Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Object

Representation ID: 208593

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Little Abington Parish Council

Legally compliant? No

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? No

Dominance of Site Promoter Views
It is clear that a commercially-driven relationship exists between GCSP and The Pampisford Estate, being the owner of the land on which the Proposed Grange Farm Development would be sited. This is evidenced by the memorandum of understanding entered into on 9 September 2025 between GCSP and The Pampisford Estate (the “MoU”) (link here).
The MoU states, among other things, that it sets out (at paragraph 1.1) the “way in which the parties can engage to examine issues regarding the potential site allocation in relation to land at Grange Farm”.
The MoU states further (at paragraph 3.1(e)) that “GCSP may instruct external consultants to independently verify evidence prepared by the landowner/site promoter prior to relying on it (costs to be borne by the landowner/site promoter having been agreed in advance)”. This was affirmed at the 14 January Public Meeting by GCSP’s Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development, Stephen Kelly.
This introduces a clear and demonstrable conflict of interest in respect of models and assessments commissioned by GCSP, which arises due to the funding of such purportedly independent verification of the Proposed Grange Farm Development coming from those who stand to benefit from it proceeding. Such a conflict of interest is a material concern and raises serious public law issues in respect of the inclusion of the Proposed Grange Farm Development, which would be open to challenge on judicial review.

Object

Representation ID: 208594

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Little Abington Parish Council

Legally compliant? No

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? No

Cumulative Impacts
There is a lot of development pressure in this area. The Possible additional future development at Ley Rectory Farm would only exacerbate all issues identified. The Draft Plan and preceding local plans already provide for significant overdevelopment in close proximity to the site of the Proposed Grange Farm Development. The presence of such proposed development will only add to this and risk creating a quasi-urban sprawl, the like of which is not appropriate to the area when credible alternative development approaches clearly exist, as outlined elsewhere in this response. It is also entirely disingenuous of GCSP to bring forward the Proposed Grange Farm Development as part of the Draft Plan, without detailed reference being made to the already contemplated additional plan to develop the site further should the adjacent Ley Rectory Farm become available. This prospect contemplates an additional 2,000 dwellings by 2056 and would only further exacerbate all of the material, irreversible and irreparable issues created by the Proposed Grange Farm Development, as articulated in this response.

Object

Representation ID: 208595

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Little Abington Parish Council

Legally compliant? No

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? No

Relationship with local employment centres
Development in close proximity to research parks to the south of Cambridge is not required or justified. The immediately proximate research parks at Granta Park (currently c.2,500 employees) and Babraham Research Campus (currently c.2,300 employees) together total no more than 4,800 employees at present. Babraham Research Campus has proposed additional development of 23,000m2 of R&D capacity on-site, however Granta Park is currently advertising for tenants in at least five buildings on-site indicating no requirement for additional site capacity. The lack of need for additional site capacity at Granta Park is further corroborated by the omission of development of Granta Park within the Draft Plan (see Policy S/AMC/GP: “Granta Park” of the Draft Plan). The proposed development is of a scale wholly disproportionate and unnecessary to any such purported requirements.
Further still, even if every single role were created, many of the prospective employees at those research parks will be highly-skilled, highly-paid individuals who would not seek to reside within a densely-populated new settlement such as the Proposed Grange Farm Development. This therefore risks creating yet another “ghost new town” of unnecessary, unoccupied and undesired properties – see further above in this response, in relation to this.