Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Planware Ltd on behalf of McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd

Response to Greater Cambridge Local Plan Draft Consultation January 2026

Policy I/TH – Travel Hubs

McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd supports the proposed role of Travel Hubs.

The role of Travel Hubs can be enhanced through the provision of suitable, well used, supporting facilities,
such as a takeaway. Such provision will provide an additional level of service for people when using the Travel
Hub, allowing the public, commuters and tourists the opportunity to get some refreshments before or after
using the bus.

In our view, the definition of supporting facilities should be broadened within paragraph 10.18 to include
takeaway facilities, which can cater for breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with coffee. Small cafes alone
generally align with morning and daytime trade, whereas a takeaway would enable the evening trade to also
be catered for. This would support the extended safe use of the site, providing a facility at all times and
staffing on site, creating natural surveillance.

These facilities can be provided as part of a shared space, catering for walk in trade and cyclists. The role of
a takeaway in this location would support the overall function of the Travel Hub, which is designed for high
footfall to be passing through, on their way into, or out of the city centre. The provision of the takeaway use
will provide for such a demand throughout the operational hours and should help encourage people to use
the facility.

Bar Hill

Policy S/SH Settlement Hierarchy identifies Bar Hill as a Minor Rural Centre.

Policy J/RC supporting text 8.80 outlines that:

In Greater Cambridge’s Minor Rural Centres are also identified as Neighbourhood Centres in the centre’s hierarchy, reflecting the level of services present compared with other, smaller villages in the area. They often perform a role in terms of providing services and facilities for a small rural hinterland.

However, specific Neighbourhood Centre areas have not been identified on the Policies Map within Minor Rural Centres, as the services and facilities in these villages are often dispersed across the settlement, and instead the Minor Rural Centres’ Defined Development Extent will be considered the extent of the Neighbourhood Centre in each case

It is unclear how Bar Hill meets this definition, Bar Hill is not a small rural hinterland and contains a large
population, Tesco Superstore, along with a parade of supporting retail shops, large car parking area and
petrol filling station. The retail area of Bar Hill is not dispersed across the settlement and could easily be
identified on the Policy Map. It is therefore questioned whether Bar Hill is appropriately categorised within
the hierarchy of centres. In our view, Bar Hill at least meets the definition of Local Centre in supporting
chapter 8.78:

Local Centres are important in providing shops and facilities that can be accessed by foot and bicycle rather than having to travel by car, but their catchments and the services and facilities on offer within centres are more limited. Typically, they provide a cluster of shops and services.

Or even a District Centre, in 8.77:

District and Town Centres are important in providing for day-to-day needs close to where people live and work. They are the second tier of the centres hierarchy and are characterised by the range of shops and facilities they offer that would appeal to a larger catchment than Local Centres. In Town and District Centres, food stores and other town centre uses will be supported that are of a scale commensurate to the size and catchment area of the centre. Smaller retail units will also be supported to encourage independent shops, cafés and restaurants along with other local service providers.

The site history needs to be considered further in this context. Application S/0852/96/O forms part of the
wider site history, which was refused (emphasis added):

Part redevelopment/extension of the existing retail centre to include the redevelopment and reconfiguration of the unit shops and public house, extension of existing Tesco store and provision of a new retail unit. Reconfiguration and extension of existing car park, relocation of petrol filling station and bus stop facilities. Improvements to highway network and introduction of mature landscaping.

As part of South Cambridgeshire District Councils reasoning, it states:

There is no objection to most of the development proposed since they are consistent with Bar Hill's role as a local centre.

Bar Hill is not on the list of established centres, because it serves as a local centre with an overwhelmingly albeit large, convenience floorspace. The listed established centres perform a wider function since they have a significant amount of floorspace devoted to durable goods. The provision of a large quality retail floorspace could have an adverse effect on the vitality and viability of nearby established centres.

Furthermore the development, by virtue of its inclusion of a large quality retail unit, would mean that Bar Hill would
cease to function solely as a local centre, since it would attract comparison sharing custom from further afield, and
away from established changes. In addition Bar Hill is not a public transport hub and the car would be the overwhelming choice of shoppers visiting the centre.

Since this refusal in 1997, approval was granted in 1999 (S/1617/98/F) for Provision of a New Superstore, a
site for a Public House, Parking and Landscaping. Whilst an officers report was not provided as part of our
historic document search for the 1999 permission, the superstore was approved, following the previous
decision, with concerns overcome. Undoubtedly, the large Tesco, along with retail terrace, serves more
than the Bar Hill community and by very definition the centre forms more of a Local Centre, rather than a

Minor Rural Centre.

As such, in our view, the categorisation of Bar Hill needs a full review and justification in the current context of the scale and scope of how the Tesco and adjacent retail units operate, in context with other Local Centres. In our view, this should be considered as a designated centre, with a boundary clearly defined on the Local Plan Map. An example map is provided in Appendix 1.

