Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Support

Representation ID: 203984

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Homes England

Homes England are fully supportive of the continued allocation of Northstowe as a sustainable new town and are committed to its ongoing delivery alongside Greater Cambridge Shared Planning and other key stakeholders.

Key to this is ensuring that the existing planning permissions and local plan policy continues to support the delivery of housing and community facilities in the right way and in good time. Northstowe is a New Homes Accelerator Site and policy should not introduce complexity or constraints which would slow delivery.

Comment

Representation ID: 211735

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Homes England

Draft Policy S/NST includes detailed requirements relating to movement, connectivity and transport mitigation. However, for Northstowe these matters have already been comprehensively assessed and secured through the existing outline planning permissions, Environmental Statements, Transport Assessments and associated conditions and legal agreements.

As Northstowe New Town already benefits from outline planning permission and approved parameter plans, it is particularly important that Policy S/NST is framed positively and flexibly. This is so that it supports and enables the implementation of those consents rather than introducing unnecessary prescription, complexity or uncertainty. Any policy wording that could be interpreted as adding new requirements, constraining approved development parameters, or re-opening matters already resolved through the outline permissions would risk undermining the effectiveness of the policy and slowing delivery. As a result this would be inconsistent with national policy and guidance on positive plan-making and deliverability.

Comment

Representation ID: 211736

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Homes England

There is no formal planning mechanism to change the quantum of development approved and so the draft Policy S/NST must be consistent with the approved descriptions of development.

The draft Local Plan seeks to include additional specialist accommodation of 1,050 units (Part 7a ii) and 24 permanent Gypsy and Traveller pitches (Part 7a iii). These are additional policy layers that are introduced to the Northstowe site that are not consistent, nor committed to in the outline development descriptions. Homes England has no additional land available at Northstowe and so these references should be removed from the draft policy.

Comment

Representation ID: 211737

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Homes England

The draft Local Plan and Policy S/NST should clarify how strategic sports hubs are intended to function within areas that are designated as protected open space. While the protection of open space is supported, sports hubs require ancillary development such as car parks and sports pavilion. Policy should explicitly allow sports hubs to deliver necessary supporting infrastructure and ancillary development.

Alternatively, sports hubs could be given a distinct policy designation that recognises both open space and community infrastructure, ensuring that built forms are not constrained by restrictive open space policies.

Comment

Representation ID: 211738

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Homes England

The Lifespan section of the draft policy is particularly overprescribed as it requires comprehensive masterplanning, adherence to phasing plans and design codes and stewardship strategies. These details are already adhered via reserved matters applications, discharge of conditions application or planning obligations.
The wording should be updated to reflect what matters have already approved and agreed for Northstowe.

Comment

Representation ID: 211739

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Homes England

A series of suggestions have been made regarding the policy wording and supporting text in the accompanying attachments.

Please refer to the accompanying attachments for further clarity.

Comment

Representation ID: 211740

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Homes England

Homes England is also the landowner of the former Oakington Tomato Farm, Dry Drayton Road, Oakington. This constitutes previously developed land, immediately adjacent to the existing settlement boundary of Oakington
and already accommodates two dwellinghouses (one with an agricultural tie, one without). It’s location and previously developed nature mean that this land is a logical site to deliver development at Oakington.

We respectfully submit that the Oakington settlement boundary should be amended to include the tomato farm which would allow this land to come forward for evelopment should it not be required for use to support the
development of Northstowe.

Comment

Representation ID: 211741

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Homes England

The draft policy makes reference to required capacity improvements associated with the A14. Highways improvements delivered as part of the Northstowe development, including works affecting the A14 corridor, are intended to mitigate the impacts of the Northstowe development alone. Other site allocations / planning applications in the vicinity should not rely on this increased capacity and must demonstrate, through their own transport assessment, how any capacity constraints on the A14 would be mitigated as part of their proposals.

Comment

Representation ID: 211742

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Homes England

Part 7b of the proposed policy refers to a variety of uses proposed in the Town Centre (Phase 2) and includes incorrect floorspaces. The draft Policy should refer to the figures set out in the approved Town Centre Strategy (for Phase 2 (ref. S/2011/14/COND14).

Comment

Representation ID: 211743

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Homes England

Part 7c states that retail and other town centre and local centre uses to be provided in accordance with an up-to-date Retail Needs Assessment and Town Centre Strategy.

There is an approved Town Centre Strategy for Northstowe under the Phase 2 outline (ref. S/2011/14/COND14). A retail needs assessment is not required by any of the outline consents and should not be introduced at this stage.