Residents, businesses, and community groups are being urged to share their views on how Greater Cambridge should grow in the next 20 years, as a key eight-week Local Plan consultation begins.
The Local Plan, which will cover both Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, sets out where new homes and workplaces could be built to meet the area’s growing economic and housing needs - alongside the utilities, services, green spaces, and community facilities to support them. Once adopted, it will become the official development plan for the area - guiding decisions on planning applications.
The draft Plan has been prepared by Greater Cambridge Shared Planning, which Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District councils share. It follows significant work by Greater Cambridge Shared Planning in recent years on the area’s well-known infrastructure constraints and builds upon thousands of comments from previous consultations.
The latest version of the Plan updates earlier assessments of jobs and housing needs with confirmation of the need for around 50,000 new homes up to 2045, to meet the forecast 73,000 additional jobs for the area. Some 37,000 of these homes are already provided for in existing planning permissions and sites identified in the councils’ adopted local plans from 2018.
Building on earlier consultations which confirm the role of new towns such as Northstowe and Waterbeach, and the redevelopment of Cambridge Airport, the latest Plan proposes further expansion of Cambourne to increase the range of services and job opportunities available – and to take advantage of the town’s proposed new railway station.
The revisions also take account of the Government’s recent decision not to fund the relocation of the Cambridge Waste Water treatment works. The draft Plan replaces some previously planned homes there with a new proposal for a community of around 6,000 homes on land at Grange Farm, next to the A11 and A1307 near Great Abington - beyond the Green Belt. This location offers the potential for enhanced public transport access to the nearby campuses of Granta Park, Babraham Research Campus and the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus - along with improved public transport connections to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
The Plan reflects the Government’s continued support for growth around Cambridge. It looks to support employment sites such as the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Babraham Research Campus to expand further. Meanwhile, in response to evidence of rising demand for logistics and industrial space, two new sites of this type are identified along the A14 corridor, including the expansion of lorry parking at Cambridge Services.
The Plan also recognises ongoing challenges, including transport and the work by the councils, Government and water industry to find solutions to water supply and treatment issues currently impacting developments across Greater Cambridge.
How to take part
You can view the draft Local Plan and submit comments online and paper copies are available at council offices and libraries. The consultation runs from 9am on Monday 1 December 2025 until 5pm on Friday 30 January 2026.
The councils are holding in-person and online events where residents can find out more and speak to planners. The first of these is an introductory online webinar on Tuesday (2 December) at 6pm and you can register to attend now. Visit our website for details of further events being planned.
Cambridge City Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Transport, Cllr Katie Thornburrow, commented: "The Local Plan is about ensuring much-needed new homes are built as part of thriving, sustainable neighbourhoods where people can live well and travel easily with less reliance on cars. The Plan will help us balance the need for new homes alongside the pressures facing our area related to economic growth, climate change, and infrastructure constraints. This draft Plan sets out a vision that supports innovation and jobs while tackling these challenges head-on. Your feedback is vital to help us refine these proposals and ensure they deliver for the whole of Greater Cambridge."
Lead Cabinet Member for Planning at South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cllr Dr. Tumi Hawkins, said: "This consultation is your chance to help shape the future of our area. We know Greater Cambridge faces competing pressures – from the need for new homes and jobs to the urgent requirement to protect our landscapes and biodiversity. The draft Plan responds to these challenges by proposing growth in what we think are the right places, supported by sustainable transport and natural spaces like parks, woodland and nature rich habitats. We want to hear from residents, businesses, and partners to make sure this Plan works for everyone and reflects what matters most to our communities."
Feedback from this consultation will help shape the final version of the Plan, which will be consulted on for a final time next year before it is submitted to government to be examined.
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