Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

CPPF supports the climate-led vision approach to the Local Plan. However, as well as recognising the internationally significant economy, the vision must also recognise the internationally valued heritage and landscapes of Greater Cambridge. The vision should also recognise that there are potential conflicts between economic growth and the climate, physical, environmental and social capacity of the area. The vision should be to explicitly manage and mitigate these conflicting aspirations. In particular, some of the infrastructure that is required to increase capacity to cope with the rapid growth in population cannot be delivered directly through the development process and will require significant additional investment, eg from government, utility companies, etc. For example, infrastructure for water and health care (a replacement for Addenbrookes Hospital may require £2.2billion). There is a great risk that Cambridge delivers economic growth but not the additional capacity, resulting in social and environmental decline, which is unsustainable development.

The policies should consider the impact on the strategic viewpoint of Red Meadow Hill, which offers a panoramic view over Cambridge and Eddington and the West Cambridge Campus, ensuring building heights do not disrupt this view.
The policy should reflect the impact and opportunity arising from the development of Eddington and West Cambridge to support the creation of a large new nature reserve.

In relation to context, we believe that there are two significant omissions in these policies:
i. The need to consider the impact on the strategic viewpoint of Red Meadow Hill, at Coton Countryside Reserve. This is a public viewpoint with a panoramic view over Cambridge and the West Cambridge Campus and is one of the best places to obtain a view of the setting of the historic city. At the current time the building heights at Eddington and West Cambridge Campus are such that they do not break the horizon when viewed from the top of Red Meadow Hill. For further context, CPPF has an ambition to transform its land on the western edge of Cambridge into a large nature reserve to serve the city area. This will result, over time, in a significant increase in people enjoying the views.
ii. CPPF has an ambition to transform its land on the western edge of Cambridge into a large nature reserve to serve the city area. This is adjacent to the West Cambridge Campus and offers an opportunity to provide access to a large area of green space and nature for people working on the campus (eg for walking or running during lunch-break) – this already happens to a degree and will increase as the campus grows, placing a financial burden on our charity to maintain paths, etc and manage visitors to avoid negative impacts on nature. Likewise for the residents of Eddington. Currently there is no funding available for our charity to provide and maintain the visitor facilities and management required to cope with the growing population that will result from development. We would like to see this impact/opportunity reflected in the policy, so that there is a mechanism in place for the development of West Cambridge to support the creation of a large new nature reserve adjacent to the development – this would be in line with the overall vision for the Local Plan and comparable

The policies should consider the impact on the strategic viewpoint of Red Meadow Hill, which offers a panoramic view over Cambridge and Eddington and the West Cambridge Campus, ensuring building heights do not disrupt this view.
The policy should reflect the impact and opportunity arising from the development of Eddington and West Cambridge to support the creation of a large new nature reserve.

In relation to context, we believe that there are two significant omissions in these policies:
i. The need to consider the impact on the strategic viewpoint of Red Meadow Hill, at Coton Countryside Reserve. This is a public viewpoint with a panoramic view over Cambridge and the West Cambridge Campus and is one of the best places to obtain a view of the setting of the historic city. At the current time the building heights at Eddington and West Cambridge Campus are such that they do not break the horizon when viewed from the top of Red Meadow Hill. For further context, CPPF has an ambition to transform its land on the western edge of Cambridge into a large nature reserve to serve the city area. This will result, over time, in a significant increase in people enjoying the views.
ii. CPPF has an ambition to transform its land on the western edge of Cambridge into a large nature reserve to serve the city area. This is adjacent to the West Cambridge Campus and offers an opportunity to provide access to a large area of green space and nature for people working on the campus (eg for walking or running during lunch-break) – this already happens to a degree and will increase as the campus grows, placing a financial burden on our charity to maintain paths, etc and manage visitors to avoid negative impacts on nature. Likewise for the residents of Eddington. Currently there is no funding available for our charity to provide and maintain the visitor facilities and management required to cope with the growing population that will result from development. We would like to see this impact/opportunity reflected in the policy, so that there is a mechanism in place for the development of West Cambridge to support the creation of a large new nature reserve adjacent to the development – this would be in line with the overall vision for the Local Plan.

