FOXTON NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN 2019 to 2031 Qualifying body: Foxton Parish Council Pre-submission consultation draft of Neighbourhood Plan Version 11 April 2019 1 CONTENTS List of Planning Policies 1. Introduction 2. The Neighbourhood Area 3. The Key Issues 4. Vision and Objectives 5. Planning Policies 5.1 Group Village Status 5.2 Environment and Character 5.3 Housing 5.4 Community Facilities 5.5 Employment 5.6 Transport 5.7 Transport Hub 5.8 Site Specific Allocations 5.9 Environmental and Access Policies 6. Community Aspirations 7. Appendices Appendix 1: Cambridgeshire Landscape Guidelines for Chalklands character area Documents prepared as part of the evidence base for this plan that are available electronically: Foxton Conservation Area Appraisal 2018 Foxton Landscape Character Assessment 2017 Foxton all-household questionnaire results 2017 Foxton all-household questionnaire results 2018 Foxton Housing Needs Assessment, AECOM 2017 Employment survey 2016, updated 2018 Summary of focus group discussions and school project 2017 Foxton site assessment and options report, AECOM 2019 Local Plan Policies relevant to Foxton, SCDC 2018 2 Figures (NB Some figures use O.S. base maps that predate the new developments.) Figure 1 Designated Foxton Neighbourhood Plan area Figure 2 Population and dwelling numbers in Foxton Figure 3 2018 Foxton Conservation Area character areas (without final boundary changes) Figure 4 Landscape Character Types in Foxton Parish Figure 5 Age demographic profile of consultation survey questionnaire respondents Figure 6 2018 survey: Environmental considerations for new development Figure 7 2018 survey: Usage of green spaces by age group Figure 8 2018 survey: Level of support for different types of housing development Figure 9 2018 Survey: Usage, provision and improvement of community facilities Figure 10 2018 survey: Level of support for development of business sites Figure 11 2018 survey: Usage of different modes of transport by Foxton residents Figure 12 Local Plan Policy Designations and Listed Buildings (correct 2018 CA boundary) Figure 13 The age of buildings and historical development of Foxton village Figure 14 Designated Local Green Spaces and Protected Village Amenity Area Figure 15 Local Landscape Character Areas in Foxton parish Figure 16 Village Landscape Character Areas Figure 17 Landscape constraints, sensitivities and opportunities Figure 18 Housing types in Foxton Figure 19 Household tenure in Foxton Figure 20 Foxton age structure Figure 21 2018 survey: Households that want/need to move and reasons for moving Figure 22 2018 survey: Most suitable housing for residents that want/need to move Figure 23 Community facilities in Foxton Figure 24 Public footpaths, cycleways and public transport Figure 25 2018 survey: Level of support for provision of additional day care facilities Figure 26 2018 survey: Level of support for different traffic calming measures Figure 27 Transport barriers to connectivity Figure 28 2018 survey: Level of support for parking and pedestrian improvements Figure 29 2018 survey: Level of support for improvements to the railway station Figure 30 Site allocations Figure 31 Environmental and Access Policies (correct 2018 Conservation Area boundary) Tables Table 1 Relevant South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018 Policies Table 2 Evidence summary for housing need Table 3 Social housing demand Abbreviations NP Neighbourhood Plan SCDC South Cambridgeshire District Council LCA Landscape Character Assessment HNA Housing Needs Assessment CA Conservation Area PVAA Protected Village Amenity Area 3 PLANNING POLICIES Group Village Status FOX/1 Locations for new development Environment and Character FOX/2 Design and character FOX/3 Heritage assets and their setting FOX/4 Enhance and add to existing green spaces with biodiversity and landscape value FOX/5 Protecting and enhancing Foxton’s Landscape Character FOX/6 Protecting and enhancing the key views in and out of Foxton village FOX/7 Foxton’s Green Belt FOX/8 Biodiversity and new development Housing New residential proposals FOX/9 and 9A Redevelopment of old school/chapel site on Station Road FOX/10 Housing mix FOX/11 Rural Exceptions housing Community Facilities FOX/12 Protecting existing privately-owned community facilities FOX/13 Additional areas of locally important open space FOX/14 Future green infrastructure provision FOX/15 Footpath network Employment FOX/16 New employment provision in Foxton FOX/17 Support for the provision of a Foxton day care facility Transport FOX/18 Alleviating congestion and improving traffic flow FOX/19 New development and connectivity Rural Transport Hub FOX/20 Foxton Travel Hub and A10 Development Opportunity Site Site Allocations FOX/21 Site allocations 4 INTRODUCTION What is the Neighbourhood Plan, and why are we creating one? 1.1 The Neighbourhood Plan (NP) is a community-led initiative to prepare a planning document that becomes part of the statutory development plan for the local area, and will be taken into account when assessing local planning applications. Alongside South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Local Plan, the NP gives local communities the power to influence the extent and location of future development. This NP covers the period 2019 to 2031. 