Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 211952

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

Particularly bearing in mind LUC’s conclusion referred to above that the release of additional land in connection with the realignment of Granham’s Road would cause “very high harm” to the Green Belt, any entrance to CBC at this point would need to be appropriately modest in scale and in keeping with its Green Belt backdrop (compare the proposal on page 16 of Quod’s document “Realignment of Granham’s Road” (2024) included in the Document Library to “create a prominent gateway site for the campus”).

Comment

Representation ID: 211953

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

If the Phase 4 release is included in the finalised Local Plan (either at the originally proposed 19 hectares or at the now proposed 22 hectares), we consider it important that there is a strong, and ideally enforceable, arrangements with landowners that no further Green Belt releases related to CBC will be sought during the lifetime of the Plan.

Comment

Representation ID: 211954

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

(a) in paragraph 4, we would prefer “area of Cambridge” instead of neighbourhood, which has an inappropriately residential implication.

Comment

Representation ID: 211955

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

In paragraph 7, we suggest the inclusion of a reference to the need to protect Nine Wells Local Nature Reserve.

Comment

Representation ID: 211956

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

We would not like to see, for example, retail offerings at CBC that take away custom from businesses in Great Shelford.

Comment

Representation ID: 211957

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

As regards paragraph 11, the CBC On-site Housing Document (2025) says (at paragraph 6.3) “The majority of the need for affordable housing is driven by the health and research uses on campus such as Papworth, CUH and LMB. The majority of the long term affordable housing need on CBC exists today. This suggests that demand for truly affordable housing will be highest in early years of masterplan delivery as the majority of these uses already exist. This supports the current focus on whether and how the on-campus sites can be delivered in isolation from the discussions relating to wider campus expansion.” The words “ahead of and” are missing from before “in isolation” and should surely be reflected in the draft policy.

Comment

Representation ID: 211958

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

Paragraph 12j could be taken to imply renovation of existing buildings, but all four proposed hospitals for CBC (see “where are the hospitals?” above) will be on new sites. Only the new acute hospital could relatively naturally fall into this wording. See also paragraph 3.2.23 of the supporting information.

Comment

Representation ID: 211959

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

We are broadly supportive of paragraphs 14, 17 and 18. We attach a diagram showing important view points identified as part of the process of preparing the Stapleford and Great Shelford Neighbourhood Plan. We are concerned that the cumulative breadth, density and height of building on CBC will increasingly present a ‘concrete wall’ on the southern approach into Cambridge and from high points on the Gog Magog Hills, which no amount of dense planting will be able to soften. Greater consideration needs to be given to ‘fingers’ of trees and other plants penetrating into and through the site from the southern fringe to break up the visual and environmental impact of this concrete wall.

Comment

Representation ID: 211960

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

In paragraph 14a greater specificity should be given to the phrase “appropriate transitions in height, scale and landscaping”. Information in ‘Appendix 1 Skyline and tall buildings guidance’ does not alleviate these concerns, supporting the tallest of all buildings within Greater Cambridge on CBC (Appendix 1, para 5.6) and validating the use of building height as a status symbol. This appears contradictory given that Appendix 1 simultaneously notes that consideration should be given to the impact of tall buildings on long-distance views from the Green Belt, from high vantage points and strategic views towards Cambridge and approach routes.

Comment

Representation ID: 211961

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

In paragraph 14d, we suggest that adverse impacts should be minimised, as well as mitigated and the the Nine Wells Local Nature Reserve should also be mentioned.