The policy should extend the new green space and habitat creation from Nine Wells, north-eastwards to Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits.
We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this in more detail with officers, where we can also show plans of potential locations for extended green space/habitats and active travel improvements.

We believe there could be a different approach taken to development and green space on the south-east boundary of Cambridge, which could deliver even better outcomes for nature and people. We refer you to the response made by the Wildlife Trust BCN and the potential for an enabling development which could better deliver the ambitions of the Cambridge Nature Network by extending new green space and habitat creation from Nine Wells, northeastwards to Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits.

The policy should extend the new green space and habitat creation from Nine Wells, north-eastwards to Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits.
We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this in more detail with officers, where we can also show plans of potential locations for extended green space/habitats and active travel improvements.

We believe there could be a different approach taken to development and green space on the south-east boundary of Cambridge, which could deliver even better outcomes for nature and people. We refer you to the response made by the Wildlife Trust BCN and the potential for an enabling development which could better deliver the ambitions of the Cambridge Nature Network by extending new green space and habitat creation from Nine Wells, northeastwards to Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits.

The policy should extend the new green space and habitat creation from Nine Wells, north-eastwards to Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits.
We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this in more detail with officers, where we can also show plans of potential locations for extended green space/habitats and active travel improvements.

CPPF strongly supports polices 1a-f.
We believe there could be a different approach taken to development and green space on the south-east boundary of Cambridge, which could deliver even better outcomes for nature and people. We refer you to the response made by the Wildlife Trust BCN and the potential for an enabling development which could better deliver the ambitions of the Cambridge Nature Network by extending new green space and habitat creation from Nine Wells, northeastwards to Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits.

Policies should require new settlement to conform with Garden Town Principles as defined by the tcpa (Town and Country Planning Association)

The policy must be strengthened to ensure that Cambourne evolves into a cohesive, successful town rather than a fragmented series of developments. The policy should ensure that Cambourne North is not merely an add-on, but a vital component of a well-integrated, economically vibrant, and self-sustaining town, providing a balance of jobs, services and housing.

We recognise the potential value of this allocation to achieve critical mass, but we believe the policy must be strengthened to ensure that Cambourne evolves into a cohesive, successful town rather than a fragmented series of developments. The policy should ensure that Cambourne North is not merely an add-on, but a vital component of a well-integrated, economically vibrant, and self-sustaining town, providing a balance of jobs, services and housing.

Comprehensive Masterplan
A masterplan is essential to create a more coherent settlement with a clear, identifiable centre. By adopting such a holistic framework, the Council can ensure that new growth serves to unify the town, providing the vision and infrastructure necessary for Cambourne to finally transition into a successful and well-defined urban place.

Economic Ambition
The growth of Cambourne North should serve as a catalyst for creating a more balanced and sustainable community. By positioning the town as a major employment location, the policy can reduce the reliance on commuting and improve the local jobs-to-homes ratio. Furthermore, there is a distinct opportunity for Cambourne to provide high-level facilities that complement the wider region. By offering services and infrastructure that the city of Cambridge currently lacks, Cambourne can establish a unique sub-regional identity that benefits both new and existing residents.

Garden Town Principles
The expansion represents a unique opportunity for Cambourne to achieve the maturity and infrastructure of a high-performing town. We urge the Council to adopt a comprehensive strategy underpinned by Garden Town principles as defined by the Town and Country Planning Association (tcpa). This vision should move beyond standard residential growth, focusing instead on high-quality design, environmental stewardship, and the delivery of civic infrastructure that fosters a genuine sense of place.

Integration and physical connectivity
A primary concern regarding the expansion is the risk of physical and social severance between the existing settlement and Cambourne North, caused by the A428 dual carriageway. To prevent the new development from feeling like an isolated satellite, Policy S/CBN must prioritise seamless integration. We specifically advocate for the delivery of "wide bridges" over the A428 that incorporate commercial development, active uses and landscaping. By treating these crossings as developable space rather than mere transit corridors, the plan can mitigate the sense of separation and ensure a unified urban fabric. As an example, consider Hatfield, which could be divided by the A1 motorway but isn’t because of the A1 cut and fill tunnel – surely something similar should be the aspiration for Cambourne?

