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£10m for Cambridge Growth Company to develop ‘ambitious’ proposals that ‘go further than Local Plans’




An “ambitious” plan for Cambridge for housing and transport that goes “further than Local Plans” in terms of scale, ambition and timescale has been announced.

The news comes after £10million for the Cambridge Growth Company was announced in last week’s Budget to develop a plan for the housing, transport, water and wider infrastructure the city needs to “realise its full potential”.

Peter Freeman will lead the Cambridge Growth Company
Peter Freeman will lead the Cambridge Growth Company

The government says this, along with its commitment to East West Rail, will support life sciences companies and unlock private investment, cementing Cambridge’s status as a globally renowned centre of excellence and “its important role within the Industrial Strategy”.

In a written statement, housing minister Matthew Pennycook said there were “significant barriers” to growth and it was “essential” the government helped to remove them.

In March, Michael Gove, the former Conservative housing secretary, sparked alarm among local authorities, MPs and councillors when he proposed 150,000 homes for the Cambridge region by 2050 to make the most of the area’s status as a science and technology superpower. He established the Cambridge Growth Company and planned a development corporation to deliver them, leaving councils wondering where they stood.

Labour-run Cambridge City Council and Liberal Democrat-controlled South Cambridgeshire District Council are working on a Local Plan that would bring about 50,000 homes to Greater Cambridge by 2040, but there is concern over water supply even for that number.

After the summer’s General Election, Labour confirmed it was “ambitious for Cambridge” and would work with local authorities to plan sustainable growth.

The ministerial statement also confirmed Peter Freeman, who chairs Homes England, would lead the Cambridge Growth Company.

Mr Pennycook said in a letter to Mr Freeman: “The success of Greater Cambridge is a national priority for this government. The Cambridge Growth Company has therefore been established to advise on and drive forward the government’s ambitions for the area, working closely with local partners, to make the most of their insights and knowledge about local communities.

“We have previously agreed several high-level principles that the Cambridge Growth Company must adhere to when developing plans for ambitious and sustainable growth in Greater Cambridge. When it comes to the growth strategy, development on a more dispersed geographical footprint is perfectly acceptable, but one or more contiguous urban extensions of the city must be core components of the vision the Growth Company brings forward, in order to maximise the benefits of agglomeration.

“It must also build on and go further than Local Plans, in terms of scale, ambition and timescale, and you should work closely with local partners to tackle the constraints that can be difficult to overcome at the local level alone.”



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