Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 211605

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Bloor Homes Eastern

Agent: Carter Jonas

Comment on the Vision for Greater Cambridge

The preferred housing target, the development strategy and the selected allocations for the draft GCLP are unlikely to fully deliver the Vision for Greater Cambridge. The housing requirement is not aligned with jobs growth, which would lead to more people commuting into Cambridge to work mostly by car. The development strategy is too focussed on the delivery of large strategic sites including an expanded Cambourne, existing new settlements at Northstowe, Waterbeach and Bourn Airfield, and a proposed new settlement at Grange Farm. The delivery timetable for infrastructure to support an expanded Cambourne and at Grange Farm is uncertain. For all of the large strategic site allocations the predicted housing delivery rates are unrealistically high, and the delivery of policy compliant levels of affordable housing is often not achieved. The development strategy avoids directing development to the larger villages, including Papworth Everard regardless of their sustainability credentials, existing services and facilities, accessibility by
sustainable modes of transport, or affordable housing needs.

It is considered that the Vision for Greater Cambridge would only be fully delivered with a higher housing requirement, an amended development strategy, and additional development at the more sustainable villages.

Comment

Representation ID: 211606

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Bloor Homes Eastern

Agent: Carter Jonas

Comment on the Strategic Priorities

The housing requirement is not aligned with jobs growth, which would lead to more people commuting into Cambridge to work mostly by car. This outcome would not meet the climate change strategic priority. The development strategy is too focussed on the delivery of large strategic sites, where the timetable for the delivery of necessary infrastructure is uncertain in some cases, the predicted housing delivery rates are unrealistically high, and the delivery of policy compliant levels of affordable housing is often not achieved. It is considered that housing and affordable housing needs would not be met by a development strategy based on this approach and would not meet the homes strategic priority. The development strategy avoids directing development to the larger villages regardless of their sustainability credentials, existing services and facilities, accessibility by sustainable modes of transport, or affordable housing needs. This approach does not support the residents or services and facilities in those villages, and would not meet the great places, homes, connectivity and infrastructure strategic priorities. It is noted that some green infrastructure opportunity areas identified in draft GCLP are unrelated to strategic development allocations that could support their delivery. In these circumstances those proposed green infrastructure opportunity areas are unlikely to be delivered, and this outcome would not meet the biodiversity and green spaces strategic priority.

It is considered that the strategic priorities for the draft GCLP would only be fully delivered with a higher housing requirement, an amended development strategy, and additional development at the more sustainable villages.

Object

Representation ID: 211607

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Bloor Homes Eastern

Agent: Carter Jonas

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Policy S/JH of the draft GCLP sets out the targets for jobs and housing during the plan period from 2024 to 2045. The jobs target is 73,300 additional jobs, and the housing target is a minimum of 48,195 dwellings. The proposed housing target is derived from the national standard method figure for calculating local housing needs, which for Greater Cambridge is 2,295 dwellings per annum. In summary, the housing target is not consistent with national policy because upward adjustments for growth and affordable housing have not been considered.

It is acknowledged that the draft GCLP does not need to take into account the levels of growth to be addressed by the Cambridge Growth Company. However, it does indicate that there are growth ambitions for Greater Cambridge and there should be some upward adjustment to the housing target in Policy S/JH to reflect this future growth during the plan period for draft GCLP.

Object

Representation ID: 211608

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Bloor Homes Eastern

Agent: Carter Jonas

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

It is noted that the job target is not aligned with the housing target. It is considered that a job target that is higher than the housing target would require potential employees to commute into Greater Cambridge to fill those jobs. This outcome would lead to an increase in in-commuting to Greater Cambridge. It is anticipated that most of the in-commuting would be by car, particularly if public transport options are not available or the delivery of transport infrastructure projects are subject to unconfirmed funding decisions and associated development.

