Greater Cambridge Local Plan: Proposed Submission

Savills (UK) Ltd is instructed to make representations on behalf of St John’s College Cambridge (SJC), which has a requirement to secure the timely delivery of student accommodation in Cambridge, in relation to Policy H/AH: Affordable housing, Policy H/SA: Student accommodation and Policy H/MO: Houses in Multiple Occupation.

SJC recognises and welcomes changes made to the following policies in the Proposed Submission Greater Cambridge Local Plan (Regulation 19) in response to comments made in relation to the Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation (Regulation 18). To ensure that the policies are justified and effective, it is important to ensure that no undue prescription or removal of flexibility is re-introduced as part of any modifications to the Local Plan.

• Policy H/AH: Affordable housing which confirms that an affordable housing contribution will not be sought where the proposed development of student accommodation is for the redevelopment of buildings and land owned by the University of Cambridge, Anglia Ruskin University or a University of Cambridge College, as this is necessary in order for student accommodation to be viably delivered;
• Policy H/SA: Student accommodation which now importantly provides for circumstances in which new accommodation for part-time students can be provided; and
• Policy H/MO: Houses in Multiple Occupation that now requires consideration of individual circumstances rather than being unduly prescriptive, and recognises that there may be circumstances where a continuous row of HMOs is demonstrated to be acceptable.

Savills (UK) Ltd Planning Team are instructed by St John’s College Cambridge to make representations as part of the Proposed Submission Greater Cambridge Local Plan (Regulation 19 stage) in relation to Policy S/AMC/NEC: North East Cambridge.

Specifically, the College welcomes the support provided in the Proposed Submission Local Plan (Regulation 19) for the development of a thriving, well-connected, mixed use innovation district in North East Cambridge.

The Draft Local Plan (Regulation 18) consulted upon in December 2025 and January 2026 included an “up to” limit on additional commercial floorspace in North East Cambridge. The removal of an upper limit on additional commercial floorspace in North East Cambridge in the Proposed Submission Greater Cambridge Local Plan is welcome and necessary to ensure that the potential of North East Cambridge can be delivered, and must not be reintroduced through any modifications to the Plan.

For the reasons set out in these representations, the Local Plan needs to be changed to include the allocation of: Land west of Hinton Way, Great Shelford; Land west of Granhams Farm, Great Shelford; Cockerton Road, Girton; College Farm, Whitwell Way, Coton; and Land north of Whitwell Way, Coton.

See attached representations letter for full representations.

• The Proposed Submission Local Plan needs to be changed to make provision for more housing land than currently proposed to meet the needs arising from the proposed additional jobs, to avoid an exacerbation of in-commuting into the area and to provide an adequate buffer.
• To ensure they continue to be vibrant, inclusive communities, growth within villages is essential as part of a blended, robust housing land supply to meet needs across the whole of Greater Cambridge, and this should include sustainable, well-connected Grey Belt sites within villages in the Green Belt. The Local Plan needs to be changed to deliver this.
• The five year housing land supply will be fragile even by the Councils’ own calculations for years following adoption. Additional identified supply through small and medium sized sites coming forward in the first five years post-adoption would provide the necessary contingency to ensure the five-year supply is maintained, and the plan remains up to date.
• St John’s College sites are demonstrably suitable, available and deliverable.
• For these reasons, the Local Plan needs to be changed to include the allocation of: Land west of Hinton Way, Great Shelford; Land west of Granhams Farm, Great Shelford; Cockerton Road, Girton; College Farm, Whitwell Way, Coton; and Land north of Whitwell Way, Coton.

For the reasons set out in the representations, the Local Plan needs to be changed to include the allocation of: Land west of Hinton Way, Great Shelford; Land west of Granhams Farm, Great Shelford; Cockerton Road, Girton; College Farm, Whitwell Way, Coton; and Land north of Whitwell Way, Coton.

See attached representations letter for full representations.

