Not only is Cambridge growing much bigger within its boundaries, it is also growing beyond the A14 and M11! All this growth will affect us all – how we live, how we get to work, our health, our schools, our green areas, our shopping and our leisure facilities and much, much more.
We know that our own immediate locality will be changing, but big changes are planned nearby – Science Park and Cowley Road for example. Further afield more houses are planned for Marshalls Airport as well as the housing already under construction there.
There are further consultations under way which have quite short deadlines. Our friends at FECRA (Federation of Cambridge Residents Associations) have published some useful guidance for these consultations. See
Local Plan Deadline for comments 5pm, 30 January
Friends of St Matthew Piece helpful advice on how to respond to the Local Plan has been updated to include omitted graphics.
Link below
https://www.fecra.org.uk/update-19th-january-2026/
Biodiversity and Urban Forest draft strategies consultation
Deadline for comments 10 February. Link below
https://engage.cambridge.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/biodiversity-and-urban-forest-strategies
‘Feedback from the consultation will inform the final Biodiversity Strategy and Urban Forest Strategy and associated action plans going to Cabinet for approval on Wednesday 25 March 2026’ See link below
Urban Forest Strategy
https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/urban-forest-strategy
‘The Urban Forest Strategy will replace the council’s Tree Strategy in 2026. It will set out the vision, principles, aims, policies and actions for protecting, managing and growing Cambridge’s urban forest over the next decade.
The strategy will be a non-statutory document. It will explain how we will:
- manage more – maintain and care for the trees we already have
- protect more – safeguard important trees and canopy, especially where it is under pressure
- plant more – increase tree cover and species diversity in the right places
- engage more – support residents, communities and organisations to be part of delivery
The strategy will be supported by a set of topic papers, which provide additional detail and evidence on specific themes. These themes include asset management, tree planting, subsidence, governance and resourcing, climate resilience, statutory responsibilities, and canopy measurement’
Draft revised Biodiversity Strategy 2026-2031 https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/media/4nxnk4hz/draft-biodiversity-strategy.pdf
Please look at this information, if looked at in bits it is really not too overwhelming. There are still some opportunities to attend meetings about the Local Plan
- Thursday 22 January, 5pm to 7pm: Drop-in session at The Wing, Brown’s Field Community Centre, 31A Green End Rd, CB4 1RU
- Friday 23 January, 11:30am to 1pm: Lichfield Hall, Coleridge, CB1 3SJ
- Sat 24 Jan 2026 at Rock Road Library from 11.30am – looking at arts, leisure, and sporting facilities
- Sat 31 Jan 2026 at Cambridge Central Library Conference Room from 11.30am – looking at the provisions for a new concert hall on the airport site, also mentioned in the Cambridge Local Growth Plan from the Combined Authority.