In order for the GCSP to plan at a scale necessary to generate investment for significant infrastructure and to meet the housing and employment needs of the area, it is necessary to adopt a strategy that combines different locations for focusing growth. Realistically, a growth strategy that directs new development to the edge of Cambridge is the only option likely to generate the quantity of land in sustainable locations that are suitable for development. This reinforces the importance and value of Cambridge East and the capacity that it is able to deliver through the growth strategy.

As identified through the CPIER (Page 42), Cambridge East is the only side of the city that is not constrained and could accommodate significant levels of housing and employment growth, whilst still having the advantage of being close to the principal centres of employment and the existing transport infrastructure. There are no other sites with this scale of opportunity, that are released from the Green Belt and sustainably located so close to the city centre.