Greater Cambridge Local Plan: the 20-year master plan for the Greater Cambridge area

Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council are working together to create the first joint Local Plan for Greater Cambridge. 

Next steps

Following the consultation that took place from 1 December 2025 until 30 January 2026, the Proposed Submission Greater Cambridge Local Plan is due to be considered further at meetings of Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire Councils in July.  

In advance of those committee meetings, we have today (Wednesday 1 July) published all of the comments that we received to the previous consultation. 1284 separate people made over 8400 comments (or ‘representations’).  

To find copies of all of the representations submitted, please visit our consultation platform, and look through each Chapter of the Plan to find the comments at the bottom of the pages. Please refer to our Privacy Notice for further details.

All of the comments have been carefully considered and have helped to shape the next version of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan – formally referred to as the ‘Proposed Submission’. Following consideration of the Proposed Submission Local Plan at both councils’ scrutiny meetings, a joint cabinet meeting will be held on Tuesday 21 July to consider the publication of the Local Plan for consultation over the summer.  

The Proposed Submission will first be published on Monday 6 July as part of the agenda papers for the South Cambridgeshire Scrutiny and Overview Committee, alongside updated evidence and supporting documents.  

We have also assessed 949 site submissions during the preparation of the Local Plan. To view all the sites submitted in the Sites Register [XLSX, 44KB]. It includes new sites submitted by landowners and promoters as well as sites where representations have been received on previously submitted sites. You can view where these sites are on the map of new sites submitted [PDF, 10.5MB] at draft Local Plan stage and existing sites re-submitted at draft Local Plan stage. 

These sites have informed the preparation of the Greater Cambridge Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA). The Sites Register does not include the individual site assessments as this is contained within the HELAA. The Councils have previously published the HELAA in 2021 and 2025 (available to view in our Document Library) and will publish an updated version on 6 July 2026. At this stage, the site assessments will be available to view in both PDF and webmap format. 

Consultation on the Proposed Submission Local Plan 

This final round of consultation considers only the legal “soundness” of the Plan. Soundness is defined by specific tests set out in the National Planning Policy Framework which requires Plans to be positively prepared, justified, effective and consistent with national policy. Proposals for new sites will not be considered at this stage.  

Following the consultation, the councils are required to submit the Proposed Submission Local Plan alongside the representations to consultation, the evidence base and supporting documents to the Secretary of State for independent examination.  

If you have any specific queries on the process, the site submission stages, or have any other questions about the Local Plan and its preparation to date, please contact the Planning Policy Team via email at localplan@greatercambridgeplanning.org.

What the draft Local Plan is

The draft Local Plan shows where new homes and workplaces could be built over the next 20 years - and how essential community facilities and public services would support this expected growth. Once adopted, the joint Local Plan would become the statutory development plan for the Greater Cambridge area.  

The draft Local Plan sets out the Development Strategy and proposed development within the Cambridge urban area, the edge of Cambridge, new settlements, the rural southern cluster and the rest of the rural area. The plan sets out our vision for Greater Cambridge through development management policies under seven key themes of: 

• Climate change
• Biodiversity and green spaces 
• Great places
• Wellbeing and social inclusion
• Homes
• Jobs
• Infrastructure.

The Local Plan follows a set process, and will be independently verified to check if it is sound before it can be formally adopted. The examination will test whether the Plan is realistic, deliverable and based on good evidence. 

Local Plans, along with national planning policy, are the foundation of decision-making on planning applications, and the Plan ensures that a consistent approach is taken to planning across Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council until 2045. 

More information on the plan-making process so far 

Call for Sites - 2019

In 2019 we held an initial Call for Sites and workshops with a wide range of groups to understand what they felt the big issues for the Plan might be. 

A call for sites is a way for landowners, developers and individuals to suggest sites that might be available for development in the future. It is a normal part of plan making.    

First Conversation (Issues and Options) - 2020 

In January and February 2020, we held the First Conversation – a big public consultation on the big themes and challenges for the plan. This also included a Call for Sites.

The consultation resulted in over 5,000 visitors to our website, 6,000 people attending events, 30,000 views of our videos, over 8,500 comments and responses to the consultation questions from a huge range of people, and over 650 suggested sites for development and 21 suggested sites for green spaces. This included comments on the Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report, Habitats Regulations Assessment Scoping Report, and Sustainability Appraisal. 

In September 2020 we published the responses to the First Conversation, and information received through the Call for Sites.

Our Early stages of the Local Plan Document Library includes all the documents related to the First Conversation consultation and the Call for Sites.  

In November 2020 we published initial evidence base findings and development strategy options assessments. The additional water briefing we published at the time is published in our Early stages of the Local Plan Document Library.  

First Proposals consultation (Regulation 18) - 2021

In late 2021 we held a full public consultation on the First Proposals for the Plan, including a wide range of in-person and online events and activity. Again this included a Call for Sites.  

You can read more about how consultation has influenced the Plan so far in the Consultation Statement in our document library. 

View a map of our 2021 proposed allocations, which were consulted on as part of the First Proposals consultation. 

Since 2021

We looked at the issues raised about the First Proposals consultation before the next consultation stage. Between autumn 2022 and spring 2023 we held meetings of the Joint Local Plan Advisory Group where members talked about the consultation feedback received. 

In early 2023 Members made decisions about the development strategy and key sites as well as confirming an updated need for jobs and homes, drawing on new evidence. We held a public webinar about the Development Strategy Update where we talked through the report and answered questions. Documents regarding these decisions are in our Document Library. These decisions have guided the preparation of the draft local plan. 

We also held a Site Submissions Update in early 2025 which allowed for updated information to be provided on previously submitted sites, or new sites to be submitted.

Our latest timetable for the Local Plan is set out in the Local Development Scheme  adopted in November 2025. 

Recent stage: Draft Local Plan – Winter 2025

The draft Local Plan and supporting documents were scrutinised by local councillors – starting with Cambridge City Council’s Performance, Assets and Strategy Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday 4 November 2025; then the South Cambridgeshire District Council Scrutiny and Overview Committee on Thursday 6 November 2025.

To view joint Cabinet agenda papers including our proposed modifications to the draft Plan in response to Scrutiny meeting actions (Appendix K) visit: Agenda for Cabinet on Tuesday, 25th November, 2025, 5.30 pm - Cambridge Council and Agenda for Cabinet on Tuesday, 25 November 2025, 5.30 p.m. - South Cambridgeshire District Council

What happens next 

Feedback from this consultation will help shape the final version of the Plan, which will be consulted on for a final time this year before it is submitted to Government to be examined.

The examination will test whether the Plan is realistic, deliverable and based on good evidence, before it can be adopted.