The growth of Cambridge, with new homes, communities, open spaces and infrastructure, is part of the plan to help the city continue to thrive. The focus is on:

• helping to meet housing needs, including affordable housing
• creating well-designed, sustainable new neighbourhoods
• making it easier to travel in and around the city – especially, cycling, walking and public transport
• developing strong new communities as integral parts of Cambridge
• keeping Cambridge’s special character and high quality of life

The importance of the growth of Cambridge is integral to the Cambridge Local Plan 2018 [PDF, 14MB] and our Corporate Plan for 2022 to 27.

Where Cambridge is growing

Development is taking shape across Cambridge, with new neighbourhoods on the Southern Fringe and in the North West Quadrant and around Cambridge station (CB1).

There are also plans for housing and mixed-use developments at North East Cambridge and Cambridge East.

Progress maps (June 2023)

• Cambridge Station area [PDF, 0.5MB]
• East Quadrant (Marleigh and land north of Cherry Hinton) [PDF, 3.5MB]
• North West Quadrant [PDF, 2MB]
• Southern Fringe [PDF, 1.5MB]

More information

• Get involved in the new neighbourhoods
• Living in the new neighbourhoods

Making Connections

We work closely with our partners, including the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP), which aims to ensure that the success of the area continues by investing in the transport infrastructure, housing and skills needed to see future economic growth.

The GCP carried out a consultation on its Making Connections proposals in autumn 2022 and has taken account of the feedback reviewed. The consultation findings and options for the next steps were reported to the GCP’s Joint Assembly and Executive Board in June 2023.

The GCP has now set out its revised proposals. See the GCP’s news release and the Making Connections web page for full details.

A report on these revised proposals will be considered by the GCP's Joint Assembly on Thursday 7 September 2023.

Fast Growth Cities group

Cambridge is a member of the Fast Growth Cities (FGC) group. The group comprises the councils of Oxford, Cambridge, Norwich, Peterborough, Milton Keynes and Swindon.  

We have in common the fact that our knowledge-intensive economies make a significant contribution to the national economy in terms of jobs, tax, innovation, trade and foreign investment. And that we are experiencing rapid economic and urban growth, with all the opportunities and pressures that this brings.

Together, in July 2023, we published The Case for Support and Investment [PDF], showing how investment across four key areas could help the UK to become a science and technology superpower on the world stage, and the support and investment that would be required to ensure that such growth is inclusive and sustainable.