Greater Cambridge Local Plan: Proposed Submission

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) approved its Local Growth Plan in November 2025. This sets out the ambition for growth, and our shared approach with government in delivering the National Industrial Strategy and growth missions. The Local Growth Plan’s ambitions go to 2050, beyond the end date of the Draft Local Plan.

The Local Growth Plan positions the CPCA area to be the fastest growing regional economy outside of London. It includes a ‘Core’ scenario of doubling the size of the economy by 2050, and the mayor’s ambition of tripling the economy over that period if the appropriate investment is enabled by government and infrastructure providers for necessary infrastructure.

Under the Planning and infrastructure Act 2025, the Combined Authority will develop a Spatial Development Strategy (SDS). This will include homes and jobs provision by council areas over a Plan period that will look further ahead beyond both the Local Plan and Local Growth Plan end dates. A future Local Plan will need to be in conformity with the SDS, with a review needed if that is not the case.

Greater Cambridge is vital to achieving the aims of the Local Growth Plan, as acknowledged by the Global City Opportunity Zone and sector priorities in the Local Growth Plan. Space for commercial development and new jobs growth is needed, as well as the need for a suitable workforce able to access those jobs.

We note that the Draft Local Plan provides for housing to meet the government’s Standard Method for determining local authority-level base housing needs. The Plan proposes an annual average delivery rate above that which has been delivered over recent years. We also note that several of the largest allocations / approved developments have trajectories for build out that go beyond the end date of the Plan. Implementation of the Plan needs to remain flexible to enable these to come forward at a faster rate if the conditions are right and the necessary infrastructure is provided.

It is essential that the Plan supports delivery of the ambitions of the Local Growth Plan, including the core approach of at least doubling the economy by 2050. Given the Local Growth Plan ambitions, future transport improvements (including the collaborative work of the CPCA on the Greater Cambridge Transport Strategy), and the government supporting growth through establishment of the Development Corporation), we would welcome working with the Councils to understand how acceleration of build out rates can be best achieved, and how that can be reflected in the forthcoming SDS. We would expect the Local Plan to be promptly reviewed to support the future SDS.

We are aware that there are delivery constraints to overcome, not least regarding water supply and wastewater management. Some progress has been made on interim solutions. Bringing together action to address the variety of delivery constraints is a shared mission of the Local Authorities, CPCA and the Development Corporation. We shall be further examining this through the work needed to develop the SDS.

CPCA reconfirms the position set out in our Statement of Intent that we are seeking to have an approved Greater Cambridge Transport Strategy (GCTS) in place to support the Local Plan. In preparing the GCTS, the Combined Authority intends to approve the GCTS during November 2026.