Decisions

Earlier - Later

Decisions published

13/04/2021 - Joint Response to Uttlesford District Council's (Regulation 18) Local Plan Issues and Options consultation ref: 11584    Recommendations Approved

Purpose:

To agree the response, jointly with Cambridge city council, to the Uttlesford District Local Plan Issues and Options (Regulation 18 consultation).

 

The Uttlesford Local Plan will provide strategic and local policies to guide development within the district of Uttlesford. This stage of plan-making is the start of the process of preparing a Local Plan. Its scope is to identify strategic issues, set out options and ideas for the strategic policies, levels and locations for potential development. This report focuses on matters of relevance to Greater Cambridge.

 

The consultation can be accessed on Uttlesford’s website  https://uttlesford-consult.objective.co.uk/kse/folder/20790

 

The consultation closes on 21 April 2021 at 17:00. 

 

Background:

The Uttlesford local plan will include:

 

• Strategic policies setting out an overall strategy for the pattern, scale and quality of development, with a view to securing a net zero carbon future, addressing climate resilience, promoting healthy places and lives principles, and the wider environmental objectives of the Council;

• make sufficient provision for a number of key land uses housing (including affordable housing), employment, retail, leisure, community facilities and other commercial development,

• infrastructure for transport and other key utilities,

• policies for the conservation and enhancement of the natural, built and historic environment including landscapes and green infrastructure, and

• a comprehensive and up to date evidence base to support the local plan provisions.

 

Main Issues:

The Issues and Options consultation is seeking views/comments on Nine themes. There are shared elements with the seven Big Themes of the emerging Greater Cambridge Local Plan.

 

The 9 themes/topics on which Uttlesford are consulting are:

1.    Where you live

2.    Character and heritage

3.    Climate change

4.    Transport

5.    Leisure, culture and healthy lifestyles

6.    Biodiversity

7.    Local economy

8.    Homes

9.    Creating new places and communities

 

Each topic has a main question and a number of specific sub-questions on the areas they wish to have further comments. (see appendix 1)

 

Proposed main response points:

We are asking Uttlesford to have regard to the priorities as set out in the seven Big Themes of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan. We have provided our comments against the 9 consultation themes in appendix 1, much of which draws Uttlesford’s attention to the priorities that we have set out in the emerging Greater Cambridge Local Plan.

 

We recognise the commuting connections between Uttlesford and Greater Cambridge as established in published evidence, with a proportion of Uttlesford residents commuting into Greater Cambridge for work. We are asking that the Uttlesford Local Plan give serious consideration is given to reducing travel where possible and also to supporting sustainable travel options, particularly in relation to the potential impacts on Greater Cambridge.

 

We are also suggesting that development within Uttlesford should be focused in sustainable locations which can reduce the need to travel, and where possible maximise opportunities for travel by non-car modes, particularly where locations may encourage commuting into Greater Cambridge.

 

Decision Maker: Lead Cabinet member for Planning

Decision published: 13/04/2021

Effective from: 14/04/2021

Decision:

For the Joint Director for Planning and Economic Development and Lead Cabinet member for Planning Policy and Delivery agree the response to the Uttlesford District Council Local Plan (Regulation 18) Issues and Options consultation as set out in Appendix A.

 

A parallel decision is being considered by Cambridge City Council to be agreed, and delegated authority is given to the Joint Director for Planning and Economic Development to agree any minor amendments to the response agreed by the City Council that are consistent with the response at Appendix A.

Wards affected: Duxford; Fowlmere & Foxton (pre-2018); Linton;

Lead officer: Nadeem Din


09/04/2021 - Cambridge Resignalling Project C3R Scheme ref: 11576    Recommendations Approved

The purpose of this decision is to ensure that a timely consultation response is issued to Network Rail’s public consultation on the ‘C3R’ scheme.  This has been prepared on behalf of the Greater Cambridge Planning Service (Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council) and is aligned with the Cambridgeshire County Council and East Cambridgeshire District Council and Greater Cambridge Planning Service (Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council) response.

