Decision Maker: Planning Committee

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: No

Is Callable In?: No

Date of Decision: August 13, 2025

Purpose:

Content: By 3 votes in favour (Councillors Anna Bradnam, Corinne Garvie, Peter Sandford), 3 votes against (Councillors Henry Batchelor, Peter Fane, Heather Williams) and 1 abstention (Councillor Tumi Hawkins) and on the Chair’s casting vote, the Committee refused the application for the following reasons:   1.     The Protected Village Amenity Area is open and rural in character and derives from the preservation of this area of undeveloped land within the framework where they protect important amenity in providing a setting for buildings or offer tranquil area where there is minimum activity. The proposed development would erode the tranquillity and the function of the Protect Village Amenity Area which provides a very open visual penetration through the site and through the open countryside. Accordingly, layout and location of the dwellings on the proposed sites would harm the existing open, dispersed and rural landscape of the surrounding area and would erode the green verdant landscape that runs east of the village boundary. This results in a poor design layout that would not contribute positively to its surroundings and be inappropriately located thus, creating an urban feel to a rural landscaped character. The development would therefore have a significant adverse impact upon the character of the area, contrary to Policy NH/11, NH/2 and HQ/1 of the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018 and Paragraphs 135 and 139 of the NPPF (2024). 2.     The scale, location, intensification of residential use and the attendant domestic paraphernalia of the proposed dwellings would be at odds with the rural setting and will not preserve or enhance the conservation area and would harm the setting of the Grade II Listed Building of no.94 High Street. No public benefits have been demonstrated to seek to outweigh the less than substantial harm to the heritage assets. The proposal would give rise to a harmful impact on the identified heritage assets and fails to comply with the provisions of the Planning (LBCA) Act 1990, Paragraphs 212 and 215 of the NPPF (2024) and South Cambridgeshire Local Plan (2018) Policy NH/14. 3.     The design and layout of the proposed access demonstrate that the proposal has taken into account the importance of all moderate to high quality trees within the site. However, the proposed design layout of the access is unacceptable as it would be within the canopy area and the Root Protection Area (RPA) of tree T7 which is a high value category A tree which have a Tree Protection Order (TPO). Therefore, the proposal is contrary to Policies NH/2, NH/4 and HQ/1 of the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018 4.     Insufficient information has been submitted to demonstrate that the development would provide comprehensive biodiversity enhancement plan. Given the character of the site, the proposal could lead to a significant loss of biodiversity and has not demonstrated that opportunities have been taken to achieve appropriate on-site additional biodiversity enhancement and the protection of the River Mel due to an insufficient buffer of 8m within the private garden of the proposed development. As such, the proposal fails to accord with the Environment Act (2021), Policy NH/4 of the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan (2018), the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Biodiversity Supplementary Planning Document (2022) and Paragraphs 187 and 193 of the NPPF 2024. 5.     The proposed habitable rooms in the roof space of Plots 1 to 2 would not provide adequate living condition for future occupiers. The submitted floor plans show bedrooms with only a rooflight which would provide poor outlook and, the size of the rooflights do not appear to provide adequate lighting to these rooms. No daylight and sunlight assessment has been done to demonstrate these rooms would receive sufficient light. As such, there is insufficient information to fully access the light quality of these rooms. Therefore, the proposal fails to comply with Policy HQ/1 of the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018. 6.     The submitted plans have not shown the provision of waste storage within each plot. The collection point for the waste would be on the kerb of the High Street which is some distance between 61m to 136m. The information submitted is insufficient to demonstrate that the proposal would adequately provide waste collection from each plot within the required drag distance of 30m of the RECAP guidance (2012). Therefore, the development is not in accordance with Policy HQ/1 of South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018. 7.     Insufficient information has been submitted with respect to drainage calculations for the entire drainage system plus climate change events. Additionally, a proposed detailed drawing of surface water drainage, infiltration tests, management arrangement and water quality have not be provided. In the absence of this information, the proposed scheme is not supported in drainage terms and is contrary to South Cambridgeshire Local Plan Policies CC/7, CC/8, CC/9 and National Planning Policy Framework paragraph 181 and 182.