Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 209155

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Anglian Water Services Ltd

In terms of infrastructure delivery to support growth across our region, it is important that we take account of
the longer-term ambitions for growth that will be brought forward by the Cambridge Growth
Company, in addition to that being proposed in the Greater Cambridge Local Plan (GCLP) when
assessing current and future infrastructure needs.

Comment

Representation ID: 209156

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Anglian Water Services Ltd

Anglian Water is supportive of the seven strategic priorities set out in the Vision, particularly those that align with our long-term strategic ambitions.
We support direct reference to higher achievable standards for water use to reduce environmental impacts. Anglian Water is directly engaged with the Cambridge Water Scarcity Group, as we jointly bring forward strategic supply options with Cambridge Water - including the Grafham to Cambridge strategic pipeline (Phase 1 of the 70km Grafham to Rede pipeline) and the
Fens Reservoir.

Comment

Representation ID: 209157

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Anglian Water Services Ltd

When Anglian Water submitted our Business Plan to Ofwat in 2023, the framework was not
designed to account for the pace and scale of growth outlined by the government in the "Realising
the Full Potential of Greater Cambridge" statement, and the subsequent change to the standard
method for calculating local housing need in the National Planning Policy Framework and Planning
Practice Guidance updates (December 2024). This means that the scale of growth funded in our
AMP8 Business Plan, does not sufficiently reflect the scale of growth pressures or the level of
funding to address them.

Comment

Representation ID: 209158

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Anglian Water Services Ltd

Anglian Water notes that the Development Strategy for Greater Cambridge directs growth to the
most sustainable locations, with the focus on the Cambridge urban area, Cambourne, other new
settlements and the rural southern cluster which has strategic transport links and employment
opportunities. Anglian Water recognises that nationally strategic infrastructure projects such as
the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet upgrade and East West Railway are catalysts for sustainable
connected growth across our region and together with three planned busways into Cambridge,
have shaped the Development Strategy for Greater Cambridge.

The key sites within the Cambridge urban area, and on the edge of Cambridge (a and b) includes
North East Cambridge. It is noted that the policy (2.a.i) provides flexibility for the type of
development indicated for this site, as a result of the Government's withdrawal of funding for the
Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant Relocation (CWWTPR) in August 2025, following
Development Consent Order approval for the scheme in April 2025. Anglian Water considers that
this flexibility for development of the site is important, because of the investment now required to
address capacity at the existing Cambridge WRC.

i./iii/v For new settlements, there is a considerable expansion at Cambourne North to link with a
new proposed East West Rail station and the carried forward allocations at Bourn Airfield and
Northstowe. The growth at Cambourne, has and continues to be considerable. Both Cambourne
and Northstowe are within the Uttons Drove WRC catchment, which is being considered as part of
our longer-term planning for the 2025–2030 asset management period (AMP8) and beyond. In
line with PR24 adaptive planning principles and our ongoing discussions with Ofwat, we are
reviewing growth forecasts across our operating areas and developing options on how to approach
investment that can respond to uncertainty in the scale and timing of development. Any future
investment at Uttons Drove would contribute to additional capacity and resilience within the
catchment; however, it is unlikely that this alone would accommodate the full scale of growth
currently proposed. Supporting later phases of development at these locations will therefore
require a longer-term strategy, progressed through future planning and price review cycles as
growth assumptions are refined and investment needs are confirmed

Comment

Representation ID: 209159

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Anglian Water Services Ltd

It is noted that the preferred option for the spatial strategy is identified as a blended option,
underpinned by development strategy principles. These principles align with Anglian Water's
strategic long- term ambitions to be resilient to the risk of drought and flood, a carbon neutral
business, enabling sustainable economic and housing growth, and working with others to achieve
significant improvements in the ecological quality of catchments in our region.
We support the development management principle that necessary utilities should be supported
in a sustainable way so that the environment is protected and enhanced. We consider this
principle is fundamental to supporting sustainable and resilient growth, and to enable investment
to be brought forward to address the considerable growth being planned for the Greater
Cambridge area, whilst ensuring the environment is protected.

