See also our comments under S/JH regarding overall numbers of homes to be built and under Wellbeing and
Inclusion regarding affordability.
We would like to see the direct evidence for housing need in Greater Cambridge (broken down by different
sizes and types of home), not just the use of average house prices as a proxy. It is well-known that people
struggle to afford homes in our area (particularly in Cambridge), and there is often an unchallenged
assumption that this is due to an undersupply of housing, which is best addressed by building more. What
research has been carried out into what actually drives high house prices in Cambridge, and what evidence
is there that building more houses will address this? The situation we are currently in, with house prices
soaring and many people unable to afford to live near where they work, has arisen despite significant house
building programmes: we question whether a policy of more of the same is likely to help.