Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District councils have this week published the proposed next version of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan.
A Local Plan shows where new homes and workplaces could be built over the next 20 years - and how essential community facilities and public services would support this expected growth. Once adopted, the Joint Local Plan would become the statutory development plan for the Greater Cambridge area.
The draft Local Plan – the first joint plan for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire - will be considered by councillors at forthcoming public meetings in November. Publication follows the Government’s recent announcement of its plans for a Development Corporation and additional investment in the area to drive forward its ambitions for the area set out in the recently published Growth Company Narrative. Preparation of the Local Plan is nevertheless a statutory requirement for the Councils, and the Joint Local Plan will therefore form an important part of any future plans for the area.
The Plan follows significant additional work by the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning service on the area’s well known infrastructure constraints and builds upon the consultation feedback in 2021 and updated assessments of jobs and housing needs with confirmation of the need for over 50,000 new homes between 2024 and 2045 to meet the forecast increase in jobs. Some 37,000 of these homes are already provided for within planning permissions and sites identified in the adopted local plans from 2018. The revisions to the plan also take account of the Government’s recent decision not to fund the relocation of the Cambridge Waste Water treatment works.
Sites included in 2021 consultation on the Joint Plan such as Cambridge Airport and the expansion of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus remain. Earlier ambitions for further growth at Cambourne have increased – with a significant enlargement of the existing community which is set to become one of the best connected places in the region as a result of planned or ongoing road, rail and public transport corridor improvements. Replacing some of the previously planned for new homes at North East Cambridge, following the cancellation of funding for the Waste Water Treatment works relocation, and building upon planned public transport improvements, a new community of some 6000 homes beyond the green belt is also proposed on land next to the A11 and A1307 near Great Abington, providing new homes near to the growing science campuses south of Cambridge but with direct public transport access to the Biomedical Campus.
The plan reflects the Governments continued support for growth in innovation across the area by enabling sites like the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Babraham Research Campus to grow further. In addition, reflecting evidence of a growing need for logistics and new industrial spaces, the plan identifies two new sites on the A14 corridor including the expansion of the existing lorry parking at Cambridge Services.
The report from officers makes clear that there remain unresolved challenges with the plan being put into practice. This includes confirming the identification of solutions to critical infrastructure, including the water supply and treatment issues currently impacting developments across the Greater Cambridge area.
The Plan and supporting documents will be scrutinised by local councillors – starting with Cambridge City Council’s Performance, Assets and Strategy Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday 4 November; then the South Cambridgeshire District Council Scrutiny and Overview Committee on Thursday 6 November. The plan will then be put in front of a joint Cabinet meeting between both councils on Tuesday 25 November who will decide whether the proposals proceed to public consultation, currently pencilled in to start on 1 December for 8 weeks.
South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Lead Cabinet Member for Planning, Cllr Dr. Tumi Hawkins, said: “This is another key milestone on our pathway towards ensuring we have a clear long term plan for the future. Helping to bring forward the new homes we need – along with protecting our local habitats and landscapes. Notwithstanding the government’s recent announcement, we must prepare a local plan to ensure new homes and jobs don’t come at the expense of our environment. This consultation in December is a further opportunity for you to help us strike the right balance.”
Cambridge City Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Transport, Cllr Katie Thornburrow, commented: “The Joint Local Plan provides a statutory framework for planning across Greater Cambridge and demonstrates how the Councils are responding to the many challenges facing the region and balancing competing pressures. It shows how we can build the high-quality, affordable, and sustainable homes we need to deal with the predicted growth in the number of people working here, especially as more of us want to work close to where we live. It also provides a starting point for any discussion about how we realise the Government’s ambitious plans for the region, with consideration for essential community facilities and public services as well as homes and workplaces. After it has been considered and finalised by councillors it will be up to residents to make their views known, and I hope that many people will take the chance to comment when the consultation starts on December 1.”
Get involved
The consultation is planned to run between 1 December and 30 January 2026, and feedback will help shape the final version of the Plan, which will be consulted on for a final time in summer 2026 before it is submitted to Government to be examined. Visit the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning website to sign up for updates.
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