Local communities have the right to prepare a ‘neighbourhood plan’ showing their vision for the area over the next 10 or 20 years.
Neighbourhood plans have the same legal status as the Local Plan. Decisions on planning applications must take them into consideration.
South Newnham is currently the only neighbourhood area in Cambridge. Our neighbourhood plans map [PDF, 1.5MB] shows its location within the city boundary.
- Find out more about neighbourhood planning.
South Newnham
The South Newnham Neighbourhood Plan [PDF, 5.5MB] was adopted in February 2025. It now forms part of our development plan.
All planning decisions in the neighbourhood area will need to be made in accordance it, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
Key stages in the preparation of the plan
- Neighbourhood area designated by us: 2017 and 2022
- South Newnham Neighbourhood Forum preparing neighbourhood plan
- Pre-submission public consultation: 12 June to 30 July 2023
- Neighbourhood plan submitted to us: 15 April 2024
- Public consultation: 7 May to 18 June 2024
- Neighbourhood plan sent for examination: 26 June 2024
- Referendum: 16 January 2025
- Neighbourhood plan approved: 24 February 2025
Neighbourhood area designation
We designated the neighbourhood area for five years in 2017 and redesignated it in 2022. Both of these followed a public consultation.
Screening determination statement
We and South Newnham Neighbourhood Forum prepared a Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitat Regulations Assessment screening determination statement for the draft neighbourhood plan.
The statement sets out our reasons for deciding that the plan is not likely to need a strategic environmental assessment. It also states that the making of the plan is compatible with certain European Union obligations.
Pre-submission consultation (Regulation 14)
South Newnham Neighbourhood Forum carried out a consultation on their pre-submission neighbourhood plan from 12 June to 30 July 2023.
The forum has a website dedicated to their neighbourhood plan.
Consultation on the submitted neighbourhood plan (Regulation 16)
South Newnham Neighbourhood Forum submitted its neighbourhood plan and supporting documents to us on 15 April 2024.
We have confirmed that it complies with all the relevant statutory requirements [PDF, 0.2MB].
A public consultation on the submission version of the neighbourhood plan was carried out between 7 May and 18 June 2024.
The comments received during the Regulation 16 consultation have been published and can be viewed using our online consultation system.
Neighbourhood plan and supporting documents
- South Newnham Neighbourhood Plan [PDF, 6MB]
- Basic Conditions Statement [PDF, 0.7MB]
- Consultation Statement [PDF, 1MB]
- Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitat Regulations Assessment Screening Determination Statement [PDF, 1MB]
Supporting evidence documents:
Examination (Regulation 17)
South Newnham Neighbourhood Plan was submitted for examination on 26 June 2024. The independent examiner appointed to carry out the examination is Andrew Ashcroft.
The examiner sent the following documents to Cambridge City Council on 17 July 2024:
- South Newnham Neighbourhood Plan examination arrangements [PDF, 0.2MB]
- Examiner’s clarification note [PDF, 0.2MB]
The clarification note sets out the examiner’s initial comments on the submitted plan and sets out areas where it would be helpful to have some further clarification from the neighbourhood forum.
South Newnham Neighbourhood Forum provided responses to the questions asked by the examiner in his clarification note.
- Written response to examiner [PDF, 0.2MB]
- Written response 2 [PDF, 0.7MB]
- Written response 3 [PDF, 29Kb]
- Written response 4 [PDF, 0.1MB]
The examiner sent his final report to Cambridge City Council on 6 November 2024.
Referendum
The referendum on the South Newnham Neighbourhood Plan took place on Thursday 16 January 2025.
More than half of the votes were in favour of adopting the South Newnham Neighbourhood Plan. We will now work towards doing this.
We will use the plan to help decide planning applications in the South Newnham neighbourhood area.
The following documents are those specified in the Referendum Information Statement [PDF, 2.5MB].
- The ‘referendum version’ of the South Newnham Neighbourhood Plan [PDF, 5.5MB], including a map of the neighbourhood plan area
- The examiner’s report [PDF, 0.4MB] on the South Newnham Neighbourhood Plan
- The written representations [PDF, 16MB] on the submission version of the neighbourhood plan, which were submitted to the independent examiner
- Our decision statement on the receipt of the examiner’s report and its decision to proceed to referendum, including a statement of satisfaction that the ‘referendum version’ of the neighbourhood plan meets the basic conditions and the legal compliance check [PDF, 0.2MB]
- A statement that sets out general information [PDF, 0.2MB] as to Town and Country Planning including neighbourhood planning and referendum.
Making the neighbourhood plan
The South Newnham Neighbourhood Plan [PDF, 5.5MB] was adopted in February 2025. It now forms part of our development plan.
All planning decisions in the neighbourhood area will need to be made in accordance it, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
