It is suggested that the timescales for the delivery of new settlements, the viability and deliverability of new infrastructure, and the ability of these types of developments to provide policy compliant levels of affordable housing, should be fully understood and assessed before they are considered as an option for a future GNLP. No modifications are requested to Policy 7.6.

Policy 7.6 refers to the possibility of a new settlement being needed through the next Local Plan. A number of potential locations for new settlements in close proximity to Wymondham have been promoted and assessed through the Draft GNLP process; none of these sites are proposed as allocations but are identified in the site assessments as reasonable alternatives.
It is noted that new settlements typically take much longer to proceed through the planning processes than originally predicted, largely because they are complex and require significant levels of primary infrastructure to be provided. It is normally the case that new settlements are not able to deliver policy compliant levels of affordable housing, at least not in the initial stages, mainly because of the costs associated with the delivery of transport and utilities infrastructure improvements and new community facilities.
It should be noted that the new settlement examples in Cambridgeshire which are under construction (Cambourne, Northstowe and Alconbury Weald), referred to in Paragraph 23 of the New Settlements Topic Paper, are not able to meet local affordable housing policy requirements; there is an additional new settlement example at Waterbeach (in South Cambridgeshire) which is providing no affordable housing in the first phase. It is noted that only one of the three proposed North Essex new settlements passed through the plan-making process and was allocated – the Tendring/Colchester Garden Community – with the other two new settlements not taken forward for a variety of reasons including the deliverability and viability associated with transport and public transport infrastructure.
It is suggested that the timescales for the delivery of new settlements, the viability and deliverability of new infrastructure, and the ability of these types of developments to provide policy compliant levels of affordable housing, should be fully understood and assessed before they are considered as an option for a future GNLP. No modifications are requested to Policy 7.6.