Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 204169

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Hilton Cambridge City Centre

This submission sets out the Cambridge Hoteliers’ Association’s (CHA) response to the Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan. While supporting sustainable, plan-led growth and a competitive visitor economy, the CHA raises concerns that the Plan does not adequately reflect the scale and impact of short-term lets or existing accommodation supply. The submission calls for compulsory registration and clearer planning control of short-term lets, stronger protection of housing supply, and a shift away from accommodation-led growth towards demand-driving uses. It argues that further hotel provision should only be supported where a demonstrable increase in underlying demand can be evidenced.

Comment

Representation ID: 207772

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Hilton Cambridge City Centre

The Cambridge Hoteliers’ Association is seeking clear and enforceable policy changes in the Local Plan to:
- Introduce compulsory registration of short-term lets that can be supported through planning policy;
- Ensure that further hotel supply growth can only be supported through demonstrable increases in
demand;
- Ensure the Plan prioritises demand-driving uses that increase overnight stays and economic activity
- Ensure the Plan framework does not undermine housing development.

Comment

Representation ID: 207773

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Hilton Cambridge City Centre

Hotels form a core component of Greater Cambridge’s economic and social infrastructure, underpinning the
city’s visitor economy, employment base and international competitiveness. Tourism accounts for approximately 22% of employment in Cambridge, equating to around 16,400 jobs, with 61% or 10,000 of those roles directly linked to stay visitors, underlining the importance of hotels in sustaining year-round employment. Beyond leisure tourism, hotels provide essential infrastructure for the Cambridge Cluster, supporting inward investment, international collaboration and major employment hubs such as the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Cambridge Science Park by accommodating business visitors and providing meeting and networking space.

Comment

Representation ID: 207775

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Hilton Cambridge City Centre

The draft Local Plan’s approach to affordable housing has the potential to influence development outcomes
through the application of different requirements to residential development and certain forms of visitor
accommodation. Evidence suggests that variations in affordable housing thresholds can play a role in shaping
development proposals and land-use choices. The operation of affordable housing requirements across different accommodation types merits careful consideration to ensure that policy supports the delivery of permanent homes, maintains clarity between uses, and aligns with the Plan’s wider housing objectives. The CHA considers that greater consistency in the application of affordable housing policy across accommodation types would support housing delivery and reduce unintended incentives.

Comment

Representation ID: 211860

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Hilton Cambridge City Centre

In place-making terms, hotels deliver consistent footfall throughout the day and evening, reinforcing the
vitality of the city centre and supporting Cambridge’s global brand as a centre of excellence. Constraining or
destabilising the hotel sector therefore risks not only the loss of discretionary visitor spend but also weakening
the wider ecosystem that supports employment, business growth, innovation and long-term economic
resilience.

Comment

Representation ID: 211861

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Hilton Cambridge City Centre

Cambridge’s hotel sector is operating in an increasingly high-cost environment. Operators are facing weakened demand, lower occupancy levels and an accelerating shift in visitor accommodation towards aparthotels, serviced apartments, B&Bs and home-stay style models, which can operate with materially lower operating costs and fewer staffing requirements. The CHA considers that protecting the viability of the hotel sector is integral to delivering the Local Plan’s wider economic, employment and placemaking objectives.

Comment

Representation ID: 211862

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Hilton Cambridge City Centre

The draft Local Plan proposes significant additional capacity for visitor accommodation across Greater
Cambridge, particularly within the city centre and highly accessible locations. While plan‑led provision is
essential, there is concern that the scale of additional bedspaces envisaged risks materially overshooting
realistic demand when set against current trading conditions and recent delivery. The CHA’s position is that, given existing and consented supply and the scale of short‑term lets already operating, the Local Plan should not support additional hotel provision until a significant clear, evidence‑led increase in underlying overnight demand can be demonstrated; and the existing oversupply is cleared.

Comment

Representation ID: 211863

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Hilton Cambridge City Centre

The draft Local Plan places significant emphasis on the provision of additional visitor accommodation as a
means of increasing overnight visitors. The CHA considers this approach to be overly supply-led and insufficiently focused on the underlying drivers of demand. There remains significant scope to strengthen and diversify demand-driving uses that increase dwell time, extend stays and convert day visits into overnight visits. These include strategy for improved transport infrastructure, conference and exhibition facilities, academic and research-related events, cultural and performance venues, festivals, major sporting and recreational events, and publicly accessible attractions that operate year-round. The CHA’s position is that the Local Plan should prioritise demand-driving uses that increase overnight stays and economic activity and should not support further hotel provision unless it can be clearly demonstrated
that underlying demand, rather than accommodation supply, is increasing.

Comment

Representation ID: 211864

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Hilton Cambridge City Centre

A fundamental concern with the draft Local Plan is that its approach to visitor accommodation need does not
adequately reflect the scale and impact of short‑term lets. While these uses now form a substantial part of
Cambridge’s accommodation offer, they are not fully integrated into the Plan’s evidence base or policy
framework. While the 2025 Hotels Study recognises the importance of maintaining an adequate supply of accommodation to support economic growth, this evidence demonstrates that the baseline position already reflects a material level of provision once all accommodation types are considered. In this context, the Local Plan risks planning for further growth against an already oversupplied market, reinforcing the need for a more cautious, fully integrated assessment of hotel need that explicitly accounts for the scale and impact of short-term lets before encouraging additional hotel bedroom growth. The CHA considers it essential that short‑term lets are fully integrated into the Local Plan’s evidence base
and policy framework, rather than treated as a peripheral or secondary issue.

Comment

Representation ID: 211865

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Hilton Cambridge City Centre

A key barrier to effective regulation is the absence of a compulsory registration system for short-term lets.
Without registration, the Council cannot easily identify which properties are operating as short-term rentals,
distinguish genuine home-sharing from commercial activity, or ensure compliance with basic requirements. Crucially, registration must be linked to clear planning control. The Local Plan should provide an explicit policy
framework confirming when short-term letting amounts to a material change of use and requiring planning
permission. The CHA considers that, without compulsory registration linked to clear planning control, the Local Plan will fail to address regulatory imbalance, housing loss and market distortion caused by short-term letting, and
therefore calls for these measures to be explicitly embedded within policy.