Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from South Cambs Councillors Kindersley and Turner and County Councillor Jenkins.  South Cambs Councillors Manning and Wright and County Councillor Cearns attended as alternates.

No declarations of interest were made.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on the 16 November 2015.

The minutes of the meeting held on the 16 November 2015 were approved as a correct record.

The Committee received a joint report from the City’s Planning Policy Manager and SCDC’s Planning Policy Manager regarding the modifications to the Cambridgeshire and South Cambridgeshire Local Plans.

The presentation covered:

i.             The further work which had been undertaken on the objectively assessed need, green belt boundary and Development Strategy Document.

ii.            New proposed modifications to Cambridge City’s Local Plan included additional text in the Development Strategy, a modification to Policy GB2 to include Newbury Farm within the allocation, a correction to the housing number relating to the total housing provision in the Cambridge Urban Area and additional text related to listed buildings and the application of Policy 27.

iii.           Modifications to South Cambridgeshire’s Local Plan included the deferment of a decision on whether to include an allocation for the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, additional text in the Development Strategy, a correction to the total housing provision in the Cambridge Urban Area and additional wording in Policy H/8 Housing Mix.

Members made the following comments in relation to the presentation:

Councillor Smart asked whether the deferral of allocation of the land south of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus would cause further delays to the local plan examination programme as the local plan process had already been going on for a long time.

Councillor Cearns expressed concerns regarding p16 of the proposed modifications and commented that the 3 Council’s were still at the mercy of developers.  The experience of Alconbury Wheel should be compared to the Northstowe development and not what can be determined through planning applications.

He also expressed concerns that the Code for Sustainable homes had been scrapped and that at the move away from affordable homes to starter homes.  Also concerns regarding stand-alone developments rather than development on the edge of the city.  

Councillor Herbert supported the modifications but questioned how the transport assessment of preferred options had come out, what the prospect was for the Council’s to deliver affordable rent housing and what was the timescale for the local plan as two years had passed without the plan being approved.  He also requested clarity on timescales for the local plan process for all 3 Councils.

Councillor Bates asked when the further work on the Biomedical Campus site would be completed and what the Inspector would be considering whether it was just the modifications or whether she would be considering other issues.

Councillor Wright commented that the modifications were minor and as they were so minor this proved that the local plan was sound.  He expressed concerns regarding the 5 year housing land supply.

Councillor Wotherspoon commented that work on strategic sites was not hanging around and that some sites were developing scoping opinions and development frameworks.

In response to Members’ questions the City’s Planning Policy Manager and SCDC’s Planning Policy Manager said the following:

i.             The deferral of the decision on the allocation of the land south of the Biomedical Campus was a discrete issue and would either be deliverable or not.

ii.            Referred to p16 of the proposed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16/22/JSTSPG