Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 204687

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

The Biomedical Campus is encroaching on the Green Belt south of Cambridge, and the proposed CSET busway will further impact this area. These must be considered together.

Both the Biomedical Campus and the busway will have significant harmful effects on the Green Belt, with concerns about the cumulative impact on the surrounding countryside, regardless of landscaping efforts.

While the proposal for a Landscape Improvement Area is welcomed, previous plans under Policy CSF/5 have not been implemented, raising doubts about future improvements.

Clear plans and guaranteed funding for landscape improvements must be established before granting planning permission for any development.

Proposals for public access should align with the recommendations in the Stapleford and Great Shelford Neighbourhood Plan.

There must be a firm and irrevocable commitment against any further development in the Green Belt should the construction of the busway proceed.

Comment

Representation ID: 208087

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

We note that the Stapleford and Great Shelford Neighbourhood Plan (adopted Oct 2025) has not been incorporated into the draft greater Cambridge Local Plan and that this will need doing before the next version of the Local Plan is produced. The Policies Map will also need updating to reflect this.

Comment

Representation ID: 208088

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

Para 2.4: We broadly agree with the seven strategic priorities. However, we suggest that the wellbeing and social inclusion priority is modified with the addition of the following italicised text to read, “Help improve equality of access and opportunities for people in Greater Cambridge to lead healthier and happier lives, ensuring that everyone benefits from the development of new homes, jobs and access to nature and green spaces.” Access to nature and green spaces is also vital to leading healthier and happier lives, and will be increasingly important as housing density increases and where apartments are the major form of housing.

Comment

Representation ID: 208089

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

This paragraph refers to transport improvements, with the draft Infrastructure Delivery Plan referring to a number of new projects. What it does not acknowledge is that much of the existing transport network is inadequate and some of it is in a poor state of repair. These issues also need to be addressed as many of them are urgent. While the ongoing development of Cambridge and particularly CBC offers potential opportunities for residents of Great Shelford by way of employment and healthcare, the village carries the burden of many of the major transport routes in the South Cambridge area and bears the brunt of their ongoing development.

Comment

Representation ID: 208090

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

It is important that long term future traffic developments in and around Great Shelford are carefully planned to accommodate the physical infrastructure of the village and also the interests of the village inhabitants. It is unclear how current transport plans will achieve this. Known existing problem areas identified in the draft Infrastructure Delivery Plan at page 28 do not, but should, include the A1301 through Great Shelford and the level crossings on Granhams Road and Hinton Way. Outside Great Shelford, the Addenbrookes Relief Road is a significant problem.

Comment

Representation ID: 208091

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

Shelford benefits from having a station on the Cambridge to Liverpool Street railway line. However trains typically stop only every hour during the day and every 30 minutes at peak times. This is insufficient to provide a realistic alternative to much car use. We are completely opposed to any private vehicle traffic being able to use the proposed entrance to Phases 3 and 4 of CBC from Granhams Road as this will unquestionably worsen the traffic through the village and at the High Green junction. Private car parking for these parts of CBC should be in the Babraham Park and Ride or the Trumpington Park and Ride.

Comment

Representation ID: 208092

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

The current planned route for the CSET effectively destroys a region of Green Belt adjacent to Great Shelford, but provides no realistic additional transport options for the vast majority of village residents. Routing CSET along the so-called southern access road (page 51 of the draft Infrastructure Delivery Plan) extended to the Hinton Way roundabout and then on a dedicated bus lane along the A1307, whilst not benefiting any travellers from Great Shelford, would greatly diminish the destruction to the village Green Belt amenity and also reduce traffic along Hinton Way.

Comment

Representation ID: 208093

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

Great Shelford Parish Council is very strongly in favour of the alternative route for CSET proposed by Better Ways for Busways along A1307; it is both more economical and efficient and less deleterious to the countryside. We note that the slides used by GCSP on 15 January suggest that development at CBC will need to contribute to CSET. This has the potential to introduce a re-examination of the costs of the proposals of the Greater Cambridge Partnership relative to alternatives

Comment

Representation ID: 208095

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

We agree that identifying large numbers of small sites is not a practicable approach, given the lack of necessary infrastructure that such sites in rural areas have and the undesirable impact that this could have on the Green Belt which often surrounds such small rural sites. As a rural parish surrounded by Green Belt which is highly valued locally as a landscape setting for the village and for its benefits to nature, health and recreation, we agree with the assertion that it is not necessary to release Green Belt to meet the general development needs identified in the draft Local Plan and that, consequently, it is not necessary for the Local Plan to identify grey belt land.

Comment

Representation ID: 208096

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

Regarding EWR. The chosen southern approach to Cambridge (which we oppose) requires it to solve two very significant problems, to which it does not currently appear to have solutions. It has potential impact at both construction and operational stages on the rare barbastelle bat at Eversden and Wimpole Woods SAC. It also has potential adverse impact on the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory. Figures in Table 90 of the Transport Evidence Report do not provide enthusiastic support for a southern approach to Cambridge. How will the larger number from Cambourne who go to work in north east Cambridge or Northstowe get there by public transport? If EWR were to take a northern approach to Cambridge, not only could a station be built at Northstowe, but it could call at all three Cambridge stations, not something a southern approach can achieve.