Planware Ltd on behalf of McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd

Response to Greater Cambridge Local Plan Draft Consultation January 2026

Policy I/TH – Travel Hubs

McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd supports the proposed role of Travel Hubs.

The role of Travel Hubs can be enhanced through the provision of suitable, well used, supporting facilities,
such as a takeaway. Such provision will provide an additional level of service for people when using the Travel
Hub, allowing the public, commuters and tourists the opportunity to get some refreshments before or after
using the bus.

In our view, the definition of supporting facilities should be broadened within paragraph 10.18 to include
takeaway facilities, which can cater for breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with coffee. Small cafes alone
generally align with morning and daytime trade, whereas a takeaway would enable the evening trade to also
be catered for. This would support the extended safe use of the site, providing a facility at all times and
staffing on site, creating natural surveillance.

These facilities can be provided as part of a shared space, catering for walk in trade and cyclists. The role of
a takeaway in this location would support the overall function of the Travel Hub, which is designed for high
footfall to be passing through, on their way into, or out of the city centre. The provision of the takeaway use
will provide for such a demand throughout the operational hours and should help encourage people to use
the facility.

Bar Hill

Policy S/SH Settlement Hierarchy identifies Bar Hill as a Minor Rural Centre.

Policy J/RC supporting text 8.80 outlines that:

In Greater Cambridge’s Minor Rural Centres are also identified as Neighbourhood Centres in the centre’s hierarchy, reflecting the level of services present compared with other, smaller villages in the area. They often perform a role in terms of providing services and facilities for a small rural hinterland.

However, specific Neighbourhood Centre areas have not been identified on the Policies Map within Minor Rural Centres, as the services and facilities in these villages are often dispersed across the settlement, and instead the Minor Rural Centres’ Defined Development Extent will be considered the extent of the Neighbourhood Centre in each case

It is unclear how Bar Hill meets this definition, Bar Hill is not a small rural hinterland and contains a large
population, Tesco Superstore, along with a parade of supporting retail shops, large car parking area and
petrol filling station. The retail area of Bar Hill is not dispersed across the settlement and could easily be
identified on the Policy Map. It is therefore questioned whether Bar Hill is appropriately categorised within
the hierarchy of centres. In our view, Bar Hill at least meets the definition of Local Centre in supporting
chapter 8.78:

Local Centres are important in providing shops and facilities that can be accessed by foot and bicycle rather than having to travel by car, but their catchments and the services and facilities on offer within centres are more limited. Typically, they provide a cluster of shops and services.

Or even a District Centre, in 8.77:

District and Town Centres are important in providing for day-to-day needs close to where people live and work. They are the second tier of the centres hierarchy and are characterised by the range of shops and facilities they offer that would appeal to a larger catchment than Local Centres. In Town and District Centres, food stores and other town centre uses will be supported that are of a scale commensurate to the size and catchment area of the centre. Smaller retail units will also be supported to encourage independent shops, cafés and restaurants along with other local service providers.

The site history needs to be considered further in this context. Application S/0852/96/O forms part of the
wider site history, which was refused (emphasis added):

Part redevelopment/extension of the existing retail centre to include the redevelopment and reconfiguration of the unit shops and public house, extension of existing Tesco store and provision of a new retail unit. Reconfiguration and extension of existing car park, relocation of petrol filling station and bus stop facilities. Improvements to highway network and introduction of mature landscaping.

As part of South Cambridgeshire District Councils reasoning, it states:

There is no objection to most of the development proposed since they are consistent with Bar Hill's role as a local centre.

Bar Hill is not on the list of established centres, because it serves as a local centre with an overwhelmingly albeit large, convenience floorspace. The listed established centres perform a wider function since they have a significant amount of floorspace devoted to durable goods. The provision of a large quality retail floorspace could have an adverse effect on the vitality and viability of nearby established centres.

Furthermore the development, by virtue of its inclusion of a large quality retail unit, would mean that Bar Hill would
cease to function solely as a local centre, since it would attract comparison sharing custom from further afield, and
away from established changes. In addition Bar Hill is not a public transport hub and the car would be the overwhelming choice of shoppers visiting the centre.

Since this refusal in 1997, approval was granted in 1999 (S/1617/98/F) for Provision of a New Superstore, a
site for a Public House, Parking and Landscaping. Whilst an officers report was not provided as part of our
historic document search for the 1999 permission, the superstore was approved, following the previous
decision, with concerns overcome. Undoubtedly, the large Tesco, along with retail terrace, serves more
than the Bar Hill community and by very definition the centre forms more of a Local Centre, rather than a

Minor Rural Centre.

As such, in our view, the categorisation of Bar Hill needs a full review and justification in the current context of the scale and scope of how the Tesco and adjacent retail units operate, in context with other Local Centres. In our view, this should be considered as a designated centre, with a boundary clearly defined on the Local Plan Map. An example map is provided in Appendix 1.