Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

Densification of existing urban areas, Dispersal: New Settlements, Dispersal: Villages, Edge of Cambridge: Outside Green Belt, Public Transport Corridors, Edge of Cambridge: Green Belt

Reducing commute distances and hence carbon emissions due to traffic, jobs must be co-located with homes. As most existing jobs are located in the city, this means more homes are needed within the city. But where new settlements are built, enough jobs in those settlement must also be provided.

Restrict further

It makes no sense just to build more homes in villages if they just become commuter villages to jobs elsewhere. Every new housing development must include the equivalent number of jobs to be collocated.

Restrict further

Residents choose to live in a village rather than a city location because they like to identify with the character of the village. That character can more easily be destroyed if large developments are allowed.

This is the preferred way to achieve any growth, as the infrastructure is already in place, provided the urban environment can sustain the growth in residents.

This is a reasonable way to achieve growth, as the infrastructure is already in place, provided the urban environment can sustain the growth in residents. It also needs to provide amenities such as parks and community amenities to ensure the quality of life of existing residents is not reduced.

This is the worst way to provide for growth as it spreads traffic congestion and pollution over a wider area and threatens the character of the city by surrounding it in an ugly urban sprawl.

This is reasonable provided there are enough local jobs to avoid it becoming a commuter settlement and only if the environmental resources, especially water, can sustain the growth.

This one of the worst options as the character of a village is more easily destroyed by growth and is the most likely scenario for creating commuter hubs as it's more difficult to provide a wide range of jobs within a village.

This is not a good option if it implies jobs don't need to be co-located with new homes. Even if the transport options are fully sustainable, quality of life is reduced if a large fraction of time is spent commuting to work and back, and it doesn't encourage a sense of community if most social activities are in centres away from the development sites.

The main theme is meant to be Climate Change – how the plan should contribute to achieving net zero carbon, and the mitigation and adaptation measures that should be required through developments. Yet the only nod to achieving a lower carbon footprint is higher quality new homes with better insulation and better access to public transport. But heating and transport accounts for less than a third of the average UK carbon footprint. The Local Plan must also address how to grow local food, produce sustainable electricity and if possible encourage changes in diet and reduced flights.