Welcome

This consultation is the first stage towards preparing the Greater Cambridge Local Plan - a new joint Local Plan for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire. Together, we will shape the Plan over the next few years, and this is the start of that conversation.

The next Local Plan will affect the way we live, work and play in Greater Cambridge over the next 20 years and beyond. We are committed to growing our economy, and planning for new homes and a range of jobs which meet the needs of all our community, while meeting the climate change challenge. The Local Plan is an important tool to help us become a net zero carbon society, and towards meeting our target of doubling biodiversity.

There are big issues to be debated, and we will have to prioritise carefully. There are requirements from national planning policy and regulations that we must meet, as well as local issues that we need to respond to. Alongside this, we know that you, our communities, have diverse views about how our area develops, and we want to make sure that we properly understand these when creating the next plan.

We want you all to be central to creating the next Local Plan. This consultation sets out the issues we think the Plan needs to consider and some of the big questions we need the Plan to answer. We want your views on whether these are the right issues and potential options to help us solve them. We hope you will all get involved.

Cllr Tumi Hawkins Cllr Katie Thornburrow

Lead Cabinet Member for Planning Executive Councillor, Planning and Open Spaces

South Cambridgeshire District Council Cambridge City Council