Communities Invited to Attend Local Plan Exhibitions and Have Their Say on Greater Cambridge’s Future

Key Points

• Greater Cambridge Shared Planning is inviting residents, businesses, and local groups across Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire to drop-in exhibition events on the Proposed Submission Local Plan.
• Public feedback can be submitted until 5:00 pm on Friday, 25 September 2026, before the document goes to the Government for independent examination.
• The plan guides development from 2024 to 2045, allocating land for roughly 50,000 new homes, thousands of jobs, green spaces, community services, and utility infrastructure.
• Planning officers are hosting 14 in-person events across September 2026 in locations including Cambridge city centre, Waterbeach, Whittlesford, Papworth Everard, Melbourn, Great Cambourne, and Bar Hill.
• Representations at this statutory stage must focus on whether the plan satisfies national “soundness” rules, including being positively prepared, evidence-backed, deliverable, and aligned with national policy.

Cambridge (Cambridge Tribune) September 1, 2026 – Residents, business owners, and local stakeholders across Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire are being called upon to examine and comment on the future development roadmap for their region. Greater Cambridge Shared Planning has officially opened a series of public exhibition events to accompany the ongoing consultation on the Proposed Submission Greater Cambridge Local Plan. Operating through until 5:00 pm on Friday, 25 September 2026, this consultation window represents the definitive public engagement milestone before the strategic framework is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for independent examination on behalf of the Secretary of State.

The Local Plan will determine the spatial growth of the area over the next 20 years up to 2045, shaping decisions on where vital housing, commercial spaces, public transport links, and environmental protections will be delivered.

What Is the Greater Cambridge Local Plan and Why Are Exhibitions Being Held?

As officially confirmed by uk/local/cambridge-city-council/">Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council, the Proposed Submission Greater Cambridge Local Plan establishes a comprehensive strategy to accommodate long-term economic expansion and housing demand. Demographic and economic modeling indicates that approximately 50,000 new homes will be required across the authority areas between 2024 and 2045. While approximately 37,000 of these units are already committed through existing planning permissions and prior site allocations, the updated framework sets out the additional land allocations and infrastructure policies required to manage the remaining growth sustainably.

To ensure local communities can navigate the technical documentation, Greater Cambridge Shared Planning officers are hosting a multi-location roadshow of drop-in exhibitions throughout September 2026. Planning officers will be present at each event to provide context, answer queries, and instruct members of the public on how to submit formal representations.

As reported by official council announcements, Cllr Henry Batchelor, Lead Cabinet Member for Planning at South Cambridgeshire District Council, stated:

“This is the final opportunity for people to comment on the Greater Cambridge Local Plan before it is submitted for independent examination. Our exhibition events are a great chance to find out more about the Plan, understand the focus of this stage of consultation and ask questions directly to officers. We want to help everyone who wishes to make representations on the Plan understand the process and ensure they have the information they need to express their views.”

Where and When Can Local Residents Attend the Public Exhibitions?

The consultation features 14 public exhibition events held across a diverse range of urban centres, village halls, and community spaces:

• Tuesday, 1 September (2:00 pm – 4:00 pm): Arbury Community Centre, Campkin Road, Cambridge, CB4 2LD
• Tuesday, 1 September (4:00 pm – 7:30 pm): Whittlesford Memorial Hall, Mill Lane, Whittlesford, CB22 4NE
• Wednesday, 2 September (4:00 pm – 7:00 pm): Marleigh Community Centre, The Hangar Building, 2 Jubilee Square, Cambridge, CB5 8BX
• Wednesday, 2 September (4:00 pm – 7:30 pm): Papworth Village Hall, Ermine Street South, Papworth Everard, CB23 3RD
• Thursday, 3 September (2:00 pm – 4:00 pm): Gamlingay EcoHub, Stocks Lane, Gamlingay, SG19 3JR
• Thursday, 3 September (4:00 pm – 7:30 pm): Great Abington Primary School, 68 High Street, Great Abington, CB21 6AE
• Friday, 4 September (4:00 pm – 7:30 pm): The Old School Hall, St Barnabas Centre, Mill Road, Cambridge, CB1 2BD
• Monday, 7 September (3:30 pm – 6:00 pm): Bar Hill Village Hall, The Spinney, Bar Hill, CB23 8SU
• Monday, 7 September (4:00 pm – 7:30 pm): Melbourn Hub, 30 High Street, Melbourn, SG8 6DZ
• Tuesday, 8 September (4:00 pm – 7:30 pm): The Salvation Army, 7 Station Road, Waterbeach, CB25 9HT
• Wednesday, 9 September (4:00 pm – 7:00 pm): Great Cambourne Cricket Pavilion, Back Lane, Great Cambourne, CB23 6DZ
• Wednesday, 9 September (4:15 pm – 7:00 pm): Nightingale Pavilion, Nightingale Avenue, Cambridge, CB1 8SQ
• Friday, 11 September (10:00 am – 5:00 pm): The Cambridge Room, Grafton Centre, Fitzroy Street, Cambridge, CB1 1PS

