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Council agreed
the following motion:
 
South
Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) notes that on 16 May 2023,
Cambridgeshire County Council at its Full Council meeting, passed a
motion to request that District Councils throughout Cambridgeshire
consider on strategic new developments, a planning condition that
developers covenants explicitly exempt childcare provision on domestic
premises, where there is an identified need which can be
demonstrated. And highlight the importance of such changes with
developers and house builders to ensure that they are aware of the
barrier that these covenants can cause.
 
South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC)
recognises that some house builders place restrictive covenants on
properties which prohibit residents living within them from running
a business from home, including providing childcare. Whilst it is
possible to have a covenant revoked, it is not guaranteed. Although
covenants are not exclusive to strategic developments, it appears
to be for these that the issue is most prevalent.
 
Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service has
been discussing this blanket covenant with Homes England who are
now aware that the restriction on childminders works at cross
purposes with their intention that residents of new builds have a
positive experience living in their homes. It is also clear that
sustainable community requires residents to be able to access work,
education and all services by either
active travel or public transport. Requiring whole new communities
to drive to access child care facilities
is in conflict with South Cambs zero carbon
policy.
SCDC now has an opportunity to capture, working
with Cambridge City Council, the need for more childminders in the
emerging joint local plan through policy which excludes
childminders from the restriction of operating businesses from
home.
 
This motion is requesting support for SCDC to
address this need as follows:

1.   
Commence meetings with Homes England and other house
builders active across South Cambridgeshire to (a) address this
childcare crisis for new communities being delivered as part of the
current adopted Local Plan 2018 and (b) in view of the predicted
growth, engage them in policy development to achieve buy-in for
policy that will meet the needs of childcare providers and families
in the emerging joint local plan
 

2.   
Develop a planning policy regarding Childminders
that will include feedback from the engagement with house builders
and stakeholders across South Cambridgeshire, and organisations
like PACEY, to ensure that the needs are balanced across all the
interests in the community so that Childminders are exempt from a
blanket covenant to restrict businesses being run from
homes.