The Background

Bury End Fam, Meldreth is a working Turkey Farm. The farm has been used to intensively rear turkeys for around 40 years and produces around 10,000 birds per year.

Having operated on the site since 1966, the farm now requires significant investment to help it meet higher welfare standards for the birds. This would include replacing the various structures across the site to meet environmental standards in relation to water containment and fuel efficiency.

Due to the proximity of the site to existing residential properties the site is not attractive to future faming investment and it would be unlikely to pass odour modelling and other studies which would be required to support redevelopment (indicatively operations such as turkey farms are expected to be 300-500m away). Therefore, options were explored for alternative uses that would provide the means to invest in the wider business.

The Proposals

The re-development is being led by Sackville Rogers in partnership with the landowners and Rockwell Homes, a developer who has successfully delivered a range of award-winning, high-quality developments.

Working with Rock Townsend as the project architects and supported by The Landscape Partnership, the opportunity to re-imagine the area and deliver a proposal which sensitively responds to the rural context of Meldreth and North End and replaces the operational turkey farm with a range of homes for affordable rent, affordable sale, self or custom build as well as market sale.

All comments received so far have been helpful in helping us to improve the scheme and think about the different challenges. Changes we have made include enlarging the open spaces within the site larger, reviewing the access and changing the proposed homes along the northern boundary to bungalows to reduce any potential overlooking.

These changes can be seen on the plan below. We have also taken the proposals to an Independent Design Review Panel who suggested some other changes to the arrangement of the buildings within the site, as well as identifying ways to retain features such as the feed stores into the final proposals.

Extensive planting and landscaped areas are incorporated with the design and the current design is likely to achieve a ‘biodiversity net gain’ more than 70% compared to the existing use. The southern boundary will include space for children’s play as well as footpath links along the edge of the village. The potential for enabling a footbridge over the river Mel to connect into the existing footpath network is actively being explored.

The mix of homes has been informed by the Housing Needs Survey for Meldreth. Properties will range from 1-bed houses suitable for those starting out on the housing ladder, 2, 3 and 4 bed homes for families and a limited number of plots for self or custom build which would allow up to 5 bedrooms. 16 homes (42%) proposed as affordable.

Planning Application and Next Steps

We are continuing to progress our application and have reviewed all comments received to date, which have been helpful. If you have any comments, you would like us to consider, please use the feedback form below. We would be particularly interested from anyone who may be looking for an affordable or self-build home to help us ensure that these elements of the scheme reflect the needs of people in Meldreth.

The outline application will be submitted in early 2025. Once an application has been submitted, it can be viewed on South Cambridgeshire District Council’s planning application search website. We will also update this website with the details of the final layout and proposals.

SCDC Application Search

Frequently Asked Questions

We have answered some questions that have been asked to date. As we review any responses, if there are other questions we will update this section periodically.

Will the homes be for local people?

We are advocating that all the affordable homes provided as part of the development will be made available to people who have a local connection to Meldreth to meet local housing needs. If you are interested in a market home in the future, please use the comments box below and someone will contact you.

What is being submitted?

The planning application will be made in outline. This means the detailed design of the buildings are not available at this stage. Details of design will be submitted following a successful outline planning application under a separate Reserved Matters application.

How will you manage traffic?

A transport assessment is being carried out. Early discussions with Cambridgeshire County Council have not raised any technical concerns. However, we appreciate there may be local worries about the number of vehicles entering North End and the safety of this road.

Based on the current mix, it is estimated that there would be around 16 cars leaving the site in the morning peak hours. This will be confirmed once a final mix is agreed and submitted.

To help manage traffic, the access point has been designed to manage vehicles entering and leaving the site and encouraging slower vehicle speeds. We are also looking at anything we can do to make the road or crossing points for pedestrians safer.

We are also working closely with South Cambridgeshire to identify alternative pedestrian and cycling routes, including a footbridge over the river Mel.

Will the proposals impact flooding?

A Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) is proposed to comprise of permeable paving in courtyard areas, with two attenuation basins located to the south-west within the development boundary. Due to the large areas of hard standing already across the site, the run-off (or flow from the site) will be slower and designed to match the same rates as though the site was a green field.

Where will I be able to view the detailed information?

Given the site and location, we have spent time on the layout and preparing a masterplan. We are also in the process of preparing a high-level Design Code to give certainty around how the development will be laid out and the mix of homes being prepared. This will be made available to view at a later stage of the planning process.

Where can I see what it looks like?

Plans will be submitted to South Cambridge District Council where plans and accompanying reports can be viewed and downloaded online. The application reference number will be published on this site once an application has been submitted.

Have Your Say

In accordance with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), your personal information will not be passed to any third party organisations and will be used by Smith Jenkins Planning & Heritage for the purposes of understanding your views on the proposal.

(Please note that commenting via this webpage will not affect your statutory rights to comment on the Planning Application when submitted to the Council)

The Background

The Site

The Proposals

Comparison of previous site plan against amended site plan

Existing vs Proposed Southern Boundary Elevation

Planning Application and Next Steps

Frequently Asked Questions

Have Your Say

We are collecting views on the application until early 2025. You are invited to provide your comments below. Comments may be accepted after this date and we will make every effort to address them in the application we submit. Any comments received will not be attributed to individuals.