These representations relate to Policy S/JH: New Jobs and Homes and Policy S/DS: Development Strategy & Key Diagram and include an assessment of land owned by the College, as it is important that they are read holistically together.

• The Proposed Submission Local Plan needs to be changed to make provision for more housing land than currently proposed to meet the needs arising from the proposed additional jobs, to avoid an exacerbation of in-commuting into the area and to provide an adequate buffer.
• To ensure they continue to be vibrant, inclusive communities, growth within villages is essential as part of a blended, robust housing land supply to meet needs across the whole of Greater Cambridge, and this should include sustainable, well-connected Grey Belt sites within villages in the Green Belt. The Local Plan needs to be changed to deliver this.
• The five year housing land supply will be fragile even by the Councils’ own calculations for years following adoption. Additional identified supply through small and medium sized sites coming forward in the first five years post-adoption would provide the necessary contingency to ensure the five-year supply is maintained, and the plan remains up to date.
• St John’s College sites are demonstrably suitable, available and deliverable.
• For these reasons, the Local Plan needs to be changed to include the allocation of: Land west of Hinton Way, Great Shelford; Land west of Granhams Farm, Great Shelford; Cockerton Road, Girton; College Farm, Whitwell Way, Coton; and Land north of Whitwell Way, Coton.

Removal of blanket adoption of the Affordable Workspace policy.

Savills (UK) Ltd is instructed to make representations on behalf of St John’s College Cambridge (SJC) in relation to Policy J/AW: Affordable Workspace. SJC has an estate portfolio including commercial property and notably St John’s Innovation Park in North East Cambridge, and a demonstrable commitment to providing early stages and incubator space.

The Regulation 19 Local Plan is the first stage that any details of Affordable Workspace have been included in the Local Plan. The Councils’ own Greater Cambridge Affordable Workspace Study June 2026 recognises at 10.3.3. that “The review highlights that policies based on fixed requirements (such as floorspace quotas or rent discounts) must be applied cautiously, with sufficient flexibility to avoid further constraining the delivery of new employment space. This reinforces the importance of a viability-led approach, with requirements tailored to site-specific circumstances.”

SJC agrees that any policy must provide sufficient flexibility to avoid further constraining the delivery of new employment space, and needs to take account of viability (which is becoming increasingly challenging) and site-specific circumstances. Policy J/AW does not do this, with evidence of viability in Cambridge not supporting the blanket adoption of the Affordable Workspace policy.

The viability considerations of Policy J/AW can also not be separated from the proposed Greater Cambridge Community Infrastructure Levy Charging Schedule which SJC is also objecting to, and which is subject to a hearing session in October 2026.

For the reasons set out in these representations, the Local Plan needs to be changed to include the allocation of: Land west of Hinton Way, Great Shelford; Land west of Granhams Farm, Great Shelford; Cockerton Road, Girton; College Farm, Whitwell Way, Coton; and Land north of Whitwell Way, Coton.

See attached representations letter for full representations.

• The Proposed Submission Local Plan needs to be changed to make provision for more housing land than currently proposed to meet the needs arising from the proposed additional jobs, to avoid an exacerbation of in-commuting into the area and to provide an adequate buffer.
• To ensure they continue to be vibrant, inclusive communities, growth within villages is essential as part of a blended, robust housing land supply to meet needs across the whole of Greater Cambridge, and this should include sustainable, well-connected Grey Belt sites within villages in the Green Belt. The Local Plan needs to be changed to deliver this.
• The five year housing land supply will be fragile even by the Councils’ own calculations for years following adoption. Additional identified supply through small and medium sized sites coming forward in the first five years post-adoption would provide the necessary contingency to ensure the five-year supply is maintained, and the plan remains up to date.
• St John’s College sites are demonstrably suitable, available and deliverable.
• For these reasons, the Local Plan needs to be changed to include the allocation of: Land west of Hinton Way, Great Shelford; Land west of Granhams Farm, Great Shelford; Cockerton Road, Girton; College Farm, Whitwell Way, Coton; and Land north of Whitwell Way, Coton.