Greater Cambridge Local Plan: Proposed Submission

GCDC supports this policy

• The government’s response to the consultation ‘Establishing a Development Corporation in Greater Cambridge’ noted that: ‘’working with local partners, and relevant bodies, will be crucial to balancing viability and deliverability alongside respecting Greater Cambridge’s unique heritage, natural environment, climate resilience and nature recovery, and this integrated approach will be central to the Development Corporation’s purpose’’. GCDC, therefore supports this policy because embedding the principles of climate change mitigation and adaption in development is an important way we will address the causes of climate change.
• The Cambridge Growth Company agreed a statement of common ground with GCSP to address water infrastructure issues. GCDC is the organisation now established with a formal regeneration role. GCDC is seeking to agree a new Statement of Common Ground with GCSP to renew our shared commitment to addressing water infrastructure constraints.

GCDC supports this policy.

• Achieving integrated water management is essential to delivering sustainable growth in Greater Cambridge.
• The GCDC are participants of the Water Scarcity Group, which is an independent advisory group formed in 2023 to tackle water scarcity and resource issues in Greater Cambridge. Collectively the group is working to resolve existing wastewater capacity issues and engage with a range of delivery partners to deliver new water savings measures to reduce water demand in the short-medium term.
• GCDC will continue to work through the Water Scarcity Group to improve water efficiency, support water-saving and retrofit campaigns, and explore new water resource options. We will continue to support water companies in delivering their long-term supply plans, while testing innovative ideas such as capturing and storing excess winter water for later use, working with farmers, the Middle Level Commissioners and Water Resources East.
• The Cambridge Growth Company agreed a statement of common ground with GCSP to address water infrastructure issues. GCDC is the organisation now established with a formal regeneration role. GCDC is seeking to agree a new Statement of Common Ground with GCSP to renew our shared commitment to addressing water infrastructure constraints.

GCDC supports this policy.

• GCDC recognises the ambitions in this policy and agrees that achieving these standards will be an important way to reduce demand on water in the area.
• The GCDC are participants of the Water Scarcity Group, which is an independent advisory group formed in 2023 to tackle water scarcity and resource issues in Greater Cambridge. Collectively the group is working to resolve existing wastewater capacity and continues to engage with a range of delivery partners to deliver new water savings measures to reduce water demand in the short-medium term.
• GCDC will continue to work through the Water Scarcity Group to improve water efficiency, support water-saving and retrofit campaigns, and explore new water resource options. We will continue to support water companies in delivering their long-term supply plans, while testing innovative ideas such as capturing and storing excess winter water for later use, working with farmers, the Middle Level Commissioners and Water Resources East.
• The Cambridge Growth Company agreed a statement of common ground with GCSP to address water infrastructure issues. GCDC is the organisation now established with a formal regeneration role. GCDC is seeking to agree a new Statement of Common Ground with GCSP to renew our shared commitment to addressing water infrastructure constraints.

GCDC supports this policy

• The government’s response to the consultation ‘Establishing a Development Corporation in Greater Cambridge’ noted that: ‘’working with local partners, and relevant bodies, will be crucial to balancing viability and deliverability alongside respecting Greater Cambridge’s unique heritage, natural environment, climate resilience and nature recovery, and this integrated approach will be central to the Development Corporation’s purpose’’. GCDC, therefore supports this policy because the proposed hierarchal approach to reducing heat and power demands, along with supplying energy demand onsite, will enable new development to help to address the causes of climate change.

GCDC supports this policy

• The government’s response to the consultation ‘Establishing a Development Corporation in Greater Cambridge’ noted that: ‘’working with local partners, and relevant bodies, will be crucial to balancing viability and deliverability alongside respecting Greater Cambridge’s unique heritage, natural environment, climate resilience and nature recovery, and this integrated approach will be central to the Development Corporation’s purpose’’. GCDC, therefore supports this policy because embedding the principles of climate change mitigation and adaption in development is an important way that we will help to address the causes of climate change.

• GCDC supports changing this from a site allocation to an ‘area of Major Change’.
• GCDC agree with the continued identification of this area for regeneration. It has excellent transport connections to other parts of the city and new development in this area would harness the Cambridge Science Park’s legacy of innovation.
• In July 2026 the Housing Minister submitted a letter to the Chief Executive of the Planning Inspectorate requesting that inspectors take a pragmatic and proportionate approach when assessing viability and deliverability evidence. In this letter, the Housing Minister stated that: ‘’with the benefits of up-to-date local plans firmly in mind, it is important that local plan deliverability and viability challenges be considered in a broad context, especially when economic conditions are volatile and are causing fluctuations to market conditions and heightening development risk and associated costs. As such, allocations should generally be assessed against their prospects of delivery over the plan period as a whole, rather than solely against current market conditions’’. Noting that this is not a site allocation, GCDC perceive this passage to be relevant to North East Cambridge. GCDC agrees that it is right to continue to prioritise this area for regeneration, and we agree with the expressed sentiment in paragraph 2.58, where it states ‘the Councils will continue to engage with relevant partners to confirm a refined position for that later plan-making stage’.

In relation to paragraph 1 GCDC supports this policy.
• GCDC agrees with GCSP’s explanation in the supporting information to this policy in paragraph 3.3.3 that the new station which will be delivered by East West Rail presents a significant opportunity to expand the town further, in a way that is both sensitive to local landscape character and ecological sites but also supports the existing town so that it becomes more sustainable and can offer the services and facilities required of a modern town.

In relation to paragraph 16b GCDC supports this policy.

• GCDC supports the requirements for developers to pay a financial contribution to the delivery of an enhanced EWR station. We agree with this aspiration to make the new station a key component of the Station Quarter, Cambourne North, and the wider town.
• The government’s response to the consultation ‘Establishing a Development Corporation in Greater Cambridge’ set the Development Corporation an objective of achieving ‘infrastructure-led development’, to ‘’coordinate and advance the delivery of a radical upgrade to infrastructure in Greater Cambridge, removing systemic barriers to growth and setting new benchmarks for connectivity and sustainability.’’ To achieve this objective in Cambourne, GCDC will work with East West Rail, GCSP and other local partners to deliver the new station.
• It should also be noted that officials in GCDC are collaborating with the GCSP, CPCA and Cambridgeshire County Council to produce the Greater Cambridge Transport Strategy (GCTS), a ‘sub-strategy’ to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Transport and Connectivity Plan, which will help to support the Plan’s ambitions to deliver new development in sustainable locations, including the new station for Cambourne.

GCDC support this policy.

GCDC would like to express support for the policy. The Juniper partnership— which includes Homes England —acquired Bourn Airfield in March 2025. GCDC will continue to work with GCSP, the Juniper Partnership and other local partners to deliver new infrastructure interventions for key sites in the Plan.

GCDC support this policy.

• In relation to Policy S/WNT: Waterbeach New Town, we support this site allocation. Homes England has committed considerable funding to accelerate the Waterbeach New Town development. This includes over £23m to relocate the railway station, in addition to providing a £61 million loan. GCDC are pleased to see the Plan capitalising upon the substantial public investment which has already been committed at the site. We will continue to work with GCSP, Homes England and other local partners to ensure that this site fulfils its potential.

GCDC support this policy.

The proposal represents a positive approach to maximising the opportunity presented by the Cambridge South East Transport Phase 2 scheme, albeit GCDC notes that this will require an extension to the proposed route. GCDC will continue to work with GCSP and other local partners to deliver new infrastructure interventions for key sites, such as Grange Farm, in the Plan.