Agenda item

Outline Planning Application (with all matters reserved except for access), for a new mixed use village comprising residential development of approximately 3500 dwellings; mixed uses comprising employment, retail, leisure, residential institutions; education, community facilities, open space including parks, ecological areas and woodlands, landscaping; engineering for foul and sustainable drainage systems; footpaths, cycle ways, public transport infrastructure; associated access and infrastructure. This application is subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment. 

By affirmation, the Committee agreed to the following:

(a)  Condition 8 being amended to state ‘up to’ 3,500 dwellings

(b)  Condition 11 being amended to include within the site-wide phasing plan a requirement for the delivery by the end of the second year of development of a tree-planting scheme along the eastern boundary of the site adjoining Highfields Caldecote

(c)  Condition 43 being bolstered with a timetable for delivery

(d)  Condition 58 being strengthened to sufficiently manage the housing mix

(e)  An additional Condition requiring the mitigation of odours to the south west of the site

By nine votes to two (with Councillors John Batchelor and Peter Fane voting against) the Committee agreed to Condition 13 being reformatted with Option (ii) being deleted

By six votes to five, the Planning Committee

1.    gave officers delegated powers to approve Outline application S/3440/18/OL, as amended, subject to:

a.    The prior completion of a Legal Agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 securing

                                               i.     the matters set out in the Heads of Terms attached as Appendix G to the report from the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development, with officers being granted delegated authority to negotiate, secure, and complete such Legal Agreement on terms as are otherwise considered to be appropriate and necessary; and

                                              ii.     any other Heads of Terms, or details, including phasing and triggers, that are still under negotiation.

b.    The explanatory notes and terms, Planning Conditions (as a,emded) and Informatives set out in the report from the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development, subject to the following Conditions re-worded by officers in consultation with the Chair of the Planning Committee and Vice-Chair of the Planning Committee meeting held on 19 February 2021.

Condition 11. Phasing

No development shall commence until a Site Wide Phasing Plan which accords with the s106 triggers and Transport Mitigation Strategy has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

It shall include the expected sequence of delivery of development within a Development Area, or sub area, or the provision of any other element or to any other applicable trigger point. No development shall Commence apart from Enabling Works or Associated Works or other works otherwise agreed in writing by the local planning authority until such time as the Development Area Phasing Plan has been approved in writing by the local planning authority. 

The development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved Phasing Plan unless there are unforeseen events / obstacles to delivery and alternative timing for provision is agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The Phasing Plan shall, by written agreement with the Local Planning Authority, be updated from time-to-time to reflect increased certainty of delivery of infrastructure.

The Site Wide Phasing Plan shall include but not be limited to the sequence of providing the following elements: 

a) A framework masterplan

b) Residential development parcels; 

c) Local bus services;

d) Major distributor roads/routes within the site, including timing of provision and opening of access points into the site; 

e) Strategic footpaths and cycleways; 

f) Community facilities including the secondary school, primary schools and sports hubs (including pavilion and junior changing rooms; 

g) Strategic foul and surface water features and SUDS; 

h) Formal and informal public open space, park/square, allotments, community orchard and parks, NEAPs, LEAPs and SIPs; 

i) Strategic electricity, telecommunications and gas networks; 

j) Infrastructure for the provision of fibre optic cables; 

k) Biodiversity net gain;

l) Environmental mitigation measures.

m) Early delivery of structural planting, along boundaries with Highfields Caldecote, within years 0-2 of the development

Reason: To clarify how the site is to be phased to assist with the determination of subsequent reserved matters applications and in order to ensure that infrastructure provision and environmental mitigation are provided in time to cater for the needs and impacts arising out of the development, in accordance with Policy SS/7 of the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018.

                     Condition 13. Transport – 500 dwellings limit

                     No more than 500 dwellings shall be occupied unless:

(i)    The Strategic Transport Intervention has been delivered - with a Transport Assessment for the remaining phases demonstrating that the remaining development phases can be sustainably accommodated on the network. The Transport Assessment shall be to the satisfaction of the Local Planning Authority and meet Cambridgeshire County Council’s Transport Assessment requirements and will include the results of the ongoing site monitoring (as per a separate condition on Monitoring).

Reason: To ensure that the development is founded on the provision of significant improvements to public transport provision as listed in condition 6, in accordance with Policy SS/7 (8) (a) of the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018.

                     Condition 43. – Foul water drainage strategy

Prior to the commencement of any development on any Development Parcel or Strategic Engineering and Landscape Element, apart from Enabling Works, a detailed site wide Foul Water Drainage Strategy shall be submitted to and agreed in writing by the local planning authority. The strategy should include the phasing of such works. 

The strategy shall include details of any necessary improvement to the existing sewerage system, including a timetable for their delivery, to ensure that sufficient capacity exists to cater for the needs of the development. The works/scheme shall be constructed and completed in accordance with the approved plans/specification and such programme as may be specified in the approved scheme.

Reason: A detailed scheme for on-site and off-site foul water drainage is required prior to the commencement of any Development Parcel to ensure the appropriate provision of infrastrastructure to serve the new village, to prevent the increased risk of flooding and/or pollution of the water environment, and to ensure no surface or ground water infiltration in accordance with Policies SS/7 (10) (b), CC/7 and TI/8 of the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018.

Condition 70. – Odour (new Condition)

Before the strategic area of open space to the south of the site is brought into use a scheme for the assessment and mitigation of odour from the adjacent Bourn water recycling centre will be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The scheme shall include a timetable for the implementation of any mitigation.

Reason: In the interest of the amenity of users of the area of open space to the south of the site, in accordance with Policy SS/7 of the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018.

2.    gave officers delegated powers to set out as part of the decision notice and in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (EIA) Regulations 2017, reg. 29 ‘information to accompany decisions’ a reasoned conclusion of the significant effects of the development on the environment and to carry out appropriate notification under reg. 30 accordingly.

3.    Requested that officers present a summary / progress report on the Section 106 obligations to the Planning Committee in September 2021.