Key Issues: Rural Character
6.1 Summary
The Bourn Airfield and West Cambourne developments would, in combination with the existing settlements of Cambourne, Caldecote, Bourn and Hardwick, result in a swathe of urban development stretching for almost 5 miles alongside the A428. Distance between these settlements is insufficient to prevent coalescence of the new development with existing settlements, and, combined with the large growth in population that will result, this would irrevocably harm the rural character of the area.
6.2 Planning policy requirements
6.2.1 The National Planning Policy Framework requires that developments "take account of the different roles and character of different areas, promoting the vitality of our main urban areas, protecting the Green Belts around them, recognising the intrinsic
character and beauty of the countryside and supporting thriving rural communities within it". [32]
6.2.2 In response to this, the Local Plan states in Part 2 of Policy SS/6: "A key consideration (of the new development) will be the relationship with other settlements in the A428 corridor, and maintaining rural character and separation of individual villages."
6.3 Swathe of urban development
6.3.1 Figure 7 - Bourn Airfield and West Cambourne shown with existing settlements below shows the urban swathe created by the developments at West Cambourne and Bourn Airfield alongside the A428, with virtually no separation between settlements. From West Cambourne to Hardwick this will extend for 4.5 miles - wider than Cambridge City itself east to west. The combined area of the new and existing settlements will be as large as that of the housing estates of north Cambridge combined (Arbury, Kings Hedges and Chesterton).
Figure 7 - Bourn Airfield and West Cambourne shown with existing settlements
Key to Figure 7
(1) Proposed West Cambourne new development
(1a) Secondary school development (built since date of photo)
(1b) Extension of Upper Cambourne (built since date of photo)
(2) Proposed Bourn Airfield new development
(3) Caldecote
(4) Hardwick
(5) Caxton
6.3.2 This degree of development fails to respect the character of a rural area. What is being presented as a series of independent villages is more accurately a new town being created by stealth.
6.4 Village coalescence
6.4.1 For villages to have a distinct character and community, physical separation is required. The principle that villages should not be merged into one another was recognized in the East of England Regional Spatial Strategy. Though this no longer has legal force its perspective holds true - that Local Plans should “prevent communities in the environs of Cambridge from merging into one another and with the city". [33]
6.4.2 The Local Plan states that "Land at Bourn Airfield is allocated for the creation of a sustainable new village of approximately 3,500 dwellings". Describing the new settlement as a “sustainable new village” is misleading, as there is insufficient distance between it and neighbouring settlements. Figure 7 clearly illustrates that the physical separation between the development at Bourn Airfield and the existing settlements of Cambourne and Highfields Caldecote will be minimal – lip-service is being paid to the avoidance of coalescence in the plan, but the reality is that there is insufficient space around the proposed development site to ensure that villages are able to maintain their individual identities.
6.5 Population growth
6.5.1 Over and above issues of coalescence and separation, there is a more basic issue with the location of the Bourn Airfield development in a rural area; that of population growth. Bourn Ward has already experienced enormous population growth over the past ten to fifteen years, primarily due to the construction of Cambourne. 37% of the new houses built in South Cambridgeshire in this period were within Bourn Ward.
6.5.2 The proposed new development would further skew the growth of the population of the area. Figure 8 - Projected absolute population growth in the county and Figure 9 -Projected percentage population growth in the county below show the projected
growth of population of all parishes in South Cambridgeshire over the period of the
Local Plan. [34]
Figure 8 - Projected absolute population growth in the county
Figure 9 - Projected percentage population growth in the county
6.5.3 As can be seen, Bourn Ward has already undergone, and will continue to undergo, the most radical increase in population of any existing parish. This unequal distribution of population growth threatens to undermine the rural character of the area.
6.6 Conclusion
The nature of the development being proposed at Bourn Airfield is not in keeping with the rural character of the area, and indeed threatens to destroy said character completely. The inevitable coalescence of villages will result in a swathe of urban development across the area, with commensurate population growth further threatening to urbanise a rural area.
The Bourn Airfield and West Cambourne developments would, in combination with the existing settlements of Cambourne, Caldecote, Bourn and Hardwick, result in a swathe of urban development stretching for almost 5 miles alongside the A428. Distance between these settlements is insufficient to prevent coalescence of the new development with existing settlements, and, combined with the large growth in population that will result, this would irrevocably harm the rural character of the area.