Nature & Green Spaces
We support the provision of a significant area of new greenspace/habitat associated with the development. We note that some of this overlaps with RSPB Hope Farm and therefore this development and its policies should be developed in consultation with them to help achieve nature conservation objectives.
We support the response of Wildlife Trust BCN regarding their concerns about this development on the foraging of Barbastelle bats and on the nearby ancient woodlands and that these impacts should be recognised and will require appropriate avoidance/mitigation/compensation.

The allocation should be scaled back in size and ambition.

Policy should restrict development to low rise to reduce impact on landscape.

Policy should mandate that built forms are heavily screened and integrated into the landscape, set amongst significant new tree planting to soften the visual profile against the rising skyline.

Policy to make clear that ancillary development, such as the bridge, is subject to the same policy requirements regarding landscape, heritage and ecology.

Policies must include specific mitigation strategies and funding to manage the impacts of increased recreational activity on the important ecological, heritage and amenity assets on the adjacent Gog Magog Hills – so that they continue to contribute to the quality of life of the wider Cambridge population, which is the vision for the Local Plan.

11 d is revised by relacing 'minimise' with 'avoid' and to take into account Wandlebury and Magog Down by adding 'and other nature and heritage sites : “Ensuring that appropriate measures are implemented to avoid recreational disturbance and pressures on ecology at nearby SSSIs and other nature and heritage sites”.

We note policy 13c but how will the development prevent unofficial access points to the Roman Road being created?

The policy must provide robust evidence on how the development can proceed without further jeopardizing the fragile local water table and the health of these rare chalk stream habitats.

Recommendations regarding transport
Commission detailed modelling of the transport impacts of this development to identify the full suite of transport interventions required to make the development acceptable in planning terms, and to test its viability.

Design supporting bus infrastructure and services to link this development to destinations along the A11 and A505, potentially as far as Royston.

Test the feasibility and viability of this site allocation without CSET, given that scheme is both unfunded and at risk of not securing the order required for its construction.

CPPF is concerned that the scale of this development is wrong and that its size is derived more from the need to meet housing numbers than good planning. On one hand it is too small to be self-sustaining, meaning that it will be a suburb in the countryside and residents will need to travel to meet many of their needs. On the other hand, it is too large to be a village that sits comfortably in its landscape; and its size will place pressures on existing local infrastructure and services. Our view is that it should be scaled back in size and ambition.

This policy presents significant topographical, environmental, and recreational challenges that must be addressed within the policy wording.

Landscape Impact and Built Form
The topography of the Grange Farm site is particularly sensitive, as the land rises relatively sharply from the A1307. We are concerned about the lack of clarity regarding the proposed density and the potential for tall buildings on this elevated ground (for example the inclusion of a last mile distribution centre and taller buildings in the town centre). To avoid a detrimental impact on the wider landscape and the setting of the city, it is essential that any development remains low-rise.
Furthermore, the policy should mandate that built forms are heavily screened and integrated into the landscape, set amongst significant new tree planting to soften the visual profile against the rising skyline.
We are also concerned about the potential negative impacts of the proposed A11 bus/active travel bridge on the landscape north of the A1307 and also the setting of Babraham Village. This infrastructure will require a green belt location. It should be made clear that ancillary development, such as the bridge, is subject to the same policy requirements regarding landscape, heritage and ecology.

Nature/Recreational Pressure on Gog Magog Hills
The impact of 12,000+ new residents on existing local infrastructure is a primary concern. While the policy may include the provision of new open space, such assets take considerable time to mature and become functional for the public and are less attractive than established places nearby. In both the interim and long-term, this development will inevitably place significant pressure on nearby wildlife and heritage sites such as Wandlebury Country Park, where the car park is already operating at capacity during weekends, Magog Down and the Roman Road. Wandlebury and Magog Down are further than 2km from the site and therefore we would like to see policy 11c revised accordingly to ensure they are taken into account. We suggest 11 d is revised to: “Ensuring that appropriate measures are implemented to minimise avoid recreational disturbance and pressures on ecology at nearby SSSIs and other nature and heritage sites”. We note policy 13c but how will the development prevent unofficial access points to the Roman Road being created?
Policies must include specific mitigation strategies and funding to manage the impacts of increased recreational activity on the important ecological, heritage and amenity assets on the adjacent Gog Magog Hills – so that they continue to contribute to the quality of life of the wider Cambridge population, which is the vision for the Local Plan.

