Planning in South Cambridgeshire

Community, sports and leisure facilities

Policies should plan positively for the provision and use of shared spaces, community facilities (such as local shops, meeting places, sports venues, open space, cultural buildings, public houses and places of worship) and other local services to enhance the sustainability of communities and residential environments.

Healthcare facilities

Plan policies should address the provision of community facilities, including for health, supporting the provision of such facilities within sustainable locations.

Protection of public houses

Policies should plan positively for the provision and use of shared spaces and community facilities, including public houses, to enhance the sustainability of communities and residential environments.

Protection of business space

By protecting existing employment uses, this policy is consistent with the NPPF's expectation that policies should help create the conditions in which businesses can invest, expand and adapt (paragraph 81).

University development

By supporting university-related development in general and including specific development sites, this policy is consistent with the NPPF's requirement to address education provision and strategic priorities (paragraph 20).

Specialist colleges and language schools

This policy seeks to manage the development of existing and new specialist colleges and language schools. As such, it is a policy tailored to a specific issue arising in a local context, but is otherwise consistent with national policy.

Mitigating the Impact of Development in and adjoining the Green Belt

New development in the Green Belt will only be approved in accordance with Green Belt policy in the NPPF.

The Cambridge Green Belt

New development will only be approved in accordance with Green Belt policy in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Protection of sites of biodiversity and geodiversity importance

The Greater Cambridge Local Plan will continue protection of important sites of biodiversity and geodiversity importance, with the level of protection being appropriate to its international, national or local significance.

Protection of priority species and habitats

Plans should protect and enhance biodiversity, including priority habitats and species, and pursue opportunities for securing measurable net gains for biodiversity.

Trees

Existing trees should be retained wherever possible.

Cambridge Green Belt

Policy S/4 states that new development will only be approved in accordance with Green Belt policy in the NPPF

Affordable housing and dwelling mix

The NPPF requires the tenure of homes needed for different groups in the community, including those requiring affordable homes, to be assessed and that the results of that assessment be reflected in planning policies (paragraphs 62 – 65). Policy 45 is largely consistent with national policy in this regard. However, the current NPPF says that where major development involving the provision of housing is proposed, planning policies should expect at least 10% of the total number of homes to be available for affordable home ownership (as part of the overall affordable housing contribution from the site) unless certain exemptions apply (paragraph 65). Policy 45 does not specifically reflect this more recent requirement, although is flexible enough to accommodate it. A Written Ministerial Statement and national planning guidance have also introduced First Homes as a form of affordable housing and set out that First Homes should account for at least 25% of affordable homes delivered on a development that is expected to provide affordable homes. Policy 45 requires that affordable housing is provided on sites of 11 dwellings or more, whereas the NPPF (paragraph 64) sets the threshold as major developments (10 dwellings or more). This difference between national and local policy was identified soon after plan adoption, and a decision was taken by planning committee in November 2018 to apply the policy to 10 or more dwellings reflecting national planning policy.

Development of student housing

National policy requires the housing needs for different groups in the community to be assessed and reflected in planning policies, including students (paragraph 62). Policy 46 is consistent with this requirement.

Specialist housing

National planning policy requires the size, type and tenure of homes needed for different groups in the community to be assessed and that the results of that assessment be reflected in planning policies (paragraph 62). Policy 47 responds to this requirement with regard to specialist housing, which is designed so that support can be provided to its occupants where required (and often to others in the wider community) while promoting independent living.

Housing in multiple occupation (HMOs)

As above, but with regard to houses in multiple occupation (which is not specifically referenced in national policy).

Provision for Gypsies and Travellers

The NPPF requires the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including travellers, to be assessed and reflected in planning policies (paragraph 62). More details are set out in the separate document, Planning Policy for Traveller Sites. Policy 49 seeks to address this requirement, although no additional need for traveller pitches is identified.

Residential space standards

National planning policy states that planning policies should ensure that developments create places with a high standard of amenity for existing and future users. It allows local authorities to include planning policies that make use of the nationally described residential space standard (paragraph 130f and footnote 49), which Policy 50 does.

Accessible homes

As above. The NPPF also says that planning policies for housing should make use of the Government's optional technical standards for accessible and adaptable housing, where this would address

Provision of New Jobs and Homes

Policy S/5 is fully consistent with the NPPF requirement that strategic plan policies make sufficient provision for housing and employment needs to 2031

Connecting new developments to digital infrastructure connections

This policy is consistent with the NPPF's expectation that plan policies should support the expansion of electronic communications networks, including full fibre broadband (paragraph 114).

Education facilities

Development should be supported by sufficient infrastructure, including making provision for education, and that this can be secured through developer contributions.

Telecommunications

This policy responds positively to development proposals for telecommunications infrastructure

Infrastructure delivery, planning obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy

This policy is consistent with the objective in national policy that development should be supported by sufficient infrastructure and that this can be secured through developer contributions

Vision

The current Vision fulfils this purpose for the adopted plan

Group Villages

Policy designation of Group Villages as part of the settlement hierarchy

Infill Villages

Policy designation of Infill Villages as part of the settlement hierarchy

Phasing, Delivery and Monitoring

This policy informs the requirement to produce an Authority Monitoring Report annually, as well as maintaining a five year housing land supply and keeping the effectiveness of plan policies as a whole under review

Objectives of the Local Plan

The objectives provide the framework for addressing housing needs and other economic, social and environmental priorities

Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development

Policy S/3 remains generally consistent with national policy, although it does not fully reflect the wording of the current NPPF's presumption in favour of sustainable development, in particular 11a which adds that in promoting sustainable patterns of development all plans should align growth and infrastructure; improve the environment; mitigate climate change (including by making effective use of land in urban areas) and adapt to its effects

The Development Strategy to 2031

Policy S/6 sets out a clear strategy for the pattern and scale of development to 2031

Development Frameworks

Policy S/7 supports the growth promoted through the development strategy by seeking to direct development to the most sustainable locations. While it places limitations on the type of development permissible outside defined development frameworks, this is part of an holistic approach to promoting a district-wide sustainable development strategy

Rural Centres

The designation of a hierarchy of rural settlements in Policy S/8, together with appropriate levels of development, is an important part of establishing an overall strategy for sustainable development

Minor Rural Centres

Policy designation of Minor Rural Centres as part of the settlement hierarchy

Development and change of use in district, local and neighbourhood centres

Policies should define the extent of town centres and primary shopping areas, and make clear the range of uses permitted in such locations, as part of a positive strategy for the future of each centre.

Development and expansion of visitor accommodation

Policies should promote the long-term vitality and viability of town centres by identifying locations for visitor accommodation.

Redevelopment or loss of visitor accommodation

Policies should promote the long-term vitality and viability of town centres with regard to the loss of visitor accommodation.

Visitor attractions

Policies should support the provision of visitor attractions within the city centre and promote the long-term vitality and viability of town centres by taking a positive approach to tourist and other visitor-related development.

Supporting sustainable access to development

Plan policies should promote sustainable transport.

Mitigating the transport impact of development

All developments that will generate significant amounts of movement should be required to provide a travel plan, and the application should be supported by a transport statement or transport assessment. Development should be supported by sufficient infrastructure and that this can be secured through developer contributions.

Parking management

Local parking standards should be set for new development reflecting the principles set out in national policy.

Aviation development

Plans should recognise the importance of maintaining a national network of general aviation airfields and have regard to the Government's General Aviation Strategy.