Decisions

Pampisford Parish Council is preparing a Neighbourhood Plan and has reached the stage of pre-submission consultation (Regulation 14 in the national guidance). At this stage it is the responsibility of the parish council to carry out a public consultation on the neighbourhood plan for their area. We congratulate the Neighbourhood Plan team and recognise the hard work that has been put into the preparation of this plan by the parish council and local community.

Officers have considered the contents of the Pampisford Neighbourhood Plan against the basic condition tests that all neighbourhood plans are assessed against by an independent examiner (these tests include such matters as general conformity with national planning policy and the policies of the adopted Local Plan).

Through this consideration several comments have been identified.

Cabinet agreed on the 26^th July 2018 that the submission of such comments be delegated to officers at this stage of plan preparation.

The proposed comments include both general and specific matters and are attached at Appendix A. They include such matters as:

• Clear unambiguous policies
• Mapping
• Comments on all the policies and proposals of the plan itself

The comments are intended to enable the group taking forward the Neighbourhood Plan to consider the need to amend it to improve the likelihood that a Neighbourhood Plan examiner would be able to recommend that it proceed to referendum and to help ensure that the plan is capable of effective implementation through the development management process.

While there are several comments set out in Appendix A we hope that these comments are seen, not as unhelpful criticism of the plan, but rather a genuine attempt by officers to support the Neighbourhood Plan team by identifying a number of areas where the plan could be further refined so that it is successful at examination. We wish the parish council well for the next steps in the plan making.

That the Joint Director for Planning and Economic, having liaised with the Lead Cabinet Member for Planning, agrees the response to the pre-submission consultation on the Pampisford Neighbourhood Plan as set out in Appendix A.

By affirmation, the Committee approved the application, contrary to the officer’s recommendation laid out in the report from the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development.

By unanimous vote, the Committee approved the application, contrary to the officer’s recommendation laid out in the report from the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development.

By affirmation, the Committee agreed to the addition of a condition requiring details of the installation of the photovoltaics to be submitted in writing to the local planning authority within three months of the date of the decision notice being issued. Officers were granted delegated authority to produce the wording for the conditions in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair.

By affirmation, the Committee agreed to the addition of two conditions, one regarding sheltered cycle storage and the other regarding an operational management plan. Officers were granted delegated authority to produce the wording for the conditions in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair.

By 8 votes to none, with 1 abstention, the Committee approved the application in accordance with the officer’s recommendation, and subject to the conditions, as laid out in the report from the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development and amended by the Committee.

By affirmation, the Committee agreed to a number of changes to the wording of conditions, and the addition of a condition regarding delivery hours. Officers were granted delegated authority to produce the wording for the conditions in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair.

By unanimous vote, the Committee approved the application in accordance with the officer’s recommendation, and subject to the conditions, as laid out in the report from the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development and amended by the Committee.

1.            The purpose of this decision is to agree on the proposed designation of the parish of Babraham as a Neighbourhood Area. (See Appendix A – the application submitted by Babraham Parish Council including a map).

Background

2.            A Neighbourhood Area must be designated before a Parish Council can prepare a Neighbourhood Plan. There is national legislation and regulations guiding how this designation should be carried out. 

3.            The national legislation and regulations state that a local planning authority must designate a neighbourhood area if it receives a valid application and some or all of the area has not yet been designated (see section 61G(5) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 Act as applied to Neighbourhood Plans by section 38A of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004). Where a Parish Council has applied for the whole of their parish to be designated the local planning authority must designate all of the area applied for.

4.            A valid neighbourhood area application is one where a ‘relevant body’ has submitted an application to the local planning authority that must include:

·         a map which identifies the area to which the area application relates,

·         a statement explaining why this area is considered appropriate to be designated as a neighbourhood area, and

·         a statement that the organisation or body making the area application is a relevant body for the purposes of section 61G of the 1990 Act.

5.            In South Cambridgeshire the relevant body is a Parish Council.

6.            Once a neighbourhood area has been designated its boundary can only be amended through the consideration of a new application.

The application from Babraham Parish Council

7.            The application from Babraham Parish Council is for the whole of their parish to be designated as a neighbourhood area.

8.            A Neighbourhood Area for Babraham that covered the whole of the parish as it existed at that time was designated on 14 June 2018. However, following a community governance review the parish boundaries of Babraham and Sawston were amended on 1 April 2022. The revised parish boundary for Babraham is smaller than previously, as it no longer includes land on the edge of the village of Sawston that is being brought forward for residential development. That area of land is now part of the parish of Sawston. Babraham Parish Council is therefore seeking a new application for designation of their neighbourhood area so that it reflects the revised smaller parish boundary.

Consideration by South Cambridgeshire District Council

9.            South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) is supportive of Babraham Parish Council preparing a Neighbourhood Plan for its parish and is keen for the two councils to continue to work together in considering the future development of the area.

10.          SCDC considers that the application submitted by Babraham Parish Council for the designation of Babraham Neighbourhood Area following boundary changes is valid and therefore that the parish of Babraham should be designated as a neighbourhood area. This new Babraham Neighbourhood Area designation replaces the previous Babraham Neighbourhood Area designated in June 2018.

Local Development Scheme

11.          The Local Development Scheme (LDS) sets out the planning documents that SCDC and Cambridge City Council proposes to prepare. A section in the LDS lists the neighbourhood areas designated within the Greater Cambridge area. As Babraham Neighbourhood Area is being recommended for designation it is proposed that an amendment be made to the section of the LDS when it is next reviewed to account for the designation which differs from the previous Neighbourhood Area following boundary changes.

That the Joint Director for Planning and Economic Development, having consulted with the Planning Lead Member, approves:

a)            The designation of a Neighbourhood Area for Babraham as proposed by the Parish Council, and that this replaces the previous Neighbourhood Area designated in June 2018.

b)            An amendment to be made to the section about neighbourhood areas within the Local Development Scheme when it is next reviewed so that Babraham can be added to the list of Neighbourhood Areas designated within the district.