Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

OBJECT

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Devolution Deal committed to delivering substantial economic growth and to double economic output during the next 25 years. The Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority and the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership acknowledge and support the economic growth potential of the Greater Cambridge area, and consider that there is a need to substantially increase housing delivery in order to support economic growth and address the significant housing affordability issues that exist.

At present there is an imbalance between rates of economic growth and housing delivery in Greater Cambridge. These factors support a significantly higher number of homes than are proposed in the preferred ‘medium plus’ growth option of Policy S/JH. It is considered that the ‘medium plus’ growth option makes insufficient upward adjustments to the housing requirement (from Section Id.2a of the Planning Practice Guidance) to take into account growth strategies, strategic infrastructure improvements and housing affordability in Greater Cambridge.

It is suggested that the emerging GCLP should have selected the higher growth level option to support economic growth, address housing affordability, and reduce in-commuting. A higher growth level option would be consistent with the Government’s aspirations for the Oxford to Cambridge Arc.

Requested Change

It is requested that housing and jobs requirements in Policy S/JH are based on delivering the higher growth level option.