Object

Representation ID: 211609

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Bloor Homes Eastern

Agent: Carter Jonas

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

A combined figure for Greater Cambridge would be 743 affordable homes per year. It is acknowledged that the affordable housing data is complex, households needs will change over time, and the annual affordable housing needs should not be multiplied to generate a figure for the whole plan period. The Report concludes that no adjustments are required to the housing target for the draft GCLP to address affordable housing needs. This cannot be correct. The annual monitoring data shows that affordable housing delivery in Greater Cambridge does fluctuate each year, but does show that c.500 affordable dwellings are provided on average each year, which is less than the current need. In addition, some the existing strategic sites are not able to deliver policy compliant levels of affordable housing (e.g. Northstowe and Waterbeach new settlements) because of the need to
provide significant amounts of new infrastructure, and it is anticipated that the outcome would be the same for the proposed strategic sites at North Cambourne and Grange Farm.

It is considered that the housing target in Policy S/JH should include some upward adjustment to address affordable housing needs.

Object

Representation ID: 211610

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Bloor Homes Eastern

Agent: Carter Jonas

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

It is considered that there are a number of risks associated with the development strategy in Policy S/DS. It is very reliant on the delivery of the existing strategic sites, but there is no evidence that delivery at these sites will increase above current rates. It is assumed that housing delivery at some of the strategic sites would be 300 dwellings per annum, but this rate has not been achieved at existing strategic sites in Greater Cambridge or delivered at these rates for a sustained period. The housing delivery rates at some of these strategic sites appear to be optimistic and not based on evidence from other similar developments.

The delivery of the proposed strategic sites at Cambourne North and at Grange Farm are reliant on the delivery of transport projects that are not approved, and where funding and delivery timescales are uncertain.

It is requested that the housing delivery assumptions for all of the strategic sites are reassessed.

Object

Representation ID: 211611

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Bloor Homes Eastern

Agent: Carter Jonas

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Most of the existing new settlements will deliver less affordable housing than the normal policy requirement of 40%, mainly because of the need for these developments to also deliver significant levels of new transport and community infrastructure in initial phases.

It is anticipated that affordable housing delivery at Cambourne North and at Grange Farm would also be reduced for the same reasons.

It is requested that the housing delivery assumptions for all of the strategic sites are reassessed.

Object

Representation ID: 211612

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Bloor Homes Eastern

Agent: Carter Jonas

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

The Minor Rural Centres are referred to as part of the development strategy but there are limited allocations in this category of settlement. It is considered that the growth of the more sustainable villages should be part of the development strategy for draft GCLP, and particularly those villages that contain a very good range of services and facilities, are accessible by a range of modes of transport, and where there is an identified need for affordable housing for those with a local connection to the village.

Comment

Representation ID: 211613

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Bloor Homes Eastern

Agent: Carter Jonas

Papworth Everard is defined as a Minor Rural Centre in the settlement hierarchy. Minor Rural Centres have an indicative maximum scheme size of 30 dwellings within the defined development extents of those villages.

Papworth Everard contains a good range of services and facilities, and employment opportunities, including a Village Hall, The Printworks (a new social enterprise hub featuring meeting rooms, collaboration spaces, hot-desking, a café, and a microbrewery), church, primary and special needs schools, pre-school/ nursery facilities, food stores, restaurant / take-aways, shops, post office, doctor’s surgery, and playing fields. It is considered a sustainable location for new development.

However, there has been no review of the capacity of settlements to accommodate additional development for draft GCLP, or whether the development threshold limits remain relevant if no sites are available. There appears to be no major residential development opportunities within the development framework boundary of Papworth Everard.

Comment

Representation ID: 211614

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Bloor Homes Eastern

Agent: Carter Jonas

Any development opportunities that do exist would be small scale and would not deliver affordable housing or provide any meaningful support to existing services and facilities. In these circumstances, the indicative maximum scheme size of 30 dwellings for Minor Rural Centres is irrelevant to Papworth Everard.

As set out in these representations, amendments should be made to the development strategy for draft GCLP, which directs development to the more sustainable villages including Papworth Everard to support existing services and facilities, deliver additional facilities, and meets identified affordable needs of villages.