The North West Cambridge Area Action Plan relates to the land between Madingley Road and Huntingdon Road, a site referred to as North West Cambridge.
The Area Action Plan has been prepared jointly by Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council.
The development of this sector will be predominantly for the University of Cambridge, and will include key worker housing for university staff, student housing, new faculty buildings and research facilities, together with a significant amount of private housing and associated community facilities.
The North West Cambridge Area Action Plan was formally adopted on 22 October 2009.
The adopted documents for the North West Cambridge Area Action Plan are listed below:
- North West Cambridge Area Action Plan [PDF] (October 2009) [PDF, 1MB]
- North West Cambridge Area Action Plan adoption notice [PDF, 33Kb]
- North West Cambridge Area Action Plan inset proposals map or [PDF, 0.6MB] Online Proposals Map
- Inspectors' Report [PDF] (August 2009) [PDF, 0.2MB]
- Sustainability appraisal [PDF] (May 2008) [PDF, 1.5MB]
- Sustainability Appraisal Addendum of the Inspectors' Larger Site Option [PDF, 5.5 MB] (February 2009) [PDF, 5.5MB]
- Sustainability Appraisal adoption statement [PDF, 0.2MB]
Relationship with the Cambridge Local Plan (2006)
The following policies and proposals in the Cambridge Local Plan (2006) have been superseded now that the North West Cambridge Area Action Plan has been adopted:
- Policy 9/7 - Land between Madingley Road and Huntingdon Road
- Proposal site 9.07 - Madingley Road/Huntingdon Road
- Proposal site 9.11 - 19 Acre Field and land at Gravel Hill Farm
The proposals maps for the Cambridge Local Development Framework and the South Cambridgeshire District Council Local Development Framework will be updated as required.
The area action plan process
Work on preparing the North West Cambridge Area Action Plan began in 2005.
- September to November 2006: Issues and options consultation
- October to December 2007: Preferred options consultation
- 19 May 2008: Submission of Draft Area Action Plan to the secretary of state
- 19 May to 30 June 2008: Six-week consultation on Draft Area Action Plan
- 19 May to 30 June 2008: Consultation on sustainability appraisal for Draft Area Action Plan
- 8 September to 20 October 2008: Objection sites consultation
- November to December 2008: Independent examination hearing
- 9 March to 20 April 2009: Six-week consultation on inspectors' larger site option
- 9 June 2009: Further independent examination hearing on inspectors' larger site option
- 24 August 2009: Binding inspectors' report
- 22 October 2009: Adoption
Supporting documents
A number of supporting documents were produced in order to assist in the preparation of the North West Cambridge Area Action Plan.
- Statement of compliance and self assessment of soundness [PDF, 1MB]
- Submission Draft North West Cambridge Area Action Plan [PDF, 1MB]
- North West Cambridge area action plan green belt landscape study - final report May 2006 [PDF, 3.5MB]
- Cambridge North West transport study [PDF, 12MB]
- Site footprint assessment 2007 [PDF, 17.5MB]
- Site footprint assessment supplementary paper March 2008 [PDF, 1.5MB]
- Huntingdon Road junction open review [PDF, 53Kb]
- Land budget paper 2008 [PDF, 1MB]
- Climate change and sustainable design and construction paper [PDF, 0.3MB]
- North West Cambridge issues and options report [PDF, 1MB]
- North West Cambridge issues and options interim sustainability appraisal [PDF, 1.5MB]
- North West Cambridge preferred options report volume 1 [PDF, 1MB]
- North West Cambridge preferred options report volume 2 [PDF, 0.4MB]
- Cambridge Sustainable Community Strategy 2008 [PDF, 1.5MB]
- Cambridge Community Strategy 2004 [PDF, 1.5MB]
- South Cambridgeshire community strategy 2004 - 2007 [PDF, 58Kb] (visit their website to find document www.scambs.gov.uk)
- South Cambridgeshire sustainable community strategy 2008 [PDF, 1MB]
- Scoping report for the North West Cambridge area action plan- [PDF, 86Kb]Addendum to the Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council scoping reports
- Cambridge City Council sustainability appraisal scoping report March 2005 [PDF, 0.2MB]
- South Cambridgeshire sustainability appraisal scoping report 2006 [PDF, 0.2MB]
- Habitats directive assessment [PDF, 3.5MB]
- North West Cambridge Objection Sites consultation document [PDF, 0.4MB]
Inspectors' Larger Site Option consultation document, March 2009 [PDF, 0.4MB] - North West Cambridge Foodstore Provision Options Report (September 2010) [PDF, 3MB]
- North West Cambridge Retail Transport Study (June 2010, produced by Atkins) [PDF, 7.5MB]
- North West Cambridge Supplementary Retail Study [PDF, 7.5MB] (June 2010, produced by Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners) - supplementary to the Cambridge Sub-Region Retail Study
- North West Cambridge Foodstore Provision Equality Impact Assessment [PDF, 0.2MB]
Please note that the community strategies are only available online.
Independent Examination
The North West Cambridge Area Action Plan was subject to an independent examination, which was conducted by inspectors appointed by the planning inspectorate to consider the 'soundness' of the plan and any objections.
A pre-hearing meeting conducted by an inspector took place on 9 September 2008 at the Guildhall in Cambridge. This meeting set out the arrangements for the examination sessions, the majority of which took place between late November and December 2008.
A further examination session was carried out on 27 January relating to transport. This was followed by another examination session in relation to the consultation on the inspectors' larger site option on 9 June 2009 at the Guildhall, Cambridge.
The inspectors then produced a report, which found the area action plan to be 'sound' subject to a number of changes. These changes were binding on the councils, who then proceeded to adoption of the area action plan. The councils issued a joint press release after the receipt of the inspectors' report.
Contact us
For further information on the North West Cambridge Area Action Plan, please contact us (details below).
Contact South Cambridgeshire District Council
Or, you can contact the Planning Policy team at South Cambridgeshire District Council, at ldf@scambs.gov.uk or call 01954 713183.
Or write to:
Planning Policy
South Cambridgeshire District Council
South Cambridgeshire Hall
Cambourne Business Park
Cambourne
Cambridge CB23 6EA