Agenda item

Appendices B to J are available on the Council’s website by visiting www.scambs.gov.uk and following the links from ‘Your Council’. Appendix C is in ten parts for ease of download.

The Planning Portfolio Holder recommended that the Special meeting of Full Council on 30 November 2015:

1.     agrees that the consultation document with proposed modifications (Appendix A) and sustainability appraisal (Appendix B), subject to the reason for the proposed modification to PM/SC/2/G including the words “…subject to the provision of transport infrastructure improvements”, and approves it for public consultation between 2 December 2015 and 25 January 2016;

2.     agrees that any amendments and editing changes that need to be made to the consultation material and proposed modifications (Appendix A) and sustainability appraisal (Appendix B) be agreed in consultation with the Planning Portfolio Holder;

3.     notes the documents attached to this report as Appendices C to J and submits them as part of the evidence base for the Local Plan; and

4.     gives to the Director of Planning and New Communities delegated powers to make any subsequent minor amendments and editing changes, in consultation with the Planning Portfolio Holder.

The Planning Portfolio Holder considered a report setting out the further work carried out by Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Councilon the Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire Local Plans, following initial conclusions received from the Inspectors examining the Plans in a letter dated 20 May 2015.  The report and attached documentation set out the Councils’ response to the issues raised by the Inspectors, and modifications to the Local Plans arising from the additional evidence.  The Portfolio Holder noted that the intention was that the proposed modifications should be made available for public consultation between December 2015 and January 2016.

The Planning Policy Manager summarised the background set out in paragraphs 5 to 10 of the report from the Planning and New Communities Director. The Joint Strategic Transport and Spatial Planning Group had considered a similar report on 16 November 2015, and had supported the recommendations. There had been strong support for the Green Belt, and some consideration of New Settlements.

The Planning Portfolio Holder paid tribute to the Planning Policy Manager and her Planning Policy team at South Cambridgeshire District Council, and corresponding officers atCambridge City Council, for co-ordinating the work leading up to this meeting.

Councillor Bridget Smith referred to the modification in the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan changing the housing requirement from 19,000 to 19,500. The Planning Policy Manager explained that the extra 500 dwellings would count towards the District Council’s City Deal commitment of 1,000 dwellings on rural exception sites.

Councillor Peter Johnson asked whether the option of beginning the construction of a new town at Waterbeach effectively meant more dwellings on that strategic site. The Planning and New Communities Director said there would not be more dwellings overall, but there might be more than originally planned by the end of the Local Plan period in 2031. The intention was simply to allow flexibiliuty.

Councillor Tony Orgee was supportive of proposals to submit to district-wide consultation those sites put forward by Parish Councils.

Councillor John Williams referred to land north of Cherry Hinton Road, and asked whether the proposed new secondary school was taken into account when undertaking thetraffic assessment. The Planning Policy Manager replied that the traffic assessment took account of the larger site.

Councillor Dr. Tumi Hawkins established that, should development of the Bourn Airfield be approved by the Inspector, and it was possible to advance the start date to 2021 or 2022, there would be a reduction from 250 dwellings a year to 150 dwellings a year in terms of build out.

Councillor Dr. Tumi Hawkins made a statement on behalf of the residents of Caldecote. She said that the quality of life of those residents would be affected adversely by not improving transport infrastructure other than public transport links. Measures must be taken to protect other modes of transport, and to improve roads, including the A1303 linking with the M11.

Councillor David Bard also stressed the importance of transport infrastructure improvements.

Those present discussed the independent Green Belt study, and the Councils’ response to it. There was disquiet about the proposed erosion of Green Belt south of Addenbrookes.

Councillor Deborah Roberts described the revised proposals as still being detrimental to the quality of life of residents throughout South Cambridgeshire. In reply, the Portfolio Holder said that the Councils had to strike a balance in order to be able to once again demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, to put in place updated Local Plans and thereby stop the submission of further speculative planning applications.

The Planning Policy Manager commented further on the measures outlined in the report to address the shortfall in housing land supply. She referred to the relative sustainability factors surrounding edge-of-Cambridge policies as opposed to policies focussing development on new settlements. It would be for Full Council to decide on its preferred strategy.

Councillor Tim Wotherspoon took comfort from paragraph 8 of Appendix D, which stated:

“Our analysis suggests that past housing delivery in the study area was suppressed by land supply, mainly due to the Green Belt; and development elsewhere in the HMA did not fully compensate for this. This suppression is particularly significant for Cambridge City and less so for South Cambridgeshire. This suggests that the above demographic projections underestimate housing need and should be adjusted upwards.”

The Planning Portfolio Holder

1.   recommended that the Special meeting of Full Council on 30 November 2015:

(a)   agrees that the consultation document with proposed modifications (Appendix A) and sustainability appraisal (Appendix B), subject to the reason for the proposed modification to PM/SC/2/G including the words “…subject to the provision of transport infrastructure improvements”, and approves it for public consultation between 2 December 2015 and 25 January 2016;

(b)   agrees that any amendments and editing changes that need to be made to the consultation material and proposed modifications (Appendix A) and sustainability appraisal (Appendix B) be agreed in consultation with the Planning Portfolio Holder;

(c)   notes the documents attached to this report as Appendices C to J and submits them as part of the evidence base for the Local Plan; and

(d)   gives to the Director of Planning and New Communities delegated powers to make any subsequent minor amendments and editing changes, in consultation with the Planning Portfolio Holder; and

2.  agreed an update to the Local Development Scheme as set out in paragraph 15 of the report from the Planning and New Communities Director.