Not supported. Assessment of housing and employment needs were made before Brexit and before the Covid-19 pandemic. We suggest that these should be re-assessed. Housing aspirations have changed and major conurbations are no longer so attractive. It is recognised that personal and communal space, with access to green space, is necessary for mental and physical wellbeing.

It should also be recognised that Cambridge has a highly mobile work force, especially in the sciences and technology industries, where employees rarely stay at the same job for their whole working life. Skilled service professionals, e.g electricians, plumbers, are necessarily itinerant.

The impact on carbon expenditure, water use and flood risk due to ground cover should be assessed in the light of climate change.

The prediction of 2,111 homes produced per year is not going to have a major impact on Cambridge high house prices or the provision of social and affordable housing for the lower paid of the 58,500 jobs.

More investigation is needed on employment sites, especially office space, which has become available since the pandemic. These include office space at the Biomedical Hub at Addenbrookes Hospital Biomedical Hub, changes from retail to other use at the Grafton Centre Grafton Centre and the Dirac Building at St.John’s Innovation Park among many others.

The development targets for housing in Greater Cambridge are over ambitious in the plan period and bring a high level of risk to Greater Cambridge and the Vision and Aims of the Local Plan .

The Medium plus Growth Option is not supported, a Minimum or Medium Growth Option is recommended requiring an additional 3,000 homes (rounded & incl 10% buffer) and Medium Option an additional 8,500 homes (rounded & including 10% buffer). [figures pg.84 of the SA and pg.42 of Development Strategy Topic Paper]
Minimum or Medium Growth Option can be justified on the grounds of:
1. Sustainability - where solutions to support both the existing population and housing already in plan are yet to be resolved (eg Water, Electricity, access to Health, Transport infrastructure)
2. The impact of large population increases in Greater Cambridge as a result of an unprecedented  amount of new homes already in the pipeline, 30,000 + amounting to a 37% increase of existing homes in 2020, are yet to be known/tested and will not be known until mid-plan period and beyond. This high growth strategy may fail if sustainable solutions do not come to the fore in a timely way and the attractiveness of Cambridge for homes and business is eroded (CPIER 2018). The impact of this unprecedented high growth strategy already in progress and committed to needs to be evaluated before it is added to further. The Aims of the Local Plan : ‘Wellbeing & Social inclusion’ and ‘Great Places’ are of particular relevance and at risk here.  
3. Changes in working practices post COVID to full or partial home working and reduced daily commutes now widely recognised for a number of industries, particularly the tech industries, to be permanent. Thus, reduced CO2 emissions for existing and future forecast employees and reduced demand for housing close to work.