Local Plan 2018
The South Cambridge Local Plan is the document against which all development proposals will be measured and judged. The Local Plan sets out future land use and planning policies for the area until 2031
View details of the plan on the South Cambridgeshire website. The plan was adopted in 2018 and you can read the full adopted plan here.
The following policies from the Local Plan are particularly relevant to Harston:
Policy S/4: Cambridge Green Belt (page 24 of document)
“A Green Belt will be maintained around Cambridge that will define the extent
of the urban area. The detailed boundaries of the Green Belt in South
Cambridgeshire are defined on the Policies Map, which includes some minor
revisions to the inner boundary of the Green Belt around Cambridge and to
the boundaries around some inset villages. New development in the Green
Belt will only be approved in accordance with Green Belt policy in the
National Planning Policy Framework”
You can see a map of the Green Belt land in Harston here and there is a key to the map here.
Policy S/5: Provision of New Jobs and Homes (page 26)
“Development will meet the objectively assessed needs in the district over the
period 2011-2031 for:
a. 22,000 additional jobs to support the Cambridge Cluster and provide a diverse range of local jobs;
b. 19,500 new homes, including affordable housings”
Policy S/6: The Development Strategy to 2031 (page 28)
“1. The need for jobs and homes will be met as far as possible in the following order of preference, having regard to the purposes of the Cambridge Green Belt:
a. On the edge of Cambridge;
b. At new settlements;
c. In the rural area at Rural Centres and Minor Rural Centres.
2. Major site allocations from the South Cambridgeshire Local Development Framework 2007-2010 together with the Area Action Plans for Northstowe (except as amended by SS/5), North West Cambridge, Cambridge Southern Fringe and Cambridge East (except as amended by Policy SS/3) are carried forward as part of the development plan to 2031 or until such time as the developments are
complete.
3. The following 3 new strategic scale allocations are proposed for housing-led development with associated employment and supporting services and facilities to meet the majority of the additional
development needs to 2031 and beyond:
d. A new town north of Waterbeach for 8,000 to 9,000 homes;
e. A new village based on Bourn Airfield for 3,500 homes;
f. A major expansion of Cambourne for a fourth linked village of 1,200 homes, all of which by 2031.
4. Development in the rural area will be limited, with allocations for jobs and housing focused on Rural Centres and Minor Rural Centres, and rural settlement policies providing for windfall development for different categories of village consistent with the level of local service provision and quality of public transport access to Cambridge or a market town”
Policy S/8: Rural Centres (page 33)
“1. The following villages are identified as Rural Centres: Cambourne, Cottenham, Great Shelford and Stapleford, Histon and Impington, Sawston
2. Development and redevelopment without any limit on individual scheme
size will be permitted within the development frameworks of Rural
Centres, as defined on the Policies Map, provided that adequate
services, facilities and infrastructure are available or can be made
available as a result of the development”
Policy S/9: Minor Rural Centres (page 34)
“The following villages are selected as Minor Rural Centres: Bar Hill, Bassingbourn, Comberton, Fulbourn, Gamlingay, Girton, Linton, Melbourn, Milton, Papworth Everard, Swavesey, Waterbeach, Willingham.
Residential development and redevelopment up to an indicative maximum scheme size of 30 dwellings will be permitted within the development frameworks of Minor Rural Centres, as defined on the Policies Map”
Policy S/10: Group Villages (page 35)
The following villages are selected as Group Villages:
Balsham, Barrington, Barton, Bourn, Caldecote, Castle Camp, Coton, Dry Drayton, Duxford, Elsworth, Eltisley, Fen Ditton, Fen Drayton, Fowlmere, Foxton, Great Abington, Great Wilbraham, Guilden Morden, Hardwick, HARSTON, Haslingfield, Hauxton, Highfields, Little Abington, Longstanton, Meldreth, Oakington, Orwell, Over, Steeple Morden, Teversham, Thriplow, and Whittlesford.
Residential development and redevelopment up to an indicative maximum scheme size of 8 dwellings will be permitted within thedevelopment frameworks of Group Villages, as defined on the Policies Map.
Development may exceptionally consist of up to about 15 dwellings where this would make the best use of a single brownfield site.
Policy S/11: Infill Villages (page 36)
The following villages are selected as Infill Villages:
Abington Pigotts, Arrington, Babraham, Bartlow, Boxworth, Carlton, Caxton, Childerley, Conington, Croxton, Croydon, East Hatley, Grantchester, Graveley, Great Chishill, Great Eversden, Harlton, Hatley St George, Heathfield, Heydon, Hildersham, Hinxton, Horningsea, Horseheath, Ickleton, Kingston, Knapwell, Kneesworth, Landbeach, Litlington, Little Chishill, Little Eversden, Little Gransden, Little Shelford, Little Wilbraham, Lolworth, Longstowe, Madingley, Newton, Pampisford, Papworth St Agnes, Rampton, Shepreth, Shingay-cum-Wendy, Shudy Camps, Six Mile Bottom, Stow-cum-Quy, Tadlow, Toft, Weston Colville, Weston Green, West Wickham, West Wratting, Whaddon, and Wimpole.
Residential development and redevelopment within the development frameworks of these villages, as defined on the Policies Map, will be restricted to scheme sizes of not more than 2 dwellings (indicative size) comprising:
a) A gap in an otherwise built-up frontage to an existing road, provided that it is not sufficiently large to accommodate more than two dwellings on similar curtilages to those adjoining; or
b) The redevelopment or sub-division of an existing residential curtilage; or
c) The sub-division of an existing dwelling;
d) The conversion or redevelopment of a non-residential building where this would not result in a loss of local employment.
In very exceptional circumstances a slightly larger development (not more than about 8 dwellings) may be permitted where this would lead to the sustainable recycling of a brownfield site bringing positive overall benefit to the village.
Policy E/12: New Employment Development in Villages (page 185)
Within development frameworks in villages, planning permission will be granted for new employment development (B1, B2 and B8 uses) or expansion of existing premises provided that the scale of development would be in keeping with the category and scale of the village, and be in character and scale with the location.
Policy NH/13: Important Countryside Frontage (page 125)
Important Countryside Frontages are defined where land with a strong countryside character either penetrates or sweeps into the built-up area providing a significant connection between the street scene and the surrounding rural area or provides an important rural break between two nearby but detached parts of a development framework.
Planning permission for development will be refused if it would compromise these purposes.
Page last updated September 2025