Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 210941

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

We are broadly supportive of this policy, with the following caveat: nowhere in the policy or its supporting text is consideration given to the growing demand for end-of-life care services and facilities (e.g. hospices) that will sit alongside an expanding population. Arthur Rank Hospice is testament to local strength of feeling on this matter and is one illustration of the local impact of a lack of joined up planning between health and social care. Para 6.25 of the supporting text lists examples of the facilities and services which could be required to meet the needs of new and growing communities; provision for burials is included in the list but nothing relating to palliative/hospice care provision; para 6.33 is explicitly about healthcare facilities but, again, does not mention end-of-life care.

Comment

Representation ID: 210942

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

Leisure facilities in Great Shelford are limited.

Comment

Representation ID: 210943

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

We are broadly supportive of this policy, most notably those clauses relating to light pollution, which tally well with the aims of Policy S&GS 15: Preserving our dark landscape.

Comment

Representation ID: 210944

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

Where neighbourhood plans have been adopted, local communities have invariably undertaken extensive community engagement to produce at the very least a design guide and, in many instances, a detailed design guidance and codes. No mention of this is made in either the policy or supporting text. Design guidance and codes are invaluable documents with long lifespans which should be a major influence on development design and, by their very nature, already demonstrate people and place responsive design. We request that clear reference is made to them at an appropriate place in either the policy or its supporting text.

Comment

Representation ID: 210945

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

Policy GP/QD clause 4 – we are very pleased to see reference to the role of neighbourhood plans in setting design principles. We request that a similarly explicit reference is also incorporated into Policy GP/PP: People and place responsive design.

Comment

Representation ID: 210946

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

There is enormous tension between the NPPF’s requirement for local plan policies to make efficient use of land versus clauses b and c of this policy. In the absence of further evidence for the policy (as noted in para 7.27), it is difficult to comment on its merits or otherwise. This is unfortunate given how significant this policy will be in determining future planning applications in Greater Cambridge.

Comment

Representation ID: 210947

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

When considering how density should be applied in different locations, it is vital that explicit consideration is given to appropriate building densities for land released from Green Belt which is adjacent to an existing development framework. Such densities should reference density in the immediate surroundings but also present a soft edge to the surrounding landscape. A soft edge is created not just through planting but by gaps and longer sightlines between buildings, which will inevitably – and appropriately – reduce building density.

Comment

Representation ID: 210948

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

Policy GP/ST clause 1(e) – glare (i.e. reflection of light from a glazed surface onto another surface or into a building or other amenity area) needs to be added to the list of adverse impacts on amenity and microclimate.

Comment

Representation ID: 210949

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

We are broadly supportive of this policy. The draft Policies Map needs updating to include the Stapleford and Great Shelford Neighbourhood Plan (adopted Oct 2025), in particular to include Policy S&GS 13 which introduces a new Important Countryside Frontage between 41 Gog Magog Way and houses at Chalk Hill, Stapleford.

Comment

Representation ID: 210950

Received: 29/01/2026

Respondent: Great Shelford Parish Council

We strongly agree with this policy including:
•Not changing the character and impact
•Where there are no environmental improvements
•Not well-designed in form and bulk
•Not consistent in scale with its rural location
•Not located near to a settlement

In respect of change of use of the large barn at Shelford Bottom to be used as a Phlebotomy Centre, this proposed development is entirely inconsistent with its rural setting.