The South Newnham Neighbourhood Plan is ready for its formal consultation stage!

 

Our proposed pre-submission version of the South Newnham Neighbourhood Plan is being published in accordance with Regulation 14 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012.

 

The consultation period will run from 12th June until 30th July, 2023.  

 

The Neighbourhood Plan can be viewed on this website and paper copies of the plan will be available to view at Cambridge City Library.    When the consultation period commences comments can be made on this form sent in either via email to southnewnhamforum@gmail.com or by post to 11 Owlstone Road, Cambridge CB3 9JH.

 

Residents and local stakeholders will be invited to attend our Neighbourhood Plan Drop–In events on 1st and 8th July from 10 am to 12 am at `Newnham Sports and Social Club, Hardwick Street.    

 

Our Plan seeks to preserve and protect the most important aspects of the neighbourhood’s character, heritage and biodiversity.

 

Our Plan’s polices

 

The NP is a long document that has to assume that the reader has never been to South Newnham and knows nothing about the neighbourhood. The most important part of the NP are the development policies and the fifteen policies proposed in the NP are summarised below:

 

SNNP1: Protecting and Enhancing Biodiversity

The Green Infrastructure Network of South Newnham comprises rich assets of biodiversity including parkland, children’s play areas, nature reserves, water meadows, allotments, playing fields, private gardens, water bodies, trees, hedgerows, footpaths and alleyways.  These are connected to form a network that allows wildlife to move freely throughout the neighbourhood.  This policy seeks to protect and enhance the biodiversity in our Green Infrastructure Network and prevent further adverse impact on the natural environment of our neighbourhood, and where possible enhance its ecological status for current and future generations to achieve an overall measurable net gain in biodiversity for the neighbourhood area.

 

SNNP2: Delivering Biodiversity Net Gain

This policy seeks to provide guidance on how development schemes can deliver biodiversity net gain in the neighbourhood area.

 

SNNP3: Reduce and maintain low levels of light pollution.

This policy seeks to ensure impact of light pollution on wildlife is fully considered when development proposals come forward and mitigate the impact of light pollution on wildlife, especially bats, which are an endangered and protected species present in the neighbourhood area.

 

SNNP4: Creating Local Green Spaces

This policy designates 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 Way Children’s Play Area, Skaters’ Meadow Footpath, Secondary Woodland at Pembroke Allotments and Newnham Croft School wilderness area.

 

SNNP5: Protecting and Maintaining the Connectivity Network

This policy seeks to maintain the level of connectivity for the pedestrian and cyclist which is highly valued by residents in the plan area.

 

SNNP6: Improving and Enhancing Neighbourhood Community Assets

This policy seeks to improve and enhance South Newnham’s neighbourhood assets, all of which are within walking or cycling distance.  All are highly valued by residents and bring a sense of vibrancy and village lifestyle, creating a mixed, balanced and effectively functioning neighbourhood.

 

SNNP7: Protecting and supporting Homes and Facilities for Older People

This policy seeks to protect and support the continued provision in South Newnham of rented accommodation for older people.

 

SNNP8: Conserving Local Heritage Assets

Local Heritage assets are an important element of the architectural and historical make up of South Newnham and include a Grade 11 Listed building at 2/21 Grantchester Road, and 37 buildings listed by Cambridge City Council as Buildings of Local Interest.  This policy seeks to add 8 additional buildings to the existing list of Local Heritage Assets, which include a Victorian Vicarage, Edwardian shops, the Social Club, a cricket pavilion, stink pipes and gas lamps.

 

SNNP9: Improving the Energy Efficient of Existing and New Buildings

This policy seeks to ensure opportunities are taken at the development stage to improve the environmental performance of South Newnham’s building stock.

 

SNNP10: Responding to Climate Change and the Risk of Local Flooding

This policy 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.

 

SNNP11: Protecting and Enhancing Local Character through Design-led Development.

The design principles laid out in this policy result from the Forum’s cumulative learning between 2016 and 2023 from community workshops, preparation of the Evidence Base and Street Appraisals and responding to Cambridge City Council Planning Applications as a Statutory Consultee.  Based on this input, the objective of the design principle is to facilitate balanced and sustainable development that meet the evolving needs for housing in the neighbourhood area 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.

 

SNNP12: Protecting Residential Amenity in South Newnham

As a small high density residential area with many Victorian and Edwardian terraced houses on small plots, South Newnham is vulnerable to pressure on residential amenity.  This policy seeks to protect the residential amenity of residents from all aspects of excessive development. 

 

SNNP13: Converting Existing Houses into more than one Separate Housing Unit.

The housing needs of individual South Newnham residents and homeowners can change as a family’s size and its requirements for space and facilities changes.  Some, though not all, houses in South Newnham are large enough and appropriately configured to be split into more than one separate housing unit and this policy seeks to facilitate the conversion of existing houses into more than one separate housing unit, to better meet the evolving housing needs of residents at different stages of life.

 

SNNP14: Protecting the Character of Neighbourhood Garden Boundaries

Garden boundaries are an important part of the neighbourhood’s design pattern contributing to the character of the area.  This policy seeks 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.

 

SNNP15: Conserving existing Views and Street Scenes

This policy seeks to protect the views out of the neighbourhood area and the street scenes within the area for current and future generations.