6.2 Planning policy requirements
6.2.1 The National Planning Policy Framework requires that developments "take account of the different roles and character of different areas, promoting the vitality of our main urban areas, protecting the Green Belts around them, recognising the intrinsic
character and beauty of the countryside and supporting thriving rural communities within it". [32]
6.2.2 In response to this, the Local Plan states in Part 2 of Policy SS/6: "A key consideration (of the new development) will be the relationship with other settlements in the A428 corridor, and maintaining rural character and separation of individual villages."
6.3 Swathe of urban development
6.3.1 Figure 7 - Bourn Airfield and West Cambourne shown with existing settlements below shows the urban swathe created by the developments at West Cambourne and Bourn Airfield alongside the A428, with virtually no separation between settlements. From West Cambourne to Hardwick this will extend for 4.5 miles - wider than Cambridge City itself east to west. The combined area of the new and existing settlements will be as large as that of the housing estates of north Cambridge combined (Arbury, Kings Hedges and Chesterton).
Figure 7 - Bourn Airfield and West Cambourne shown with existing settlements
Key to Figure 7
(1) Proposed West Cambourne new development
(1a) Secondary school development (built since date of photo)
(1b) Extension of Upper Cambourne (built since date of photo)
(2) Proposed Bourn Airfield new development
(3) Caldecote
(4) Hardwick
(5) Caxton
6.3.2 This degree of development fails to respect the character of a rural area. What is being presented as a series of independent villages is more accurately a new town being created by stealth.
6.4 Village coalescence
6.4.1 For villages to have a distinct character and community, physical separation is required. The principle that villages should not be merged into one another was recognized in the East of England Regional Spatial Strategy. Though this no longer has legal force its perspective holds true - that Local Plans should “prevent communities in the environs of Cambridge from merging into one another and with the city". [33]
6.4.2 The Local Plan states that "Land at Bourn Airfield is allocated for the creation of a sustainable new village of approximately 3,500 dwellings". Describing the new settlement as a “sustainable new village” is misleading, as there is insufficient distance between it and neighbouring settlements. Figure 7 clearly illustrates that the physical separation between the development at Bourn Airfield and the existing settlements of Cambourne and Highfields Caldecote will be minimal – lip-service is being paid to the avoidance of coalescence in the plan, but the reality is that there is insufficient space around the proposed development site to ensure that villages are able to maintain their individual identities.
6.5 Population growth
6.5.1 Over and above issues of coalescence and separation, there is a more basic issue with the location of the Bourn Airfield development in a rural area; that of population growth. Bourn Ward has already experienced enormous population growth over the past ten to fifteen years, primarily due to the construction of Cambourne. 37% of the new houses built in South Cambridgeshire in this period were within Bourn Ward.
6.5.2 The proposed new development would further skew the growth of the population of the area. Figure 8 - Projected absolute population growth in the county and Figure 9 -Projected percentage population growth in the county below show the projected
growth of population of all parishes in South Cambridgeshire over the period of the
Local Plan. [34]
Figure 8 - Projected absolute population growth in the county
Figure 9 - Projected percentage population growth in the county
6.5.3 As can be seen, Bourn Ward has already undergone, and will continue to undergo, the most radical increase in population of any existing parish. This unequal distribution of population growth threatens to undermine the rural character of the area.
6.6 Conclusion
The nature of the development being proposed at Bourn Airfield is not in keeping with the rural character of the area, and indeed threatens to destroy said character completely. The inevitable coalescence of villages will result in a swathe of urban development across the area, with commensurate population growth further threatening to urbanise a rural area.
References:
32 National Planning Policy Framework, Paragraph 17
33 East of England Regional Spatial Strategy, Policy CSR3
34 Data from South Cambridgeshire Annual demographic and socio-economic report, Cambridgeshire County
Council, April 2011
32 National Planning Policy Framework, Paragraph 17
33 East of England Regional Spatial Strategy, Policy CSR3
34 Data from South Cambridgeshire Annual demographic and socio-economic report, Cambridgeshire County
Council, April 2011
