Rural Settlement List 2025 to 2026

Introduction

Under s42A of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, East Cambridgeshire District Council (‘the council’) must compile and maintain a ‘rural settlement list’. Once in place, the list must be reviewed, updated if necessary and republished each year. To amend such a list, s42B of the above Act confirms the council must, for a period of three months before the start of the chargeable financial year, make available for inspection a draft of the list. That draft list is at Appendix 1 below.

Qualifying settlements

For an area or settlement to qualify to be inserted on the list, the Act confirms that:

the settlement is wholly or partly within the council’s area, and
appears (for the financial year 2025/26) to the council to have a population of not more than 3000 on 31 December 2024

A rural settlement list must identify the boundaries of each settlement (whether by defining the boundaries or referring to boundaries defined in a map or other document).

If the council wishes to amend the list in future years, it must consult for three months prior to the start of the applicable financial year before doing so.

Benefits of being on the list

The purpose of preparing the list is in relation to Business Rate Relief. In short, you could (if you apply) get Rural Rate Relief if your business is in a settlement as listed. Such rural rate relief means that you won’t pay business rates if your business is in an eligible settlement and either:

the only village shop or post office, with a rateable value of up to £8500
the only public house or petrol station, with a rateable value of up to £12,500

Consultation arrangements

If you have any comments on the attached list (for example, a settlement should be removed or added), please let the council know by 5pm on Thursday 6 March 2025, by emailing sally.bonnett@eastcambs.gov.uk or by writing to Sally Bonnett at East Cambridgeshire District Council, The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7 4EE. Please provide as much evidence as possible to explain why you think a change is needed. Post consultation, a final list will be prepared and published for the financial year 2025/26.

Appendix 1: The Rural Settlement List for 2025/26

East Cambridgeshire District Council Rural Settlement List 2025/26

(under s42A of the Local Government Finance Act 1988)

All businesses located within the following settlements within the East Cambridgeshire area are deemed to be within a rural settlement (settlements appearing to have a population of less than 3000 at 31 December 2024).

The boundaries of the settlements listed are, for the purpose of the 2025/26 list, defined by the ‘development envelopes’ on the Policies Map for East Cambridgeshire. The Policies Map is comprised of the maps agreed as part of the East Cambridgeshire Local Plan or, where applicable, the maps agreed as part of a more recent parish-based Neighbourhood Plan.

Local Plan maps
Local Neighbourhood Plans