Local Plan. The Site is an opportunity to deliver small scale employment development to help meet the needs of the District but most importantly provide local employment opportunities. Description of Proposals 3.2 An illustrative masterplan has been prepared to show additional employment development in the form of four new buildings could be accommodated on the site. These are shown on land to the south of the existing former agricultural buildings and now employment buildings, and east of the cottages. 3.3 The site is already well screened due to vegetation to the east and south. Additional planting is proposed to provide further screening and provide an ecological and biodiversity gain. Summary of Technical Work 3.4 A Transport Review has been carried out to examine the implications of the proposal on the highway network. The assessment recognises the site’s close proximity to existing settlements and notes that Histon, Impington and Milton can all be accessed via a 9-11minute cycle ride. There are nearby cycle routes which pass by the site which future tenants could utilise to access the site. A TRICS assessment for a mixed B1, B2 and B8 use development of approximately 8,500sqm was completed and the resulting AM and PM peak hour vehicle trips generated are considered to have an insignificant impact on the local road network. Access onto Milton Road is also considered accessible. The proposal is considered acceptable in highway terms. 3.5 A Flood Risk and Drainage site appraisal has been carried out to support this promotion. It notes that the site falls wholly within Flood Zone 1 of the Environment Agency (EA) Flood Zone maps. It is also shown to be predominantly at very low risk of surface water flooding with small areas of flood risk with low depths. It is assumed that these areas are topographic low points and will be mitigated against by the new development. This will be also be mitigated by installing an effective surface water drainage system on the site. In conclusion, the site is at low risk of flooding overall with practical and sustainable solutions for both foul and surface water drainage. 3.6 This promotion is also supported by a Preliminary Ecology Appraisal. This document indicates that the site falls within the Impact Risk Buffer Zone of the Cam Washes SSSI, which is located approximately 7.6km to the north-east. It should be noted, however, that Natural England do not consider new residential development within this risk zone to constitute a risk to the SSSI. 3.7 The Preliminary Ecology Appraisal also notes that the site has a baseline biodiversity value of 4.53 habitat units. In order to achieve no net loss to biodiversity, the report stipulates that 0.5 hectares of grassland would need to be created (24% of the total site area). To achieve a 10% net gain, then 0.59 hectares of grassland would need to be created (28% of the total site area). Such calculations, however, do not take into account the opportunity for additional ecological compensatory measures e.g. the provision of bird and bat boxes across the site. It is therefore likely that less grassland would need to be retained and enhanced in order to achieve a biodiversity net gain, on the basis that additional ecological mitigation is provided as part of the development. 3.8 In terms of protected species, the report acknowledges that the site has the potential to support the following fauna: ● Great Crested Newt; ● Reptile; ● Water Vole; ● Bat; and ● Birds. 3.9 The Preliminary Ecology Appraisal concludes that follow-up surveys should be undertaken in order to establish the potential development impacts on the species identified above. Benefits 3.10 It is considered that the development proposals could deliver numerous tangible social, economic and environmental benefits to the local area, including: ● Delivery of local employment facilities, this includes the relocation of Hollyoaks Veterinary Surgery to Bedlam Farm from its existing premises at Woodcock Close; ● Supporting the employment activities of an existing Site near homes and essential infrastructure. The site is located within walking and cycling distance of the village centre, reducing the need to travel by private car; ● A landowner who is part of the community and whose activities provide local employment; ● Support the areas local economy, including shops and services; and ● Enhance biodiversity levels across the site, the site is predominantly agricultural land and can currently be considered to be of low ecological value.

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General comments about site Site Description 2.1 The site is located to the north of Milton Road, to the east of Impington, and lies within South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC). 2.2 Bedlam Farm is part of the Chivers Farms portfolio and is located to the east of the village of Impington, north of Milton Road. The site measures approximately 2.12ha and is currently a mixture of agriculture, commercial B1 and B2 and a residential building. 2.3 The buildings on the site comprise a combination of farm and commercial buildings. Two cottages are located at the northern end of the access road that runs some 550m north from its junction with Milton Road. The two most northern buildings are modern, steel framed, profiled metal steel clad, they sit parallel to each other either side of a concrete hardstanding that provides respective access, parking, and vehicle turning space. 2.4 The centre of Impington, with its range of services and facilities, is located approximately 2km to the west of the site. An existing footpath with cycle way along Milton Road provides easy access to Impington and Histon to the west and Milton (including Milton Park & Ride) to the east. 2.5 The site is not subject to any environmental designations and is located within Flood Zone 1, as indicated by the Environment Agency’s Flood Maps, and therefore has a 0.1% chance (low probability) of flooding. 2.6 The site is not located within a Conservation Area, nor are there any Listed Buildings on site. The current adopted South Cambridgeshire Local Plan (2018) Policies Map shows the site as being within the Green Belt. Histon and Impington 2.7 The closest existing settlement to the site is Impington which, together with Histon, is classified as a Rural Centre in the settlement hierarchy within the adopted Local Plan. Rural Centres are the most sustainable settlement type within the hierarchy and perform a role in terms of providing services and facilities for a rural hinterland. They are considered to have good access to education, employment opportunities, a variety of services and facilities and have good public transport services to Cambridge or a market town. 2.8 The current Local Plan notes that since Rural Centres comprise the most sustainable villages in South Cambridgeshire there is no strategic constraint on the amount of development or redevelopment of land for housing that can come forward within the development frameworks, provided that the proposals are in accordance with the policies in the Plan. This classification demonstrates that the settlement is one of the better served and, therefore, more sustainable villages in the district. 2.9 A number of bus services operate through the Village providing public transport to Cambridge and beyond. As stated, the site is also in close proximity to the Milton Park & Ride and is accessible by an existing footpath along Milton Road. 2.10 The site is also ideally located to benefit from the proposed transport infrastructure in the local area which includes improvements to the A10, enhanced accessibility for pedestrian and cyclists, including a new cycle route along Mere Way connection to Cambridge, and improvements to public transport. Planning History 2.11 The site’s planning history relates mainly to its former agricultural use. However, of relevance is the 2013 approval for the Subdivision of the southern unit to form 3 Class B1 & B2 units (under reference S/0180/13/FL). The unit to the north is still in agricultural use.