 

The Cambridge Re-signalling, Re-lock and Re-Control project (C3R for short) is a proposal to renew the signalling systems in and around the Cambridge area and deliver a modern signalling system to improve efficiency and reliability.

 

The consultation opens on 1st March 2021 and closes on 11th April 2021: Home - C3R Consultation

Decision Maker: Deputy Leader of the Council (Statutory)

Decision published: 09/04/2021

Effective from: 17/04/2021

Decision:

That the Joint Director for Planning and Economic Development and Deputy Leader of Council (Statutory) - Strategic Planning and Transport agree the response to Network Rail’s public consultation on the Cambridge Resignalling Project C3R Scheme as set out in Appendix A.

Wards affected: (All Wards);

Lead officer: Charlotte Burton


08/04/2021 - Street Naming of a Development off Linton Road, Great Abington ref: 11575    Recommendations Approved

The purpose of this decision is to determine a street name for a development off Linton Road, Great Abington as the Parish Council and the Developer could not agree to a suitable name.

Decision Maker: Lead Cabinet member for Planning

Decision published: 08/04/2021

Effective from: 16/04/2021

Decision:

Lodge Close was approved by Cllr Tumi Hawkins.

Wards affected: Linton;

Lead officer: Diane Duncan


08/04/2021 - Waterbeach Neighbourhood Plan - response to consultation on the submission plan ref: 11574    Recommendations Approved

Purpose

 

1.            The purpose of this report is to agree the Council’s response to the public consultation on the submission version of the Waterbeach Neighbourhood Plan. The consultation runs for 9 weeks from 16 February until 20 April 2021.

 

Background

 

2.            The Waterbeach Neighbourhood Area was designated on 10 August 2015. The neighbourhood area is for the whole parish of Waterbeach and therefore includes the strategic new town allocation from the adopted Local Plan 2018. At the same time as the neighbourhood area was designated a ‘Joint Working Agreement’ was formally agreed between the Parish Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) which set out how the two councils would work together. 

 

3.            Officers provided informal comments on earlier drafts of the Neighbourhood Plan ahead of the formal pre-submission consultation process and recognise the hard work that those on the steering group of the neighbourhood plan have put into preparing the Plan. This group has strived to ensure that the whole village had an opportunity to have an input into the final Plan.

 

4.            A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) screening was undertaken on a draft version of the Neighbourhood Plan, and a screening determination was published in March 2020.

 

5.            Pre-submission public consultation on the draft Neighbourhood Plan was undertaken by the Parish Council from 13 January to 24 February 2020. Officers provided a formal response to the consultation, providing constructive comments about the Neighbourhood Plan to assist the neighbourhood plan group with finalising the Neighbourhood Plan. Officers have met with the steering group to discuss how these comments and the current submitted Plan has taken most of them into account. The parish has taken their plan forward in a positive way.

 

6.            The parish council has also had an independent health check of their Plan carried out once they had prepared a revised version of their Plan following the pre-submission consultation. This was carried out by an experienced neighbourhood plan examiner, Ann Skippers, who considered the Plan to be presented well with clear differentiation of planning policies and a clearly articulated vision. She considered each policy and suggested some changes to the Plan that have been considered by the parish council in preparing the submission version of their Plan.

 

7.            On 2 February 2021, Waterbeach Parish Council submitted their Neighbourhood Plan to SCDC. Officers have confirmed, as set out in the Legal Compliance Check for the Neighbourhood Plan that the submitted version of the Neighbourhood Plan and its accompanying supporting documents comply with all the relevant statutory requirements at this stage of plan making.

 

8.            We therefore were able to carry out a consultation on the Waterbeach Neighbourhood Plan from 16 February until 20 April 2021.

 

9.            Officers, in conjunction with Waterbeach Parish Council, are in the process of appointing an independent examiner to consider this Neighbourhood Plan. All comments submitted during the public consultation on the submission version of the Neighbourhood Plan will be provided to the examiner for their consideration.

