Draft Gtr Cambridge Local Plan: 1) Wellbeing and Social Inclusion Topic Paper

Posted byCambridge Town OwlPosted inUncategorized

The first of a series of blogposts looking at individual papers that form part of this summer’s consultation on the future of the city and district

I wrote about it in this earlier blogpost

Note you can:

If health and other things allow, I’ll also try to make some short video clips for each one too

Because let’s face it, the implosion of the big brand social media platforms has shredded what were once thriving interactive platforms that enabled many communities of interests to find out more about their areas of interest.

Wellbeing and Social Inclusion Paper

This is listed as : “Appendix J: Greater Cambridge Local Plan: Wellbeing and Social Inclusion Topic Paper” in the list of documents in the Committee Pack. It is one of nine papers that cover:

  1. Development strategy (with appendices)
  2. Site allocations
  3. Climate change
  4. Biodiversity and green spaces
  5. Wellbeing and social inclusion
  6. Great places
  7. Jobs
  8. Homes
  9. Infrastructure

“What does the Wellbeing and Social Inclusion Topic Paper cover?”

These issues:

  • WS/HD: Creating healthy new developments
  • WS/NC: Meeting the needs of new and growing communities
  • WS/CF: Community, sports and leisure facilities
  • WS/CH: Cultural and creative hubs
  • WS/MU: Meanwhile uses
  • WS/IO: Creating inclusive employment and business opportunities through
    new developments
  • WS/HS: Pollution, health and safety
  • WS/PH: Public houses

These link to a series of in-depth reports which is where the real detail is. At 46 pages long, the topic papers in Appendix J only provide a summary of the issues.

“What does the ‘WS/XX’ bit mean?”

That’s the link to the section in the main draft local plan document – the important one. That is at the top of the list of documents and is labeled as Appendix A: Proposed Submission Greater Cambridge Local Plan (Regulation 19) (Committee Version). Click on that document in the list and scroll down to p524 (of 875 pages!) and you should get to a big green page.

Above – Wellbeing and Social Inclusion section in the draft local plan document. p524

The information in the separate Wellbeing and Social Inclusion Topic Paper ***supports the information in the draft local plan document***

The reason for commissioning so many consultants and research firms to do all of this work is because just over a decade ago lobbyists bombarded the Planning Inspectorate with their own studies to convince them that what was the draft Cambridge Local Plan 2014 was unsound. It took another 4 years and a huge amount of expensive and time-consuming work to get the current local plan in place that speculative interests could not undermine.

Links to the in-depth documents and studies in the Wellbeing and Social Inclusion Topic Paper

It’s a bit like being a detective here – trying to work out where everything is, making the connections, analysing the information in front of you, comparing it with your own knowledge and coming to your conclusions.

The list of papers in the committee pack document list that ara named in the Wellbeing topic paper are:

  • Greater Cambridge Retail and Leisure Study Reg19 Interim Study Findings (2026)
  • Greater Cambridge Burial Study (Interim) (2026) – I think Cambridge should create a new woodland/forest cemetery and burial ground as part of wider reforestation programmes.
  • Greater Cambridge Community Infrastructure Study (2026)
  • Greater Cambridge Cultural Infrastructure Strategy (Interim) – Stage 2 (2026)
  • Greater Cambridge Indoor Sports Facility Strategy (ISFS) (2026) – I still think we should have a new indoor rollerrink like in the olden days, but better.
  • Greater Cambridge Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) (Interim) (2026)
  • Greater Cambridge Outdoor Courts & Rinks Strategy (OCRS) (Interim) (2026)

Not surprisingly, these are all listed within a section in the list of documents and reports under Wellbeing and Social Inclusion. Click on the link above and scroll down until you get to something that looks like the image below.

Above – Detail of the Committee Pack list of documents, Wellbeing and social inclusion section

I’ll keep this short and end this one here. I hope this helps highlight and publicise the in-depth research papers that you and people you know might want to read through and discuss with your local councillors and/or share with some of the many interest groups and campaigning organisations in and around Cambridge.

If you are interested in the longer term future of Cambridge, and on what happens at the local democracy meetings where decisions are made, feel free to: