Neighbourhood Plan
The Neighbourhood Plan was made (adopted) by the Cambridge City Council on 24th February, 2025. It now forms part of the Cambridge City Development Plan. All planning decisions in the neighbourhood area will be made in accordance with the Neighbourhood Plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The Neighbourhood Plan is supported by four further documents, the Evidence Base, Street Appraisals, Consultation Statement and Basic Condition Statement.
The fifteen policies proposed in the Plan are summarised under the headings below:
​
Biodiversity of the Natural Environment.
​
- SNNP Policy 1: Protecting and enhancing biodiversity. This policy aims to protect and enhance the rich assets of biodiversity in the green infrastructure and prevent further adverse impact on the natural environment.
- SNNP Policy 2: Delivering Biodiversity Net Gain. This policy aim to provide guidance on how development schemes can deliver biodiversity net gain in line with national requirements.
- SNNP Policy 3: Reduce and maintain low levels of light pollution. This policy intent is to ensure impact of light pollution on wildlife is fully considered in development proposals and to mitigate the impact of light pollution on wildlife, especially bats, which are an endangered and protected species present in the neighbourhood area.
​
Local Green Spaces.
​
- SNNP Policy 4: Creating Local Green Spaces. This policy proposes four local green spaces that meet the national test as set out in paragraph 102 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2021 as being special to the local community and holding a particular local significance. These are: Gough WayChildren’s Play Area, Secondary Woodland at Pembroke Allotments, Newnham Croft School wilderness area, and the wide green verges along the North side of Barton Road.
​
Walking and Cycling.
​
- SNNP Policy 5: Protecting and maintaining the connectivity network. This policy aims to maintain the level of connectivity for the pedestrians and cyclists.
​
Neighbourhood Community Assets.
​
-SNNP Policy 6: Improving and enhancing community assets. This policy aims to improve and enhance South Newnham’s neighbourhood assets, all of which are within walking or cycling distance.
​
Homes and Facilities for Older People.
​
- SNNP Policy 7: Protecting and supporting homes and facilities for older people. This policy aims to protect and support the continued provision in South Newnham of rented accommodation for older people.
​
Non-designated Local Heritage Assets.
​
- SNNP Policy 8 proposes to add 7 buildings to the existing list of Local Heritage Assets, including a Victorian Vicarage, Edwardian shops, Social Club, cricket pavilion, stink pipes and gas lamps.
​
Sustainable Development of the Built Environment.
​
- SNNP Policy 9: Improving the energy efficiency of existing and new buildings. This policy aims to ensure opportunities are taken at the development stage to improve the environmental performance of South Newnham’s building stock.
- SNNP Policy 10: Responding to climate change and the risk of local flooding. This is covered by Cambridge Local Plan 2018 Policy 32, which aims to reduce the risk of flooding in the plan area by taking full account of existing flood risk from all sources when planning applications are being considered.
- SNNP Policy 11: Protecting and enhancing local character through design-led development. This policy aims to facilitate balanced and sustainable development whilst protecting and enhancing the character of South Newnham and its setting. The policy aims to provide clarity to applicants about design expectations in South Newnham.
- SNNP Policy 12: Protecting residential amenity in South Newnham. This policy aims to protect the residential amenity of residents from all aspects of excessive development.
- SNNP Policy 13: Converting existing house into more than one separate housing unit. This policy aims to protect family housing stock in South Newnham but allowing for conversion of appropriately sized and configured homes into more than one separate housing unit.
- SNNP Policy 14: Protecting the character of neighbourhood garden boundaries. This policy aims to protect the character of garden boundaries, and thereby maintain the character and setting of the neighbourhood, and the privacy and amenity of neighbouring properties.
- SNNP Policy 15: Conserve existing views and street scenes. This policy aims to protect the views out of the neighbourhood area and the street scenes within the area for current and future generations.