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Agree

4.1 Agree - The proposed Local Plan period up to 2040 is considered appropriate and to accord with the requirements set out within the NPPF for local authorities to identify a sufficient supply and mix of sites between years 1-15 of the plan (Para 67). It is widely recognised that a mix of both small and large sites are needed during the plan period. Small sites such as Bedlam Farm can bring forward development early in the plan period while larger strategic sites can take many years to come forward. 4.2 As recognised, Greater Cambridge falls at the crossroads of a number of key economic corridors, including the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, London-Stansted Corridor and the Cambridge-Norwich tech corridor. The Oxford-Cambridge Arc in particular is a key economic priority as recognised by Central Government. It is imperative that the New Local Plan has flexibility to allow for additional growth to come forward to meet the needs of this important initiative as it develops through cross boundary and national discussions take place, potentially within the early/mid stages of the plan period.

Neither agree nor disagree

4.3 Neither agree nor disagree – the joint nature of the proposed plan across both the administrative areas of Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council is a positive step towards ensuring cross-boundary issues and initiatives are captured and planned for. The work of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and the implementation of the Local Industrial Strategy is key for supporting existing, and also growing a range of employment opportunities. The New Local Plan should acknowledge and plan for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority ambition, as set out in the devolution deal, to double GVA over 25 years.

Agree

5.1 Agree - The four big themes for the Local Plan are considered suitable and all are considered to be important in the consideration of the spatial distribution of growth in the district, and for the determination of planning applications. The four big themes will generate a new way of planning, which may require a different way to make decisions to achieve these four priorities. The Local Plan policy framework will need to allow for a clear planning balance to take place to assess and prioritise impacts. 5.2 The development proposal at Bedlam Farm would contribute to the four big themes as follows: ● Climate Change – new employment buildings will be designed and constructed in a manner to be energy efficient and as appropriate incorporate renewable technologies. The site is also in a sustainable location, providing alternatives to private car use; ● Biodiversity and Green Space – the site currently has low levels of biodiversity, the development will bring with it new landscaping that will provide a clear biodiversity net gain to the site; ● Wellbeing and Social Inclusion – local employment opportunities close to existing settlements will help create ‘sustainable development’. Employment close to existing communities will help promote healthy lifestyles and wellbeing through reduced travel time (better work/life balance) and the opportunity to use active modes of travel; and ● Great Places – a landscape-led approach is central to the design and layout of the scheme, as shown in the Illustrative Masterplan which shows how the site could come forward with improvements to landscaping and biodiversity.

5.4 The increased focus on climate change is welcomed. Climate change policy and good practice is changing quickly, and the plan will need to build in suitable flexibility to accommodate these changes within the lifetime of the plan. Climate change scenarios predict extensive changes by 2050, much of which are dependent on government and human action so there is substantial uncertainty over outcomes. 5.5 A needlessly stringent policy may inadvertently impede progress towards later years in the plan, or undermine results by not allowing for site-specific refinement. For example, policy for electric vehicle charging points should be sufficiently flexible to accommodate that quickly changing technology, as well the current grid challenges in implemented EV charging places. Energy policies should include flexibility for changing legislation, and technology, as well as the opportunity to refine a plan-wide policy for site specifics. As the Zero Carbon Futures Symposium Report (2019) submitted within the evidence base notes on page 10: where targets are too limited, and without consideration of project contexts, policy can drive dysfunctional behaviour such as photovoltaic solar panels being installed on North facing roofs merely to achieve policy compliance not to produce effective carbon reductions. 5.6 Allowing for changing technologies and approaches should also help with viability as technology and approaches improve and are more widely adopted, thereby reducing costs. Escalating targets and policies may be able to accommodate these changes, while providing clarity to developers on the costs of development over time. 5.7 The site is considered to present an opportunity to contribute to successfully achieving the goal of net zero carbon by 2050 through the delivery of employment close to existing homes which would allow future residents to live low-carbon lifestyles. Modern construction will allow the new buildings to be constructed in a manner to ensure that energy use is reduced and that renewable forms are used. The site is also located in a sustainable location, whereby future employees would not be reliant on the private car. Taken together, Impington and Histon is one of the largest villages in the District with a wide range of services and facilities which are within walking and cycling distance of the site.