Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Girton Position
Aviation activity and changing flight paths have raised significant concerns in Girton and Histon about aircraft noise, safety, and community wellbeing. Any aviation development or operational change must be assessed transparently for local noise exposure, route impacts, and cumulative effects, and must not worsen severance or risk on school and Active Travel routes.

Key Points
Aircraft noise and route changes are materially affecting residents in Girton & Histon (daytime and, at times, early morning/evening).
Noise exposure compounds other local pressures (traffic, severance, flood‑risk), undermining health, sleep, and outdoor amenity.
Aviation‑related ground movements (access/servicing) can add traffic on constrained roads, increasing danger points near schools and cycle routes.
Communities need data visibility (flight paths, frequency, noise metrics) and mitigation aligned to WHO/UK guidance where practicable.

GPC Requests to the Local Plan
Require aviation proposals and operational changes to submit a Noise & Flight Path Impact Assessment covering Girton & Histon, including daytime/evening/early‑morning profiles and cumulative effects.
Mandate mitigation plans: route optimisation away from sensitive receptors, quiet‑operations protocols, defined hours of operation, and monitoring & reporting accessible to the public.
Assess and mitigate ground‑access impacts (servicing traffic, parking spillover) to protect school approaches and Active Travel corridors.
Establish a community liaison mechanism with regular performance reporting and escalation routes for residents.
Confirm that aviation development must not compromise Girton’s rural character, health outcomes, or safety; apply refusal where adverse impacts cannot be mitigated to acceptable levels.

Girton Parish Council wished to upload it's complete original document created for feedback on Local Plan. We also wished to thank Greater Cambridge Planning for visiting Girton to take feedback and provide the opportunity for our community to discuss.

We also wished to note we felt how important it was to work with our Neighbourhood Plan team - as below:
Submission Logistics & Next Steps
GPC and the Girton NP team will submit together but separately:
• GPC submission covers statutory Local Plan representations, infrastructure asks, economic and delivery arguments, and cross parish cooperation proposals.
• NP submission will continue to progress evidence and policy for LGS, biodiversity corridors, and design principles appropriate to Girton, whilst not altering Green Belt boundaries.
GPC remains available to meet officers to discuss:
• Explicit Girton Gap protection and AR1.
• BG/PO alignment with national policy.
• Defined Development Extents vs Green Belt clarifications.
• Active Travel phasing and safeguards.
• Grey Belt methodology.
• Small business / community enterprise space within Girton.

Girton Parish Council is committed to constructive, evidence based planning that protects the village’s distinctive identity and delivers practical improvements for residents. The changes requested in this response are measured, policy led, and deliverable. They ensure that the Local Plan reflects the realities of a Green Belt enclosed settlement, while enabling the village to thrive through strong Active Travel networks, youth and wellbeing facilities, and a resilient local economy. We look forward to continued collaboration as the Local Plan moves toward submission.
Girton Parish Council also notes that the Neighbourhood Plan (NP) Team and the Parish Council prepared their responses to the Draft Local Plan independently, reflecting their distinct statutory roles and areas of focus. Following this, both groups undertook a joint review to compare, contrast, and better understand the alignment and implications of their respective submissions. This collaborative exchange strengthened the coherence between the two documents and enabled minor refinements to reinforce consistency of message. The Parish Council’s final response was approved at the Full Council meeting of 21 January 2026 (Agenda Item 25FC/186.7) and delegated to the Clerk for submission. The scheduled NP meeting was moved to ensure GPC representatives could attend and participate in the Local Plan Forum held in Girton on 19 January 2026, enabling the Council to incorporate insights gained directly from that engagement into its final position.

Strategic Active Travel Connectivity

Girton Parish Council supports the creation of safe, direct and legible walking and cycling connections between Girton, Eddington and Darwin Green. In particular, the Parish Council strongly supports the safeguarding, assessment and future delivery of a grade-separated pedestrian and cycle underpass beneath Huntingdon Road to provide a continuous active travel route between these communities.

Development proposals and transport schemes affecting Huntingdon Road and its approaches should:
      •     Protect land and design options necessary to enable the future delivery of a wide, well-lit and accessible underpass;
      •     Prioritise pedestrian and cycle movements over motor traffic where routes connect new developments to existing communities;
      •     Avoid reliance on additional surface-level crossings or junction alterations where these would compromise safety, legibility or the user experience for active travellers;
      •     Integrate any underpass provision with the proposed NIAB Bridge and wider active travel network.