Comment

Representation ID: 209160

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Anglian Water Services Ltd

As identified by this section of the draft Local Plan, Anglian Water is already working with
Cambridge Water to deliver strategic water supply options to address the water resource needs of
the area, and enable more water to remain in the environment, to protect internationally
important chalk stream habitats.
We support the Plan's strategy to phase growth at new strategic sites to align with the delivery of
strategic water supply options. It is important that these water supply options are also
underpinned by demand management solutions, and tighter water efficiency standards for new
development. Opportunities for integrated water management, including reuse, are significant
factors for consideration in new development proposals coming forward, and align with the
measures the Cambridge Water Scarcity Group has been developing

Comment

Representation ID: 209161

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Anglian Water Services Ltd

As indicated in our response, Anglian Water is working proactively with stakeholders, to address
current capacity constraints at some of our water recycling centres (WRC). This has been further
exacerbated by the withdrawal for funding for CWWTPR, meaning that further investment will
need to be brought forward to deliver enhancements at the existing Cambridge WRC in the short
term, and in the long term if alternative funding cannot be secured for delivery of CWWTPR. Until
such time as the opportunity to deliver CWWTPR expires, the Local Plan should recognise the
CWWTPR project and ensure appropriate safeguarding of the consented relocation site (as
requested under Policy I/SI).
Anglian Water is currently preparing the DWMP28 and we will continue to engage with the
Councils at various stages of the DWMP's development to ensure that this takes account of the
quantum of growth proposed for Greater Cambridge.

Comment

Representation ID: 209162

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Anglian Water Services Ltd

Anglian Water is generally supportive of the approach set out in the policy, and the provisions
setting out the parameters for growth in each settlement category. It is noted that for Cambridge,
Towns and Rural Centres the policy is clear that development should come forward (without any
limit imposed) "provided that adequate services, facilities, and infrastructure are available or can
be made available as a result of the development". However, this same requirement is not
included for growth at smaller settlements including Minor Rural Centres, Group Villages, and Infill
Villages.
Anglian Water requests that this qualifying statement to demonstrate that adequate infrastructure
is available, should be applied to all the settlement categories within the settlement hierarchy, so
development proposals clearly address infrastructure capacity - this includes wastewater
treatment capacity in the network and the receiving WRC (as evidenced by the Stage 2 Detailed
Water Cycle Study). For small settlements (e.g. Tadlow) where we have WRCs with a descriptive
permit i.e. Descriptive Works - our position statement indicates that proposals that seek to
connect to our network will be objected to unless the developer can demonstrate there is
sufficient capacity at the works, OR an onsite solution such as a package treatment plant is
approved.
Alternatively, similar wording to Policy S/DE clause 1.c could be used for the smaller settlement
categories to ensure "There is the necessary infrastructure capacity to support the
development".

Comment

Representation ID: 209163

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Anglian Water Services Ltd

Anglian Water supports the policy requirement 1.c to ensure that there is the necessary infrastructure to support the development within defined settlement extents. However, it is considered that this should be equally applicable to developments outside defined settlement extents but may still be adjacent to the settlement and/or our WRC catchments - e.g. Rural
exception sites. The policy does not specifically reference the delivery of utility services /infrastructure in the
countryside, which would include critical water and wastewater infrastructure to serve existing
and future communities. Our infrastructure, by its very nature is often located on the edge of
settlements or in the countryside. We would suggest that the policy could be more positively
framed to address these types of developments.
We request the policy is amended in this regard to state:
Proposals for the delivery and operation of essential utilities infrastructure, where there is a
proven need and a countryside location is essential for the delivery of those utilities, will be
supported where they accord with other policies in the development plan (Based on
the wording in West Suffolk Local Plan Policy 24 Economic development and essential utilities in
the countryside).

Comment

Representation ID: 209164

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Anglian Water Services Ltd

Matters including asset encroachment (Policy WS/HS) and utilities infrastructure (see our
comments relating to Policy GP/QD) should be a consideration for any site allocation where we
have existing assets, or where the site is in close proximity to our operational sites and should
therefore avoid the need to introduce separate clauses within any of the affected site allocation
policies.
Anglian Water can provide a list of assets within the proposed site boundaries, if this would be
helpful to the Councils. The following sites have sewer pumping stations located within or adjacent
to the site and as ‘above ground’ assets this will be land within Anglian Water’s ownership, and
may have implications for site layout and design:
• S/C/CLT: Clifton Road Area
• S/CE: Cambridge East
• S/CBC: Cambridge Biomedical Campus
• S/CB: Cambourne Town Centre
• S/ED: Eddington
• S/NEC: North East Cambridge