Five of the 13 Local Plan exhibitions are in Cambridge, starting at Arbury on 1 September. Comments close at 5pm on 25 September and no late ones count.
Planners will be in Arbury on Tuesday afternoon with the plan that decides where Cambridge builds for the next 20 years. It is the first of five exhibitions in the city, and the last chance to say anything before the plan leaves local hands.
The consultation on the Proposed Submission Greater Cambridge Local Plan opened on Monday 3 August and closes at 5pm on Friday 25 September. The councils will not accept late representations. (Greater Cambridge Shared Planning)
After that, the plan goes to the Government and is examined by an independent Planning Inspector. Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council wrote it jointly. (Greater Cambridge Shared Planning, 3 August)
The five exhibitions in Cambridge
Planning officers will be on hand at each one to explain the proposals and answer questions. There is no need to register, though optional booking is offered through Eventbrite. (Greater Cambridge Shared Planning, 27 August)
- Tuesday 1 September, 2pm to 4pm: Arbury Community Centre, Campkin Road, CB4 2LD
- Wednesday 2 September, 4pm to 7pm: Marleigh Community Centre, The Hangar Building, 2 Jubilee Square, CB5 8BX
- Friday 4 September, 4pm to 7.30pm: The Old School Hall, St Barnabas Centre, Mill Road, CB1 2BD
- Wednesday 9 September, 4.15pm to 7pm: Nightingale Pavilion, Nightingale Avenue, CB1 8SQ
- Friday 11 September, 10am to 5pm: The Cambridge Room, Grafton Centre, Fitzroy Street, CB1 1PS
Three of the city sessions run into the evening: Marleigh, St Barnabas and Nightingale Pavilion. Arbury finishes at 4pm. The Grafton Centre session is the longest and the only one open through the middle of the day.
The other eight are outside the city
Eight more exhibitions are being held in South Cambridgeshire villages. They are open to anyone, but none of them is in Cambridge:
- Tuesday 1 September, 4pm to 7.30pm: Whittlesford Memorial Hall, Mill Lane, CB22 4NE
- Wednesday 2 September, 4pm to 7.30pm: Papworth Village Hall, Ermine Street South, Papworth Everard, CB23 3RD
- Thursday 3 September, 2pm to 4pm: Gamlingay EcoHub, Stocks Lane, SG19 3JR
- Thursday 3 September, 4pm to 7.30pm: Great Abington Primary School, 68 High Street, CB21 6AE
- Monday 7 September, 3.30pm to 6pm: Bar Hill Village Hall, The Spinney, CB23 8SU
- Monday 7 September, 4pm to 7.30pm: Melbourn Hub, 30 High Street, SG8 6DZ
- Tuesday 8 September, 4pm to 7.30pm: The Salvation Army, 7 Station Road, Waterbeach, CB25 9HT
- Wednesday 9 September, 4pm to 7pm: Great Cambourne Cricket Pavilion, Back Lane, CB23 6DZ
Waterbeach is about six miles north of the city centre, Bar Hill about six miles north west, and Gamlingay about 15 miles west.
This round is not asking what you think of the plan
This round works differently from the earlier ones, and that matters for anyone planning to write in. The councils say it is more narrowly focused than previous consultations.
Responses need to address whether the plan is “sound” under national planning rules, or whether it is legally compliant. The councils set out four tests of soundness:
- positively prepared: does it meet the area’s development needs?
- justified: is it supported by the evidence?
- effective: can it actually be delivered?
- consistent with national policy: does it follow the Government’s rules?
“This is a technical term which asks whether you think the Plan has been positively prepared, and if it is justified, effective and consistent with national policy,” said Cllr Henry Batchelor, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s lead cabinet member for planning.
The councils say responses will need to focus on whether the plan is justified by the evidence, effective, deliverable and consistent with national planning policy. The online form asks people to identify the chapters, policies and site allocations they want to comment on. A response form is published as a Word document for anyone who cannot use the platform.
What the plan is proposing
Current forecasts say around 50,000 new homes will be needed across Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire between 2024 and 2045. Around 37,000 of those are already planned through existing permissions and allocations.
The councils received more than 8,400 comments at the previous consultation, which they say prompted further work by officers and changes in the version now published.
Cllr Katie Thornburrow, leader of Cambridge City Council, said the plan “will also provide the starting point for decision making on planning applications by the Council and the Government’s newly established Greater Cambridge Development Corporation”.
What it means for you
If you have an objection to a site near you, this is the last stop before a planning inspector takes over. Given what the councils say this round is asking, an objection written purely as an opinion has less to grip on. One that names the policy or allocation it thinks is unsound, and says why the evidence does not support it, is aimed at the question the examination will actually consider.
Three practical points:
- The deadline is 5pm on Friday 25 September, and late responses will not be accepted.
- The plan can be read and commented on at consultations.greatercambridgeplanning.org, and there is a single PDF of the whole document.
- Paper copies are at the councils’ offices in Cambridge and Cambourne, and at Cambridge Central Library and Cambourne Library.
We have written before about one of the constraints the plan is trying to work around, in why recycled water cannot reach Cambridge taps. For applications already in the system, see our Cambridge planning news page.
Have your say