Marshall agrees that planning to limit and mitigate the effects of climate change is of central importance. Cambridge East is being planned to achieve an exemplar development which can act as a flagship for the Councils’ objectives. By pioneering new technologies and considering the long term welfare of our planet and its people, we believe Cambridge East can create a transformative green infrastructure connecting the City with the countryside that sets the new global standard for sustainability.

The ambitions of Cambridge East include net zero embodied carbon and net zero operational carbon through careful design of infrastructure, carbon offsetting through local (if possible) sequestration via the creation of new or enhancement of existing areas of woodland and other habitats, sustainable water management for the wider area (not simply for the benefit of Cambridge East), and creating a ‘green link’ which will encompass many climate initiatives such as using green infrastructure to reduce the impacts of climate change (e.g. providing shade and reducing overheating). These commitments are set out in the Sustainability Vision that Marshall submitted in February 2020. These commitments will be developed further through Marshall’s joint working with the GCSP.

Marshall’s view is that there is the potential for the sustainability benefits of Cambridge East to be even greater if development also includes land east of Airport Way, enabling planning at an even higher strategic scale.

In line with the climate approach of the Local Plan, the ambitions of Cambridge East seek to provide a net zero operational development, and reduce embodied carbon to net zero through construction. Offsetting would ensure consideration at an on-site and local scale where feasible. In order to provide a holistic approach to carbon offsetting, it is recommended that consideration is given by GCSP to a holistic carbon offsetting strategy, and the demarcation of potential sites where the offsetting of the carbon impacts from allocated Local Plan development could bring additional local benefits. This will ensure that this intrinsically important, yet often difficult to apply, policy is targeted, local, and achievable. Marshall is happy to work in collaboration with GCSP in order to develop, agree and achieve a strategy which works for all. Through collaboration a truly balanced plan will be created, in which the 4 pillars of the Local Plan objectives are achieved by embracing growth rather than resisting it.

More detail is provided below when responding to specific proposed policies.