Local plan sets out proposals for 50,000 new homes

New homes are a key part of the draft local plan

The latest draft of a local plan confirms the need for more than 50,000 new homes in the Cambridge area before 2045.

Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council are working together on the Greater Cambridge Joint Local Plan.

The document shows where new homes and workplaces could be built over the next 20 years, as well as addressing community facilities and public services necessary to support the expected growth.

It included approximately 6,000 new homes near Great Abington, replacing some of the previously planned new homes in north east Cambridge, after the cancellation of funding for the relocation of the Wastewater Treatment works.

Of the 50,000 new homes, about 37,000 are already provided for within planning permissions and sites identified in the adopted local plans from 2018.

Further growth at Cambourne is also expected "with a significant enlargement of the existing community which is set to become one of the best connected places in the region as a result of planned or ongoing road, rail and public transport corridor improvements", the councils said.

The plan also reflects "evidence of a growing need for logistics and new industrial spaces [and] identifies two new sites on the A14 corridor, including the expansion of the existing lorry parking at Cambridge Services".

The report from officers said that there "remain unresolved challenges with the plan being put into practice".

"This includes confirming the identification of solutions to critical infrastructure, including the water supply and treatment issues currently impacting developments across the Greater Cambridge area."

South Cambridgeshire District Council's lead cabinet member for planning, Dr Tumi Hawkins, said the latest draft was a "key milestone... towards ensuring we have a clear long-term plan for the future".

The city council's cabinet member for planning, Katie Thornburrow, said the plan was "a starting point for any discussion about how we realise the government's ambitious plans for the region, with consideration for essential community facilities and public services as well as homes and workplaces".

Councillors are expected to discuss the latest plans at meetings next month, after which a public consultation is proposed from 1 December.