By law, local authorities must set a Local Plan for their areas, stipulating what kind of development can take place where. It covers employment and leisure facilities as well as housing, so it very much determines where people live and work and how they get about.

It is the master document against which individual planning applications are assessed, and incorporates local planning policies. For example, an important policy being proposed for the Cambridge Local Plan this time round is special protection for pubs, to preserve pubs as community facilities.

On Saturday, there was an exhibition on the options for the Cambridge Local Plan at Netherhall School Sports Centre in Queen Edith’s Way.

Plans were on display showing sites in the city that could be allocated for residential, employment or other uses. There was also an option for a community sports stadium, near the football ground.

One of the options is causing a great deal of local concern: it is to build on either side of Wort’s Causeway, at present in the Green Belt. Over 500 new homes are proposed. This is a very large number of new properties, and there are concerns not only about the encroachment into the Green Belt, but also about road access, and how new development would affect the Park & Ride service.

You can find all the details on line at:   http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/ccm/content/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/local-plan-review/issues-and-options-2.en

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