Purpose

Purpose:? 
To
agree the proposed response to Huntingdonshire Local Plan
(Regulation 18) Further Issues and Options
consultation.? 
? 
Huntingdonshire District Council is carrying out consultation on
its Further Issues and Options between 18 September and 27 November
2024.?? 
? 
The
consultation materials are available
online:? Huntingdonshire District Council Consultation Home -
Keystone
 
Given
the proximity of Huntingdonshire to South Cambridgeshire, the
contents of the Huntingdonshire Local Plan could in principle
impact on the emerging joint Greater Cambridge Local Plan, and a
joint response from Greater Cambridge is
recommended. 
 

Background:

 
Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) are at the early stage of
preparing a new Local Plan; having consulted on Issues and Options
in April – July 2023, to which joint responses were made by
Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council,
HDC are now undertaking further issues consultation, and are
currently consulting on the following documents:

Further Issues and Options paper
Land
Availability Assessment

Sustainability Appraisal

In
addition, there is the opportunity to promote sites though the Call
for Sites, which remains open until 31 December 2024.
The
contents of the Huntingdonshire Local Plan (Regulation 18) Further
Issues and Options consultation could in principle impact on
Greater Cambridge and have implications for the emerging joint
Greater Cambridge Local Plan. The proposed response seeks to
minimise negative and maximise any positive impacts of
Huntingdonshire’s Local Plan review on Greater
Cambridge.
 
Further
Issues and Options paper
 
The
Further Issues and Options paper sets out options for a series of
issues that are key to the future planning of Huntingdonshire.
These issues are structured into topic areas addressed in the
following 11 chapters:
 

Vision
and Objectives
Settlement Hierarchy
Approach to Employment and Economy
Housing Figures and Requirement
Achieving well designed places
Growth
strategy options
Our
green and blue infrastructure
Approach to climate change
Tackling flooding and water
Housing tenures and housing mix
Transport and connectivity

 
The consultation document explores
options within the above topics but doesn’t currently include
the preferred approach for the Greater Cambridge Councils to
respond to. The Councils therefore have an opportunity to identify
key cross-boundary matters they consider require active exploration
by Huntingdonshire in the preparation of their Local
Plan.
 
Land
Availability Assessment
 
The
Land Availability Assessment assesses over 400 sites submitted
through the 2023 Call for Sites; there are no strategic scale sites
close to the boundary with South Cambridgeshire.
 

Main Issues:

 
The
paragraph below identifies the points raised in the proposed
response to consultation which is included at Appendix A. The
proposed response focuses comments on aspects that impact on
Greater Cambridge rather than providing a general commentary on all
elements of the forthcoming plan, which is a matter for
Huntingdonshire District Council with their community and
ultimately their inspector.
The proposed response identifies the
following response points requiring future substantive
engagement: 
 

The potential impact of the new
Government’s Cambridge Growth Company project under Peter
Freeman and its ambition for a significant increase in economic
activity across the Greater Cambridge geography and potential
spillover effects on Huntingdonshire.
The importance that Huntingdonshire
District Council explore fully water supply issues, and stress the importance of ambitious water
efficiency policies for both housing and non-residential
development, particularly as part of Huntingdonshire district is
served by Cambridge Water as is Greater
Cambridge. 

Note merits of discussing potential
cross-boundary green infrastructure
opportunities. 

Note travel to work, housing market and
economic connections, and encourage further engagement regarding
these topics as well as on proposed strategic infrastructure
projects including the A428 upgrade and East West Rail project and
proposed transport improvements around
Huntingdon and St Ives to support future growth. 

Encourage Huntingdonshire District
Council to adopt ambitious climate and biodiversity policy
approaches in their new plan. 

 
As a
proposed joint response with Cambridge City Council, a mirror
report is also being taken to Cambridge City Council.

Content

For the
Joint Director for Planning and Leader of the Council to agree the
response to the Huntingdonshire Local Plan
(Regulation 18) Further Issues and Options
consultation as set out in Appendix A.
 
A
parallel decision is being considered by Cambridge City Council to
be agreed, and delegated authority is given to the Joint Director
for Planning to agree any minor amendments to the response agreed
by the City Council that are consistent with the response at
Appendix A.
 
For the
Joint Director for Planning and Leader of the Council to note that
the content of the Statement of Common Ground will reflect the
agreed response (at Appendix A).