Greater Cambridge Local Plan: Proposed Submission

Object

Representation ID: 213483

Received: 25/09/2026

Respondent: Cambridge Group of the Ramblers

Legally compliant? Yes

Sound? No

I am submitting an objection to the draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan.

My grounds for objection are that the Plan is not sound because in one major area it fails: it is not effective.

The Plan fails to provide a sound mechanism for ensuring that ‘desired’ commitments to improved recreational access to the countryside for new and expanding communities can be achieved. As it stands, developers have no incentive nor policy guidance as to how they ensure there are improvements to public rights of way, by creating new paths and linking to the existing network.

This omission could be filled by the Plan’s adoption of a specific policy to involve statutory user groups of public rights of way in the ‘master planning’ stage of any development of 500 or more dwellings; this policy should cover smaller developments which collectively involve at least 500 dwellings. Merely ‘hoping’ that such discussions take place is insufficient.

The Local Plan should be able to draw on Cambridgeshire County Council’s Transport Proposals Database - but this is out of date and includes few public rights of way enhancements.