Get involved with planning

We want everyone to get involved in creating the places we live, work and play in. Read our Statement of Community Involvement.

Webinars and forums

We hold a Residents Association Forum covering Cambridge City. Representatives from residents associations are invited – if you are a new Residents Association and you wish to get involved, please email planningbusinessoperations@greatercambridgeplanning.org.

We hold 3 area-based Parish Planning Forums for parish councils in South Cambridgeshire. These are by invitation only to Parish Councils.

We hold an Agents Forum for planning agents (typically planning consultants and architects). This allows us to share and discuss improvements to our service, and receive feedback. We invite agents who have recently submitted applications, or consultation responses, to us. If you wish to sign up for invitations, please contact planningbusinessoperations@greatercambridgeplanning.org.

For Cambridge City only, we hold Development Control forums if we receive a petition that meets certain requirements. Visit the Petitions and Development Control forum page.

For webinars we have held about the emerging Greater Cambridge Local Plan, please visit the YouTube Greater Cambridge Local Plan video playlist, and for webinars about the North East Cambridge Area Action Plan, please visit the YouTube North East Cambridge Area Action Plan video playlist.

Help to shape new plans and guidance

We want to involve all our communities in shaping the future of Greater Cambridge. There are lots of opportunities to participate in workshops and consultations about the major planning issues and new development plans for the area. We are currently developing the new Greater Cambridge Local Plan as well as the North East Cambridge Area Action Plan, which will shape how our area changes over the next twenty years and beyond. Planning applications are judged against whether they meet the policies we set in these plans, so it is really important that we get them right - and your input is essential for that.

Please sign up to receive updates about planning policy consultations through our consultations page.

Neighbourhood Planning and Village Design Guides

We support and encourage groups preparing Neighbourhood Plans - please visit Neighbourhood Planning for more information.

We have also worked with rural communities to develop Village Design Guides as adopted Supplementary Planning Documents with community involvement. Currently we do not have the resources to develop more Village Design Guides but we will update parish councils if this changes.

Comment on planning applications

You can comment on planning applications that are being considered – visit view and comment on planning applications for more information on how to comment, and how comments can be taken into account.

Youth engagement

We regularly work with schools and colleges in our area to engage local young people and obtain their views on development proposals in greater Cambridge. We do this through our Youth Engagement Workshops which are led by a Youth Engagement Specialist who is experienced in facilitating effective youth engagement.

This can help ensure that the final design takes into account the specific interests of children and young people (who are often under-represented in public consultations) on development proposals in their local areas, particularly on the design of play areas and public open spaces, to ensure that they are child-friendly and are fit-for-purpose.

The Youth Engagement Workshop typically takes place at pre-application stage at a local school near the development site, and involves students and their teachers. The planning case officer and a representative of the developer's design/planning team are also encouraged to take part in the Workshop. Youth Engagement Workshops are funded by the developers of the proposals under consideration – for more information, please contact bonnie.kwok@greatercambridgeplanning.org.

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