Building a ‘Second Cambridge’
Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council are working together to shape how our area develops over the next two decades and beyond. Their plans are set out in the Greater Cambridge Local Plan, perhaps the most important document you’ve never heard of. It has just been released in draft form, with a public consultation due to begin on 1 December 2025.
The plan is for around 50,000 new homes across Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire. To put that in perspective, the city currently has about 52,000 homes, so we’re effectively talking about building another Cambridge in 20 years.
The plan’s vision is ambitious: to reduce climate and environmental impacts while enabling a thriving local economy and improving quality of life for residents – whilst doubling the population.
Understandably, many people are asking how the services and infrastructure that will be needed to support this rapid level of growth can possibly be provided. How will our hospitals and health services cope? What about traffic congestion? Or the city centre streets already full people? And where will the water come from?
These are legitimate questions that the plan, our councils and government will need to answer if it is to be approved.
What is being proposed?
Out of the 50,000 houses, around 37,000 were already included in previous plans or have some kind of planning status. These are the developments already taking place on the edge of Cambridge, such as at Eddington and near Cambridge Airport, or in new towns such as Northstowe, Waterbeach and Cambourne.
The additional 13,000 houses are planned to go in two places: A new settlement of 6,000 houses in the countryside near Little Abington (close to the A11/A1307 junction) and a new town in the countryside north of the A428 a ‘Cambourne North’ which could eventually have 13,000 houses (making ‘greater Cambourne’ the second largest town after Cambridge).
The plan also identifies locations for new businesses. The Cambridge Biomedical Campus is set to continue its consumption of the Cambridge Green Belt by expanding south into the countryside. There are also plans for large logistics warehouses adjacent to the A14 and A11.
Have your say
This plan didn’t appear overnight and is part of a process that has been going on for over five years. Progress has been delayed by major uncertainties, including water supply, large infrastructure projects, and national proposals for Cambridge.
The latest version of the plan is the first time that we have seen the details, including the policies that are proposed. When it comes to planning, the devil is always in the details and at Cambridge Past, Present & Future, our volunteer planning experts will be scrutinising them and assessing whether this plan can truly deliver its ambitious vision while protecting the qualities that make Cambridge special.
This plan will affect everyone who lives, works or visits greater Cambridge so it’s important that you have your say. The consultation will run from 1 December 2025 to 30 January 2026. Closer to the time we’ll let you know how to take part, and what we think of the plans.
