South Cambridgeshire District Councillors have voiced their strong opposition to Government proposals for a Greater Cambridge Urban Development Corporation.
There was an Extraordinary Full Council meeting last night to discuss the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) Plans to establish a centrally led Development Corporation for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire. It would be run by a board with most of its members appointed by Government, rather than elected. At that meeting, Councillors also made clear they were strongly opposed to MHCLG’s plans to remove key elements of the Council’s planning powers and pass them to the new organisation for 25 years.
MHCLG is currently consulting on their proposals - which would create the largest corporation of its type in history to “enable a transformational long-term approach to delivering high-quality sustainable growth.”
Councillors at last night’s meeting challenged whether the plans are the best way to deal with the area’s growth challenges. They discussed how there is already approved or proposed development in Greater Cambridge’s pipeline for over 100,000 new jobs and up to 77,000 new homes.
Councillors suggested Government should focus on bringing forward these new homes and offices first in partnership with local councils. They said the main barriers to meeting current commitments are the lack of funding and slow delivery of transport and utility improvements. They stressed these problems do not come from the local planning system, but from wider infrastructure challenges and national regulations.
MHCLG are proposing that the new Development Corporation would become the local planning authority for major planning decisions above a certain threshold, as well as on larger development sites – removing that responsibility from the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning (GCSP) service which South Cambridgeshire District and Cambridge City councils share.
It would also replace the councils’ role in preparing Local Plans after the conclusion of the current emerging Joint Local Plan. This would mean that, in future, decisions about where new homes and jobs come forward across Greater Cambridge would be made by the Development Corporation, rather than by local communities through the councils.
The most recent consultation into the new joint Local Plan for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire attracted around five thousand comments and built upon thousands of pieces of feedback in earlier rounds.
Councillors also disagreed with suggestions the transfer of planning powers for 25 years was necessary, noting that late last year GCSP was named national Planning Authority of the Year at the prestigious Royal Town Planning Institute Awards for Planning Excellence. This followed other recent accolades for the quality of new development, youth engagement and commitments to biodiversity.
Last night’s meeting heard a range of views, including recognition that Greater Cambridge’s significant infrastructure challenges need national Government’s support to address. This includes ensuring utilities such as water and power and essential community facilities like health provision and education are properly funded and coordinated.
Councillors also said good skills, affordable homes and reliable transport are essential. They said Government needs to work in partnership with local councils to tackle funding and delivery problems in these areas - which affect residents’ quality of life and make it harder to attract skilled people to the area’s growing innovation economy.
However, they were critical of the consultation’s lack of justification for the proposals and the uncertainty that they were causing amongst communities and developers about the future of the area.
The Leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cllr Bridget Smith, said: “We have long talked about the need for Government support to help tackle challenges around growth. However, their proposals, which will remove local voices from important decisions about the future of Greater Cambridge, have not been convincingly justified by the evidence presented so far. Councillors came together last night to make clear their feeling that Government should be working in partnership with local councils, not punishing them.
“The transfer of planning powers away from councils and communities to an unelected body is unacceptable and unnecessary. We already have an outstanding track record of delivering ambitious, evidence‑based plans and sustainable growth with our residents at the heart of decision‑making. Any new arrangements must support us in addressing the systemic, national barriers to growth - not override local voices or undermine our ability to shape the future of our own area.”
The Government’s consultation runs until Wednesday 1 April 2026. The District Council’s final response will be discussed further at a Cabinet meeting next week, before it is submitted. Cambridge City Council is also hosting an Extraordinary Council Meeting tomorrow (Thursday 19 March 2026) to discuss these issues prior to responding.
View all news