 

Considerations

 

10.          The Waterbeach Neighbourhood Plan has been prepared by Waterbeach Parish Council to provide planning policies for development in the area, with the aim of providing greater clarity when determining planning applications in the area. The Neighbourhood Plan includes 24 planning policies that cover a range of issues including:

(i)            Securing connectivity between Waterbeach village and key destinations;

(ii)           Creating and maintaining sustainable access routes to the relocated railway station and to Waterbeach village Primary School and to the new town’s schools;

(iii)          Maintaining and enhancing a vibrant village heart

(iv)          Denny End Industrial Estate and Cambridge Innovation Park

(v)           Waterbeach Design Principles

(vi)          Important edge of settlement sites in Waterbeach village

(vii)        Protecting village amenity areas and open space

(viii)       Sites of value to biodiversity

(ix)          Housing mix

(x)           Rural exception site affordable housing in Waterbeach parish

(xi)          Allocation of affordable housing at Waterbeach New Town

 

11.          To successfully proceed through its examination to a referendum, a Neighbourhood Plan must meet a number of tests known as the ‘Basic Conditions’. These tests are different to the tests of soundness that a Local Plan must meet. The Basic Conditions are set out in national planning guidance and are summarised as follows:

(a)          having regard to national policies and advice contained in guidance issued by the Secretary of State it is appropriate to make the Neighbourhood Plan.

(b)          the making of the Neighbourhood Plan contributes to the achievement of sustainable development.

(c)           the Neighbourhood Plan is in general conformity with the strategic policies contained in the development plan for the area.

(d)          the making of the Neighbourhood Plan does not breach, and is otherwise compatible with, EU obligations; and

(e)          prescribed conditions are met in relation to the Neighbourhood Plan, including that the making of the neighbourhood plan is not likely to have a significant effect on a European wildlife site or a European offshore marine site either alone or in combination with other plans or projects.

(f)            the making of the neighbourhood development plan does not breach the requirements of Chapter 8 of Part 6 of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017.

 

Our Neighbourhood Planning Toolkit includes Guidance Note 11 (What are the Basic Conditions and How to Meet Them), which sets out further details on each of the Basic Conditions. When a Neighbourhood Plan is submitted to the local planning authority it must be accompanied by a Basic Conditions Statement that sets out how the Parish Council considers that their Neighbourhood Plan meets the Basic Conditions. 

 

12.          When considering a Neighbourhood Plan, the examiner will assess whether or not the Neighbourhood Plan meets the Basic Conditions. When an examiner recommends that the Neighbourhood Plan should proceed to referendum (if it meets the Basic Conditions, with or without modifications), the examiner’s report must also set out whether the referendum area should be extended beyond the neighbourhood area. Comments made during the current consultation on the submission version of the Neighbourhood Plan, which will be provided to the examiner for their consideration, should therefore address whether the submitted Neighbourhood Plan meets the Basic Conditions and can also address whether the referendum area should be extended beyond the neighbourhood area.

 

13.          SCDC is fully supportive of Parish Councils bringing forward Neighbourhood Plans for their areas, including Waterbeach Parish Council’s decision to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan, and officers have been supporting the Parish Council in the plan’s preparation. The Council’s proposed response to this public consultation on the submission version of the Neighbourhood Plan is set out in Appendix 1.

 

14.          SCDC is supportive of the aims of the Waterbeach Plan and our comments are intended to help the Plan to be successful at examination as well as delivering policies that are clear in their meaning and are unambiguous in their interpretation. SCDC recognise the achievement of Waterbeach PC in reaching this stage of submitting their Plan to us for examination.  We are aware that alongside the preparation of the neighbourhood plan there have been many other planning issues for the parish council to discuss  -  planning applications for the proposed new town for them to comment upon and this will have taken time for them to consider the implication for their local community. 

