Issue - meetings

Appendix B is too large to attach to the agenda in hard copy format. Printed copies have been placed for reference in the Council Members Room and on deposit at Guildhall Reception. All documents are published on the Council’s website:

(i)                Main Report and Appendices A & C with the agenda document.

(ii)                Appendix B is available in the ‘Library’ folder accessible via the following hyper link http://cambridge.gov.uk/democracy/ecCatDisplay.aspx?sch=doc&cat=13044&path=13020,13021,13026

Matter for Decision:  

Planning Policy Statement 3 required Local Authorities to produce a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) to form part of a robust evidence base to inform the production of Development Plan Documents. The main purpose of the SHLAA was to assess the amount of land that may be available for new housing in Cambridge over the next 20 years in order to inform the review of the Cambridge Local Plan.

Decision of Executive Councillor for Planning and Sustainable Transport:

(i)                Agreed the draft SHLAA for consultation (Appendices A & B of Officer’s report) subject to any amendments from Ward Members and; and any amendments resulting from ongoing work (Phase 2) with land owners and the Housing Market Partnership over the summer.

(ii)              Agreed that if there are any major changes in approach resulting from consultation with the Housing Market Partnership over the summer, these are considered and agreed in consultation with Chair and spokes before public consultation.

(iii)            Approved the draft schedule of consultees subject to amendments requested below.

Reason for the Decision:

As set out in the Officer’s report.

Any alternative options considered and rejected:

Not applicable.

Scrutiny Considerations:

The committee received a report from the Principal Planning Policy Officer regarding the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA).

The committee made the following comments in response to the report.

(i)                Asked for Romsey Action and Residents of Old Newnham (RAON) along with members of the general public and neighbours immediate to sites be added to the list of consultees as set out in Appendix C of the Officer’s report.

Officers undertook to amend the list of consultees.

In response to Member’s questions the (Officer) confirmed the following:

(i)                Noted Member’s concern at the decline in the number of petrol stations in the City. This had been raised previously in the member briefing. Officers will be holding discussions with landowners concerning SHLAA aspirations and will need to balance the role such sites play in their retail functions with the demand for housing. Landowners could seek permission for change of use, such as building houses on land formally occupied by a petrol station, but it was the prerogative of the Council to grant this permission or not by considering the competing pressures for land use.

(ii)              Local Plan review would need to consider a range of competing demands for land use for housing, employment and protected open spaces. Sites in the report should produce a potential 1,600-1,700 dwellings, of which 1,100 could realistically be expect to go forward. Fresh sites would be sought through the consultation and assessed in line with current ones outlined in the report.

(iii)            The Local Plan review would need to test how appropriate the 14,000 homes envisaged in Cambridgeshire Authorities Agreement would be.

The Committee resolved by 2 votes to 0 to adopt the recommendations and amended Appendix C of the Officer’s report.

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendations.

Conflicts of interest declared by the Executive Councillor (and any dispensations granted)

Not applicable.