This policy reflects the Parish Council’s commitment to long-term, sustainable transport infrastructure consistent with local and national active travel objectives.

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B. Planning Justification (Supporting Text)

Eddington and Darwin Green were both approved on the basis of promoting walking and cycling as the primary modes of local movement. However, despite this policy intent, the current and emerging highway infrastructure along Huntingdon Road fails to provide a safe, convenient and coherent connection between these developments and the existing community of Girton.

Surface-level junctions and crossings along Huntingdon Road are heavily trafficked, complex in layout and designed primarily around motor vehicle movement. As a result, pedestrians and cyclists are required to negotiate multiple conflict points, undermining the stated objective of encouraging active travel.

A grade-separated pedestrian and cycle underpass would provide a direct, safe and intuitive route that removes conflict with vehicular traffic. Similar infrastructure has been successfully delivered in other UK cities, including Milton Keynes and Bristol, and is widely regarded as best practice where strategic routes cross major roads.

Safeguarding and assessing an underpass option at this stage is particularly important given the scale of adjacent developments, the opportunity to integrate with the proposed NIAB Bridge, and the long term nature of the transport challenges along Huntingdon Road. Failure to do so risks locking in sub-optimal solutions that will require repeated retrofitting and ongoing mitigation.

Girton Position
Climate adaptation must respect heritage fabric while promoting resilience through nature‑based measures and sensitive retrofits.

Key Points
Heritage must be adapted without compromising significance.
Landscape‑based climate measures (shade, planting) work well in Girton.
Avoid intrusive urban solutions.

GPC Requests to the Local Plan
Support sensitive, heritage‑compatible climate adaptations.
Use rural‑fit landscape interventions to reduce heat/flood risk.
Prohibit intrusive, large‑scale engineered forms.

Girton Position
Climate adaptation must respect heritage fabric while promoting resilience through nature‑based measures and sensitive retrofits.

Key Points
Heritage must be adapted without compromising significance.
Landscape‑based climate measures (shade, planting) work well in Girton.
Avoid intrusive urban solutions.

GPC Requests to the Local Plan
Support sensitive, heritage‑compatible climate adaptations.
Use rural‑fit landscape interventions to reduce heat/flood risk.
Prohibit intrusive, large‑scale engineered forms.

Girton Position
Girton needs small homes (1–3 bedrooms) suited to local needs, not large family or high‑density flats.

Key Points
Your NP policies prioritise 1–3 bed homes.
Height limit: 3 storeys.
Climate‑friendly design required.

GPC Requests
Require a small‑home‑focused mix in any Girton proposal.
Ensure mix reflects census corrections and realistic demand.

Girton Position
Girton needs small homes (1–3 bedrooms) suited to local needs, not large family or high‑density flats.

Key Points
Your NP policies prioritise 1–3 bed homes.
Height limit: 3 storeys.
Climate‑friendly design required.

GPC Requests
Require a small‑home‑focused mix in any Girton proposal.
Ensure mix reflects census corrections and realistic demand.

Girton Position
Girton supports affordable housing only within the village scale, respecting Green Belt and settlement character.

Key Points
Growth capacity is tightly limited.
Major development beyond Eddington is not supported unless exceptional public benefit exists.
Affordable housing must reflect rural context and realistic delivery.

GPC Requests
Affordable housing should be delivered within Girton’s constrained village envelope.
Ensure schemes respect rural character, height limits, and village‑scale density.
Avoid implying delivery capacity where Girton cannot realistically grow. [REDACTED]

Girton Position
Girton supports affordable housing only within the village scale, respecting Green Belt and settlement character.

Key Points
Growth capacity is tightly limited.
Major development beyond Eddington is not supported unless exceptional public benefit exists.
Affordable housing must reflect rural context and realistic delivery.

GPC Requests
Affordable housing should be delivered within Girton’s constrained village envelope.
Ensure schemes respect rural character, height limits, and village‑scale density.
Avoid implying delivery capacity where Girton cannot realistically grow. [REDACTED]

Girton Position
Additional student accommodation is not appropriate within Girton village.

Key Points
Eddington already contributes significant student/education pressure.
Increases traffic and conflicts with rural character.

GPC Requests
Avoid student accommodation allocations in Girton.
Focus student housing on university‑adjacent locations outside Green Belt.