In addition to in-person displays, physical inspection copies of the Proposed Submission Plan are held at the Cambridge City Council offices, the South Cambridgeshire District Council offices in Cambourne, as well as Cambridge Central and Cambourne libraries.

How Does This Consultation Differ From Previous Local Plan Stages?

Unlike initial calls for sites or preferred options consultations, this statutory phase (Regulation 19 stage) focuses specifically on legal compliance and the four tests of “soundness” set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

As detailed by Greater Cambridge Shared Planning, representations submitted during this window must address whether the Local Plan is:

1. Positively Prepared: Providing a strategy which, as a minimum, seeks to meet the area’s objectively assessed needs.
2. Justified: An appropriate strategy, taking into account reasonable alternatives, based on proportionate evidence.
3. Effective: Deliverable over the plan period and based on effective joint working on cross-boundary strategic priorities.
4. Consistent with National Policy: Enabling the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with national planning frameworks.

As reported by official council communication, Leader of Cambridge City Council and Cabinet Member for Strategy, Planning and External Partnerships, Cllr Katie Thornburrow, stated:

“Greater Cambridge faces significant changes, from meeting housing needs and supporting a growing economy to tackling climate change and ensuring the right infrastructure is in place. This Plan sets out how we see those changes being addressed. We want to encourage people to come along to one of our exhibition events and speak with the team about our process to date and help them to share their views on the Plan in this final consultation.”

Background of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan Development

The formulation of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan represents years of joint working between Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council under the umbrella of Greater Cambridge Shared Planning. The initial stages involved extensive calls for land sites, where over 900 potential development proposals were submitted by landowners and developers. Planning officers rigorously evaluated these submissions against environmental, transport, and economic criteria to select preferred sites while protecting sensitive rural landscapes and Green Belt designations where feasible.

During the preceding draft consultation stages, the planning authority received over 8,400 individual public comments. These public representations directly influenced policy revisions regarding water conservation standards, commercial development density, renewable energy requirements, and transport connectivity. Furthermore, the evolution of the plan has had to integrate complex environmental challenges unique to the region, including severe local water supply constraints, delicate chalk stream ecosystems, grid capacity limitations, and the establishment of new delivery mechanisms such as the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation.

Prediction: How This Development Will Affect Key Stakeholders

1. Local Residents and Community Groups

For local residents, the adoption of the Local Plan will dictate neighborhood density, local road traffic management, and access to essential public services over the next two decades. Communities adjacent to major growth nodes—such as Cambourne, Waterbeach, Marleigh, and North East Cambridge—will experience substantial physical transformations. Participating in this consultation allows residents to register formal objections or endorsements regarding sound infrastructure planning, ensuring that secondary schools, primary healthcare facilities, public transport corridors, and green open spaces are bound into development approvals.

2. Housing Developers and Landowners

For land promoters, homebuilders, and commercial developers, the Proposed Submission stage clarifies statutory site allocations and policy requirements. Once tested for soundness and adopted, policies within the Plan will serve as the primary legal benchmark against which future planning applications are evaluated. Developers whose sites were omitted may utilize this consultation to submit evidence-based arguments regarding soundness, while approved developers will gain greater certainty for long-term capital investment.

3. The Business, Life Science, and Tech Sectors

Greater Cambridge remains one of the UK’s primary economic engines, driven by life sciences, biotechnology, and technology clusters. The Local Plan directly supports economic expansion by guaranteeing space for high-tech employment hubs while seeking to address the chronic regional housing shortage. By aligning transport links and housing supply with workforce demands, local businesses stand to benefit from improved employee retention and planned commercial growth.