Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

The Vision lacks any reference to Cambridge as a centre of excellence and world leader in the fields of higher education and research. That is what makes Cambridge distinctive and successful. The aims relating to climate change, biodiversity and green spaces, wellbeing and social inclusion, great places, jobs, homes and infrastructure are supported, but overall aim should be to nurture Cambridge’s development as an national and global centre of excellence in education and research. The Plan should set out effective policies, proposals and strategies to ensure continued development in those fields for the next 20 years.

We support the provision of additional housing on existing allocated land at Eddington.

As a member of the North Barton Road Landowners Group (NBRLOG), we support the proposals to develop a sustainable urban extension at South West Cambridge. This would support our shared aims relating to climate change, biodiversity and green space, wellbeing and social inclusion, while providing homes in close proximity to jobs at West Cambridge. The Councils’ Preferred Options for Local Plan policies and proposals should be amended to include NBRLOG’s proposals for South West Cambridge.

The Councils are planning for relatively low levels of jobs and housing growth. Other job forecasting models predict much higher levels of growth, including a CPIER proxy developed by Cambridge Econometrics (but not endorsed by CPIER) of 92,100 additional jobs. The Councils’ preferred option is based on an employment growth rate to 2041 for life sciences and other key sectors as the lower quartile between the EEFM baseline and the historic growth rate between 2001-17, therefore planning for reduced economic development in those sectors. As a consequence, there is a likelihood that the Councils ‘preferred option strategy for the Local Plan is based on an under-forecast of employment growth and associated housing need.

We are concerned that actual employment growth to 2041 will not be matched by an adequate level of planned housing land, leading to an over-heated local housing market, increasing levels of in-commuting and commuting distances, congestion, loss of productivity, and harm to wellbeing and social inclusion.

We support the response from Cambridge Ahead.

We support the key principles of the proposed development strategy to direct development to
where it has the least climate impact, where active and public transport is the natural choice, where green infrastructure can be delivered alongside new development, and where jobs, services and facilities can be located near to where people live, whilst ensuring all necessary utilities can be provided in a sustainable way. We also support the need to be realistic around the locational limits of some new jobs floorspace which is centred upon national and global economic clusters.
We also agree that sites should be developed at densities, and using appropriate forms
and patterns of development, which make best use of land while creating well-designed,
characterful places.
In particular, we support the principles of:
■ the development of Cambridge East as a new mixed-use district on the existing safeguarded land at Cambridge Airport;
■ the continued development of the nationally important Cambridge Biomedical Campus, including through a
limited release of land from the Green Belt;
■ Using land more effectively at North West Cambridge through intensifying development;
■ Development of an Innovation District at West Cambridge
■ Evolving and expanding Cambourne into a vibrant town alongside the development of
the new East West Rail station

We consider, however, that the Councils’ preferred option forecasts of jobs and homes are low, and that more realistic forecasts should be adopted along with the identification of land to meet higher assessed needs for development. We support CBC Ltd’s responses relating to the future development and growth of Cambridge Biomedical Campus, and the North Barton Road Landowners Group’s proposals for development at South West Cambridge.

We support the ambition for the historic core of Cambridge to be protected and enhanced by appropriate new development of the highest design quality, and for the regeneration of parts of the city that aren’t fulfilling their potential.

We agree that Cambridge should be a place where walking, cycling and public transport is the natural choice and where unnecessary private car use is discouraged to help achieve net zero carbon.

It is unclear why the Old Press Mill Lane site is identified both as an ‘Opportunity Area’ and as a site allocation.

We support the site allocations for the Old Press Mill Lane site and the New Museums Site being rolled forward from the adopted 2018 Cambridge Local Plan into the new Greater Cambridge Local Plan. Development of both of these sites will come forward during the plan period.

The University does not support the removal of land Hills Road as a site allocation (currently identified as Proposals Site E5 in Policy 25 of the Cambridge Local Plan (2018)). 7-9 Hills road has recently been refurbished and let for a short period, with the potential to redevelop during the plan period to 2041 once the lease has expired. The University intends to bring forward redevelopment of 1-3 Hills Road in the early part of the plan period.

We support the Councils’ plan to complete the development of new neighbourhoods on the edge of Cambridge as well as bringing forward new opportunities for sustainable developments.

The University will continue to develop the West Cambridge Site and the North West Cambridge Site which are included in the Preferred Options proposals. We also support the North Barton Road Landowners Group’s proposals for the development of South West Cambridge, and consider that this should be included as a site in the Greater Cambridge Local Plan.

The University supports the proposed policy for an additional 1,000 – 1,500 dwellings at North West Cambridge. The site has capacity for additional development within the existing settlement boundaries as defined in the local plans and the North West Cambridge Area Action Plan.

We support the policy direction for a minimum 50% key worker housing provision. The University’s housing needs assessment will be updated in order to support the evidence base for the new Local Plan.

We do not support the Councils’ proposals for a single policy approach with West Cambridge, however:
- North West Cambridge and West Cambridge are subject to separate outline planning permissions;
- North West Cambridge is a residential-led mixed use development, whereas West Cambridge research focus;
- The sites have separate identities, reinforced through design guidance that has already been endorsed by the local authorities;
- Identities are also supported by distinct marketing and branding strategies. Eddington is promoted as new area of Cambridge that is designed for twenty-first century sustainable living. The University’s intention to develop West Cambridge as an Innovation District – and to create an identity to match that of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and the Cambridge Science Park - may be undermined if the local authorities have separate policy for an Innovation District that incorporates North West Cambridge.

The University supports the response from CBC Limited and landowners for the CBC expansion proposals.

We support:
- the proposed policy direction for development of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus to meet local, regional or national health care needs and for biomedical and biotechnology research and development activities, related higher education and sui generis medical research institutes, associated support activities to meet the needs of employees and visitors, and residential uses where it would provide affordable and key worker homes for campus employees.
- Recognition that CBC is of national and international importance.
- Recognition of the CBC Vision 2050.


We support the policy position that the first priority should be to reassess the existing campus land.

The Preferred Option for future expansion does not support CBC Ltd and the landowners’ projections on future demand for life sciences space in Greater Cambridge, however. We are concerned that the Council’s preferred jobs forecast is based on an assumption that jobs growth for life sciences (and other key sectors) in the plan period to 2041 will be lower than that actually achieved between 2001-2017. A common set of growth projections for the CBC needs to be agreed in order to inform the next stages of local plan preparation.