Water Stress and Chalk Stream Protection
Finally, we wish to highlight a significant environmental contradiction regarding the site’s sustainability. We understand that a local borehole is currently being shut down specifically to protect the flow and health of the nearby chalk stream (River Granta). Proposing a new settlement in the same location where water abstraction is being actively curtailed for environmental protection appears inconsistent. The policy must provide robust evidence on how the development can proceed without further jeopardizing the fragile local water table and the health of these rare chalk stream habitats.

Transport Infrastructure and viability
The Grange Farm site will require an extension to the CSET busway, which has an estimated cost of £30m (1).

The spatial framework in Figure 81 shows the CSET busway extending north over the A1307 and then east over the A11. This would provide direct access to South Cambridge Business Park and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, but not any other major local employments sites – Granta Park, Babraham Research Campus, Wellcome Genome Campus, IWM Duxford, the industrial area south of Duxford, Chesterford Research Park.

§13(b) requires improvements to walking and cycling infrastructure to most of these destinations. This will require construction of new paths and bridges over the A11 and A505, at considerable cost. Potential land ownership barriers will also make this challenging. There is no equivalent of a DCO or TWAO to compulsorily acquire complete corridors of land to construct active travel ways.

There will also need to be bus links to destinations along the A11 and A505 because, even with good cycling infrastructure in place, the distances and terrain will not be attractive to most people. For people travelling towards London, a bus connection to Whittlesford Parkway would be more convenient, quicker and cheaper than travelling by bus to Cambridge South station. It may even be quicker to travel to London King’s Cross and St Pancras via a bus to Royston.

§15 states, “Ensure transport and junction modelling is be undertaken to confirm points of vehicular access into the site and the necessary road and junction enhancements required to satisfy the Highways Authority and National Highways.” Transport modelling for this site is essential before it can be confirmed as feasible and viable for allocation.
Such a large site will require major interventions to the A1307, A11 interchange and A505, which will come at a high additional cost to the busway bridge.
The development is likely also to trigger the need for new connections at each end of the A11, to the M11 north and the A14 west, without which the A505 and Wilbraham Road could be overwhelmed.

Currently the funding offered by Homes England to construct the CSET busway is in the form of a loan (“recoverable funding”) (2). There is no identified means for the County Council to repay this loan. If the intention is for the Grange Farm development to cover the entire cost of CSET in addition to funding the extension over the A11 (i.e. £191m in 2025 prices), it would have to contribute, for instance, £30,000 per dwelling plus £300/sq. m. of commercial space. It is likely that this would make the development unviable, even if it could be argued successfully that such a large contribution complied with CIL Regulation 122. To pay for the extension alone would require a contribution of close to £5,000 per dwelling (but this would of course be of very limited use if CSET or some other bus priority scheme into the Biomedical Campus is not built).
Costs for upgrading the A1307 and A11 interchange, and building active travel paths to destinations along the A11 and A505 would be additional to this.

For reference, the Bourn Airfield development has outline planning consent for 3,500 dwellings and commercial space, with a condition requiring delivery of a transport scheme before the 500th occupation, will pay £20m in 2024 prices towards the CtoC busway. That works out at £5,700 per dwelling.

(1) IDP p34, Table 5-1
(2) https://gat04-live-1517c8a4486c41609369c68f30c8-aa81074.divio-media.org/filer_public/be/28/be283c84-a41f-4fcf-a2e2-f7c24db5a3de/cd14-01_letter_from_earmonn_boylan_homes_england_to_peter_blake_gcp__letter_of_support_to_facilitate_cset.pdf

Support the occupancy of residential properties being restricted to campus workers.
Support the specific reference to protecting and enhancing the River Cam.