Comment

Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

Representation ID: 57777

Received: 11/12/2021

Respondent: Dr Cressida Harding

Representation Summary:

This consultation process was begun before COVID, when the world was significantly different. Lessons from past pandemics (e.g. black death and 1918 flu) teach us we must not underrate the capability that these events have to rewrite the society’s rules: where and how people work will change as jobs move to virtual and/or remote locations. Furthermore, some sources are predicting global population _decline_ as a potential scenario. Combining these long-term effects with short-term impacts from UK govt anti-immigration policies suggests that overall housing need should be re-evaluated and may, in fact, be far too high as stated here.

Full text:

This consultation process was begun before COVID, when the world was significantly different. Lessons from past pandemics (e.g. black death and 1918 flu) teach us we must not underrate the capability that these events have to rewrite the society’s rules: where and how people work will change as jobs move to virtual and/or remote locations. Furthermore, some sources are predicting global population _decline_ as a potential scenario. Combining these long-term effects with short-term impacts from UK govt anti-immigration policies suggests that overall housing need should be re-evaluated and may, in fact, be far too high as stated here.