1.2 Foxton Parish Council is the qualifying body for this NP and the parish council confirms that this: NP relates only to the Parish of Foxton and to no other Neighbourhood Areas. Is the only NP in the designated area. No other NP exists nor is in development for part or all of the designated area. NP does not deal with excluded development. 1.3 Foxton is a small, historic, rural village lying seven miles southwest of Cambridge. The wider Cambridge area is experiencing unprecedented growth pressures, and Foxton’s location on main transport routes makes it a potential target for growth. Foxton Parish Council decided to prepare a NP to enable the community to directly influence what local growth is needed, where this should be located, as well as other improvements to village facilities and the local environment. 1.4 Community consultations were carried out in early 2017 and early 2018 and identified a number of key issues for the Foxton community. The consultation outcomes are set out in detail in chapter 3, and have informed the vision, objectives and policies within this NP. How does this Neighbourhood Plan relate to the 2011 Village Plan? 1.5 The main aim of the 2011 Foxton Village Plan was to identify key facilities and services, reveal problems and explore how these could be tackled. It also aimed to demonstrate how the distinctive character and features of our village could be preserved, thus shedding light on the community’s consensus about its needs and aspirations for the future. 1.6 The Village Plan provided a framework for planning the future of the village but was not a legally binding document for consideration by South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC). By contrast, the NP is a legally binding document that must be considered for all future development within the parish during the plan’s timeframe (2019 - 2031). The findings of the 2011 Village Plan informed the initial work on the NP. Purpose of this document 1.7 This draft of the Neighbourhood Plan has been prepared for the purpose of consulting residents and statutory stakeholders during May/June 2019 (the pre-submission consultation period). Subsequent refinement of the plan will address comments from the pre-submission consultation and a Consultation Statement and Basic Conditions Statement will be prepared. These documents will then be submitted to SCDC for submissions consultation (the publication consultation period), and examination by an independent examiner appointed by SCDC. The Foxton 5 Parish Council cannot change the NP after submissions consultation, but formal comments on the plan will be passed from SCDC to the examiner. Requirements of a Neighbourhood Plan 1.8 The preparation of a neighbourhood plan must follow the requirements set out in the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended). The examiner will check that the regulations have been followed accordingly. The examiner will also assess whether the NP meets a set of basic conditions, and is in broad conformity with the 2018 Local Plan for SCDC. The new Local Plan will guide the future of the district up to 2031, although the process of updating the 2018 plan has already started. Process 1.9 Foxton Parish Council established a working group in autumn 2015 to take forward the process of preparing the NP. The parish council was represented on the group and these councillors reported back regularly to the full council. In addition, the working group brought in villagers with different relevant skills. 2016 was spent gathering evidence and raising awareness of the NP process. A detailed all-household questionnaire exercise was carried out in February 2017, which gave a good steer on the key issues for Foxton from the 150+ completed questionnaires. The questionnaire also raised a number of questions for which answers were sought in the subsequent questionnaire consultation process in early 2018. A village consultation event was held in late January 2018, together with focus groups for villagers in the age group under-represented in earlier consultations. A detailed account of the consultation processes will be set out in the Consultation Statement to be prepared following the pre-submission winter 2018 consultation. 1.10 Grant support from Locality was successfully obtained in May