Purpose

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.
 

Content

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.