We note the following statement in the consultation document (page 22):
“Greater Cambridge has a strong and nationally important economy. Over recent years, jobs have been created faster than new homes have been built, and this has contributed to higher house prices and increased commuting into the area.”

This summarises our key concerns, namely:
• Cambridge City and the surrounding area are unique, and of national and international significance.
• The Planning vision for Greater Cambridge must embrace the growth potential that the area possesses, and plan for that growth to the greater benefit of the local economy and UK PLC, whilst ensuring that economic growth is harnessed in a sustainable way for the good of all.
• The life science, biomedical and tech-based sectors are particularly fast-paced and market trends and demands over the next two decades will evolve and cannot be entirely foreseen. As a result, adequate flexibility is needed within the Local Plan; this needs to be factored into both the growth projections (jobs and housing numbers) and the spatial strategy.
• As referenced in the above quotation, a past failure to deliver a sufficient supply of new housing alongside economic/jobs growth has resulted in problems including lack of affordability and increased commuting distances, with associated issues such as traffic congestion, environmental concerns and social/community fragmentation. The new Local Plan must not allow these past mistakes to be repeated, as the impact will be negative in terms of economic, social and environmental effects.

We have three broad comments:
• The Plan should embrace the maximum economic benefits that can sustainably be accommodated within the Greater Cambridge area. Life sciences, biomedical and technology sectors are key areas to the UK economy, asserted heightened importance as a result of the Pandemic. These sectors rely on knowledge clusters and Cambridge is alongside Oxford as one of two UK locations able to offer such a cluster that is sufficiently attractive to compete with major global economies such as Silicon Valley in California. Its importance to UK growth is essential and the Plan needs to accommodate the needs of these sectors – and ensure that the supporting infrastructure (including a wide choice of new homes) is available for existing and new employees.
• The Plan is proposing too few homes to support the ambitious and aspirational economic growth of Greater Cambridge.
• The spatial strategy is placing an over-reliance on a limited number of strategic sites within the City and depends upon the intensification of existing strategic sites to deliver additional homes. A broader development strategy is required to ensure a more flexible and responsive approach. There is a danger that if development on the strategic sites stalls or delivery timescales slip, then housing completions will be negatively impacted, potentially leading to unplanned speculative development.