 

15.          If the examiner is minded to recommend that the Neighbourhood Plan should proceed to referendum, the Council does not feel that the referendum area needs to be extended beyond the designated Neighbourhood Area as the planning policies included in the plan would not have a substantial, direct or demonstrable impact beyond the parish. 

 

Decision Maker: Lead Cabinet member for Planning

Decision published: 08/04/2021

Effective from: 16/04/2021

Decision:

To agree the response from SCDC set out at Appendix 1.

Wards affected: Milton & Waterbeach;

Lead officer: Alison Talkington


31/03/2021 - Grants to Mobile Warden Schemes 2021/2024 ref: 11568    Recommendations Approved

On 26 March 2021 the Grants Advisory Committee met to decide how to allocate the funding for existing Mobile/Community Warden schemes as part of the Council’s scheme of grants to the voluntary sector.

 

Mobile and Community Wardens Schemes (sometimes called Community Care Schemes) exist in South Cambridgeshire to support older people to live independently in their homes and in the community they know, and which knows them.

 

The warden schemes are complementary to statutory care services and do not duplicate or replace the medical or social care services that individuals may also require.  They can help to combat loneliness and social isolation and can provide significant benefits to clients at relatively low cost. They are seen by clients and their families as a vital community-based service.

 

South Cambridgeshire District Council has been providing grant funding to Mobile and Community Warden Schemes for many years.  The grant application process was run from November to January.

 

Grants Advisory Committee recommended to grant funding to the Mobile Warden Schemes as follows:

 

Year 1 (2021-2022)  £33,800

Year 2 (2022-2023)  £53,202

Year 3 (2023-2024)  £71,708

 

An increase in funding was made possible due to an underspend from the procurement exercise last year.   The increases in year 2 and 3 reflect incremental increases to operational costs and the addition of new schemes procured in 2020 by Age UK.  This does not include the Gamlingay scheme which will require part funding from October 2022, for which funding has been set aside. 

Decision Maker: Lead Cabinet member for Resources

Decision published: 01/04/2021

Effective from: 13/04/2021

Decision:

To award the Mobile Warden Schemes the grant funding for 2021/24 as per table 1 below.

 

To support a valuable community led service within each of these wards/villages in keeping with the Council’s aims and objectives.

 

The decision to award the grants as per Table 1 was made taking into consideration:

a)    the amount of grant funding requested,

b)    the fees charged by to the client 

c)     the number of clients supported in the previous year,

d)    income and expenditure for the previous year,

e)    the schemes finances, and

f)      the amount of reserved and unreserved funding.

g)    Increases to operational costs over the 3-year period

h)    Plans to promote schemes and build capacity to meet the needs of more clients throughout the term of the grant.

 

 

 

Table 1: Proposed Grant Allocation

 

See Appendix A

Wards affected: (All Wards);

Lead officer: Lesley McFarlane


30/03/2021 - Community Chest Grants (March) ref: 11567    Recommendations Approved

On 26 March 2021 the Grants Advisory Committee reviewed all Community Chest applications received between 13 February 21 and 13 March 21, to the Community Chest funding scheme during 2020/21.  There was one deferral to be considered from the previous month.  

 

Two applications were brought forward in ‘Appendix A’ of the meeting’s reports pack:

26 March 2021  - Agenda Pack

 

After consideration of these applications, the Committee recommended to the Lead Cabinet Member for Finance that:

 

  1. Bassingbourn Nature Rangers (CNDMQGMT), previously deferred from February committee, be approved and funded at the full amount requested of £1000 pending receipt of DBS check completion evidence.
  2. PCC of All Saints Church Cottenham (BCNHZCDJ) to be approved and funded at the full amount requested of £1,000.

Decision Maker: Lead Cabinet member for Resources

Decision published: 30/03/2021

Effective from: 09/04/2021

Decision:

To accept the recommendations of the Grants Advisory Committee (see above).

Wards affected: (All Wards);

Lead officer: Vicky Hoover