Cambridge 2040: Where would 250,000 homes go?
The new homes are part of reported government plans to make Cambridge the “Silicon Valley of Europe”
Not all of the 250,000 homes reportedly proposed by Government could be built in Cambridge, leaders have said, raising concerns about the wider impacts of such “vast” development.
The new homes are part of reported government plans to make Cambridge the “Silicon Valley of Europe” – but where exactly these homes would be built has not been set out.
The housing number was part of details reported by The Sunday Times over the weekend about Government plans for “Cambridge 2040”.
The paper said the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), involved identifying land in Cambridgeshire to build new business parks, laboratories, science hubs, and new homes.
New rail lines, along with a tram or bus network, were also reportedly being discussed too.
The reported 250,000 new homes are potentially proposed to be in addition to the housing already being planned by Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council in its new joint local plan.
The two authorities are currently in the process of preparing a joint local plan to guide future development across the city and the wider South Cambridgeshire district.
The local plan process takes years to complete, and includes setting out where new housing can be built.
The authorities have forecast that 51,800 homes are needed across Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire between 2020 and 2041.
Some of the new housing sites that are currently being proposed in the plans include 3,900 homes in the North East Cambridge development, 2,850 homes in the Cambridge East development, an additional 1,950 homes in Cambourne, 100 homes in Great Shelford and Stapleford, and 140 homes in Melbourn.
The leader of the city council, Councillor Mike Davey, has said “clearly” not all of the potential 250,000 new homes could be built in Cambridge itself, and would impact neighbouring authorities.
Councillor Bridget Smith, leader of the district council, has said the scale of the proposed development under the reported government plans was “vast” and was not needed in the area.
Cllr Smith said: “We know we need to deliver some growth, but that must be in a managed way, and for any meaningful growth to take place here we need assurances over a water supply that does not have a negative impact on the environment.”
Councillor Pippa Heylings has said the amount of housing being suggested would be “catastrophic” for the area.
Councillor Katie Thornburrow, the executive councillor for planning, building control and infrastructure at the city council, has said that development ‘has to be planned for’, which she said “does not mean just making it easy for developers to build, it means making sure we can support what gets built”.
Cllr Davey said the council is hoping to “embed” measures such as water sustainability in the emerging joint local plan to mitigate the impact of new housing that is currently being planned for.