The planning system in England has undergone major changes over the last few years with the introduction of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. This has introduced the Local Development Framework, which is a portfolio of documents that will set out the City Council's policies for development and land use.
As part of the Local Development Framework the Council has prepared a Local Development Scheme. This document specifies which documents the City Council will produce as part of the development plan for Cambridge, and the timetable for their preparation. These documents are split into two categories, development plan documents and supplementary planning documents. Development plan documents will set out the Council's planning policies and proposals, while supplementary planning documents will expand on or add detail to these policies. The documents to be produced by the Council are set out in the tables below:
Development Plan Documents
| Document Title | Purpose of document |
| Cambridge Development Strategy (Core Strategy) | This will set out the general spatial vision and objectives for the delivery of the Local Development Framework |
| Cambridge Site Specific Allocations | This will set out the allocation of land and sites for various types of development, for example residential development and employment land. |
| Cambridge Development Control Policies | This will set out the detailed policies against which planning applications will be determined. |
| North West Cambridge Area Action Plan | This document, which is being prepared jointly with South Cambridgeshire District Council, sets out the policies to guide development on land between Madingley Road and Huntingdon Road. |
| Adopted Cambridge East Area Action Plan (February 2008) | Prepared jointly with South Cambridgeshire District Council, this document sets out the policies to guide development at Cambridge East (land at Cambridge Airport, land north of Cherry Hinton and land north of Newmarket Road) |
| Adopted Statement of Community Involvement: A Consultation Strategy for Cambridge (September 2007) | This document sets out how the City Council will involve the community and key stakeholders in the preparation of its plans and guidance and planning applications. |
Supplementary Planning Documents
| Document Title | Purpose of document |
| Adopted Sustainable Design and Construction SPD (June 2007) | This document adds guidance on the policies contained with the Cambridge Local Plan (2006) regarding sustainability. |
| Adopted Affordable Housing SPD (January 2008) | This document gives advice on what is involved in providing affordable housing in Cambridge. It supplements, expands and adds detail to Local Plan policies 3/7 and 5/5. |
| Draft Planning Obligations Strategy SPD | This document will provide a framework for the negotiation and use of planning obligation money across the city. |
| Old Press/Mill Lane Site SPD | This document will provide guidance for the long-term and incremental redevelopment of the Old Press/Mill Lane site. |
| Public Art SPD | This document will provide guidance on the provision of public art as part of new developments. |
| Historic Environment SPD | This document will expand on and provide guidance on historic environment policies in the Cambridge Local Plan. |
To view further details on the progess of preparing both development plan documents and supplementary planning documents, please see the real time information available on the Local Development Scheme page.
In addition to the Local Development Framework, the development plan for Cambridge will also consist of the adopted Regional Spatial Strategy, which has replaced some elements of the 2003 Cambridgeshire Structure Plan, and the County Council's Minerals and Waste Development Framework.
Annual Monitoring Report
The Annual Monitoring Report monitors the extent to which policies in the above development plan documents are being achieved. It also assesses the progress in preparing development plan documents and supplementary planning documents against the timetable set out in the Local Development Scheme. To view more details on the Council's Annual Monitoring Report, please select the link below:
Sustainability Appraisal
In order to ensure that the principles of sustainable development are taken into account when preparing development plan documents and supplementary planning documents, Sustainabiliy Appraisals are undertaken. These appraisals identify and evaluate any likely social, economic and environmental effects of policies and site allocations in these documents. Consultation on the Sustainability Appraisal will occur at the same time as consultation on the development plan document or supplementary planning document to which the appraisal relates.
The first stage in the Sustainability Appraisal process is the preparation of a Scoping Report, which sets out the context and establishes objectives against which documents will be assessed. To view the Council's Scoping Report, please select the link below:
- Local Development Framework Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report (PDF, 1,008 Kbytes - please note due to the size of the file this version does not include maps)
Evidence Base
The policies and allocations set out in the Local Development Framework need to be formulated on the basis of a robust evidence base. To this end, a number of studies have been commissioned to inform the preparation of policies. To view further details on these studies, please see the Evidence Base page.
Contact Us
If you have any queries with regards to the Local Development Framework,
please contact the Planning Policy team:
Tel: 01223 457200
Fax: 01223 457109
Email: policysurveys@cambridge.gov.uk
Or write to us at: Planning Policy, Environment and Planning Department, Cambridge City Council, The Guildhall, Cambridge, CB2 3QJ.