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Cambridge City Council

Grafton Area of Major Change: Masterplan and Guidance SPD

The Grafton Area Masterplan and Guidance SPD [PDF, 26MB] covers the proposed area referred to in Policy 12 of the Cambridge Local Plan 2018 (Fitzroy Street/ Burleigh Street/ Grafton Area of Major Change). This area is shown in figure 3.1 of the Local Plan [PDF, 1MB].

The masterplan and guidance will guide the development of the site. The document includes the following key sections:

  • Introduction
  • Site and context
  • Vision and key principles
  • Strategies for change

We produced the SPD in partnership with local stakeholders. It was adopted by the Council in December 2018.

Consultation took place for six weeks between 9 am on 25 September to 5pm on 6 November 2017.

The final Grafton Area Masterplan and final responses to the representations  [PDF, 1MB]were agreed at Development Plan Scrutiny Sub-Committee on Tuesday 13 February 2018 in anticipation of the adoption of the Local Plan, and it was agreed that it should be carried forward for adoption as a Supplementary Planning Document at the same time as the Local Plan.

The Context

The draft Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) takes the proposed AoMC from the emerging Local Plan for Cambridge, and outlines the aspirations for the area, as well as the key issues, constraints and opportunities that will influence how new development will take place.

This draft SPD is intended to expand upon the policies contained within the emerging Local Plan for Cambridge [PDF, 25MB].  It provides a masterplan and framework to help guide the preparation and assessment of future planning applications within the area.

As such, this document will be adopted as a SPD and will form a material consideration which will be taken into account by Cambridge City Council when determining any future planning application(s) for the area. Any proposals will have to comply with the policies in the emerging Local Plan for Cambridge.

The Site

The site [PDF, 1MB] is located in the eastern part of Cambridge City Centre, to the south of Newmarket Road and to the west of East Road. The area is bordered to the west by New Square and includes the retail units along the north and south sides of both Fitzroy Street and Burleigh Street. The SPD area includes all of the Grafton Shopping centre, its car parks and service areas.

The Consultation

In developing the draft development framework so far the Council has been working with the landowners and local interest groups, and have held a series of workshops to discuss the options for development here. These workshops have informed the development of the development framework. An event record  for these workshops has been produced.

Consultation took place between 9am on 25 September  2017 and 5pm on 6 November 2017.

This was the opportunity for the wider public to engage with the proposals in the document.

Public exhibitions

Two public exhibitions at the Grafton Shopping Centre took place during the consultation period. These were held in the Great Hall (at the bottom of the escalator near to H&M and Costa) at The Grafton, Cambridge CB1 1PS on the following days:
Saturday, 30 September 2017 from 11am to 3pm; and
Wednesday, 1 November 2017 from 2pm to 8pm.

Consultation Documents

Other documents and web pages related to the consultation


Sustainability Assessment, Habitats Regulations Assessment and Equalities Impact Assessment

A Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) is an assessment to ensure that a plan will not have an adverse effect on the integrity of either Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) or Special Protection Areas (SPA).  For the draft Grafton Area of Major Change (AoMC) - Masterplan and Guidance SPD, a Habitats Regulation Assessment Screening Report [PDF, 0.6MB] was produced, which updates the findings of the Screening Report carried out for the emerging Local Plans.

This document concluded that the draft Grafton Area of Major Change (AoMC) - Masterplan and Guidance SPD is unlikely to have any significant impacts on the conservation objectives of Natura 2000 and Ramsar sites identified.

A Sustainability Appraisal Screening Report [PDF, 0.3MB] was also completed for the draft Grafton Area of Major Change (AoMC) - Masterplan and GuidanceSPD.  This document confirmed that the Grafton Area of Major Change as a retail/leisure/mixed use-led development took place as part of the process of developing the emerging Cambridge Local Plan 2014: Proposed Submission (as amended) [PDF, 25MB] and as such has been subject to a Sustainability Appraisal as part of the Local Plan process.

The conclusion of this screening process is that the draft Grafton Area of Major Change (AoMC) - Masterplan and Guidance SPD did not make any changes to the policy designation and will not give rise to significant environmental effects. The draft Grafton Area of Major Change (AoMC) - Masterplan and Guidance SPD did not give rise to significant social and economic effects beyond those already identified as part of the appraisal of the parent policies and site allocation contained within the Cambridge Local Plan 2014.  As such, it was not considered necessary to undertake a separate Sustainability Appraisal for this SPD.

In addition, an Equalities Impact Assessment (EQIA) [PDF, 0.1MB] to support the draft Grafton Area of Major Change (AoMC) SPD was produced. The assessment concludes that the draft document would not have any adverse effects on the needs of disabled people, older people and other local community members and minority groups.

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