Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 210891

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

Para 2.79: Healthcare infrastructure and, in particular, the necessary new acute hospital must be included in this paragraph. GCSP should also consider whether Grampian conditions could be applied to a failure to build appropriate heathcare infrastructure. If not, some other mechanism will be needed.

Comment

Representation ID: 210892

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

We do not share the optimism expressed in Paragraph 2.84: Cambridge Water Supply Area Evidence prepared for GCSP does not highlight that the Grafham Transfer is a key dependency. Cambridge Water’s WRMP24 refers, in relation to the Cambridge Water Recycling Centre effluent re-use scheme. The IDP states opportunities for a new surface abstraction from the River Cam. The Cam runs through the parish and this strikes us as unlikely. The evidence report also refers to water credits that the Government has said nothing publicly about since March 2024. It would surely be preferable to seek urgently to solve the problem identified in the evidence that water reuse and recycling for large new development sites may be an option.

Comment

Representation ID: 210893

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

We agree that specialist housing should be in sustainable sites with access to services and facilities and we support plans to increase numbers of accessible/adaptable homes. We request that planning decisions relating to large retirement living facilities or institutions take into consideration the number of units already provided via such facilities/institutions within a neighbourhood area to ensure that healthcare facilities are not overwhelmed and that neighbourhoods do not become dormitory communities with a top-heavy population pyramid. Data in the Housing Needs Assessment conducted to support the Stapleford and Great Shelford Neighbourhood Plan already predicts that the population aged 65 and over in the two villages will increase by 79% between 2011 and 2043. Unrestrained specialist housing to meet the needs of older people would further exacerbate the problems that this will present.

Comment

Representation ID: 210894

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

We challenge the inclusion of a combined ‘Great Shelford and Stapleford ’as a ‘rural centre'. The convenience of treating the two villages as a unified entity in their allocation as a single ‘rural centre ’masks what is actually seen on the ground and contravenes clause 1a of Policy S&GS 12. Each village has its own distinct history and identity; they have a very different range of amenities and services; the civic core is located in Great Shelford, with few amenities meeting daily needs located in Stapleford; many residents rely heavily on private cars to travel between the two villages. We suggest that minor rural centre is a more appropriate classification for Great Shelford.

Comment

Representation ID: 210895

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

The data supporting this policy is incorrect. The defined development extent of Stapleford is incorrect. Stapleford and Great Shelford Parish Councils raised this issue during the examination process of the Stapleford and Great Shelford Neighbourhood Plan because it could have undermined acceptance of a proposed new important countryside frontage.

Comment

Representation ID: 210896

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

We strongly support this policy and, as a rural parish, particularly value clause 1c. However, we are disappointed that clause 1 of the policy does not explicitly pick up on supporting para 2.145. Despite our parish being surrounded by Green Belt, we have very limited access to it or links between our green spaces; hence, the Stapleford and Great Shelford Neighbourhood Plan (Policy S&GS 19) proposes multiple new off-road routes and linkages between existing routes. It is wrong that such a basic need as access to green spaces for recreation, health and wellbeing remains aspirational unless facilitated by major development.

Comment

Representation ID: 210897

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

Paragraph 1 of the draft policy should be amended to read: “The Cambridge Biomedical Campus … is appropriate for a mix of uses centred on the Campus’s unique function of bringing together clinical care, clinical education and clinical research including medical research institutes which meet local, regional, and national health care needs – together with directly related biomedical and biotechnology research and development activities…”
This amendment should also be reflected in paragraphs 3.2.20 and 21 of the supporting information and in paragraph 2b)ii) of Policy S/DS. GSPC is opposed to any further expansion of CBC. CBC needs to focus on healthcare and R&D first and foremost, not commercial activities.

Comment

Representation ID: 210898

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

The rebuilding of the acute hospital, in particular, is crucial not only to the achievement of CBC’s unique purpose, but also to the viability of the draft Local Plan. The healthcare needs of the current and growing population cannot be met without it, especially as the average age of that population is increasing. The need for the new acute hospital is not recognised either in the draft Plan or in this policy.

Comment

Representation ID: 210899

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

The case for expansion has not been established because the underlying data used overestimate potential demand, by failing to identify and focus on those businesses which need to be co-located with anchor institutions, such as Addenbrooke’s and the LMB. This is a fundamental flaw. “Cambridge Biomedical Campus Vision 2050: Creating a life sciences quarter for Cambridge” (“Vision 2050”) is not fit for purpose. Despite this, it underpins the supporting evidence submitted by landowners, which has been relied on by GCPS. In particular, the current plans propose disproportionately to expand the commercial activities at CBC.

Comment

Representation ID: 210900

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

As a result the case for the removal of further land from the Green Belt for expansion has not been made out. This is compounded by a failure to recognise accurately the level of harm this removal will cause