The application requires the developers to make a contribution towards the cost and space of a new large swimming pool that would normally provide capacity for a population of a town for 50,000 people
“Why does the University of Cambridge’s swimming pool at West Cambridge matter again?”
Because they raised expectations ages ago – first to the Minister for Sport Richard Caborn on 25 July 2006 – ***over 20 years ago***
Above – University of Cambridge Press Release – published on 25 July 2006.
You’d have thought that eight years after making such a prominent feature, they would have completed the building work by now. Even more so 20 years after telling the Minister for Sport that the swimming pool was a priority!
Although the long-delayed West Cambridge Swimming Pool isn’t in this application, funding contributions towards it – or alternative provision if the University continues to refuse to build it, are included in the huge set of planning documents.
“Can you summarise Eddington’s expansion application again?”
The most important aspect of this application is the provision of keyworker housing
And long-overdue keyworker housing too. Although I think the University of Cambridge should have been compelled by ministers (who approved the application) to have included council housing in the developments. The provision of keyworker housing as an alternative in part reflects the concerns raised back in 2017 by the then executive councillor for housing, Kevin Price.
The two areas that interest me are large leisure facilities accessible to residents neighbouring the development, and public transport contributions
On leisure, open space and recreation, the Officer’s Report for the Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire councillors on the joint planning committee states on p123:
“Cambridge Local Plan policy 68 Open space and recreation provision through new development requires that all residential developments should contribute to the provision of recreation sites/facilities in accordance with the council’s Open Space and Recreation Standards set out in Appendix I. These includes a standard of one swimming pool for every 50,000 people and one sports hall for every 13,000 people. The Greater Cambridge Planning Obligations SPD (April 2026) sets out how these should be delivered and / or contributions made.”
Above – Greater Cambridge Shared Planning, 25/03746/OUT, Officer’s Report for 16 Sept 2026
Above – GCSP (25/03746/OUT) p124
The Officer’s Report also states:
“The swimming pool at Cambridge West has not progressed, and in accordance with the Section 106 agreement the ‘fall-back’ contributions secured (£123,480 to South Cambridgeshire District Council and £219,520 to Cambridge City Council) have been paid by the applicant to the relevant local authorities. These contributions were based on the 3,000 dwellings permitted under the 2013 outline permission.”
“As not all of the 3,000 dwellings have been built under the 2013 planning permission, but contributions paid, this will need to be taken into account when calculating the contribution for the uplift in population. For these Applications, swimming provision for the additional proposed 2,648 dwellings that would result will need to be provided. The applicants have agreed to a contribution based on the uplift of population in accordance with the GCSP Planning Obligations SPD costings. This can be secured through the Section 106 Agreement.”
Above – GCSP (25/03746/OUT) p128
Re: “The swimming pool at Cambridge West has not progressed” – note that someone or a committee of decision-makers at the University of Cambridge decided that the University should not progress the swimming pool and that they were prepared for the University of Cambridge to absorb the financial penalties that they agreed at the outset.
And then we wonder why Cambridge is one of the most unequal cities in the country
The planning documents contain in-depth responses from agencies of national government such as the Environment Agency (especially on all things water) and Sport England.
The guidance from Sport England in their response to the application states:
“As a result the SFC indicates that a population of 9,120 (calculated by multiplying the number of residential units by the average occupation rate of 2.4) in the area would generate a demand for:
- 2.59 sports halls (£1,882,159); 95.07sqm, 1.79 lanes, and
- 0.45 pools swimming pools (£1,988,127); and,
- 0.11 rinks of an indoor bowls centres (£48,855).”
“How does this compare with the emerging guidance on sports and leisure?”
Well, we finally have a draft updated indoor sports and leisure facilities strategy! (My instinctive response…!) <- For those of you who remember the early 1990s.
Above – you should be able to browse through the report here.
Failing that, click here and scroll down to the Wellbeing and Inclusion subheading. It’s the document titled Greater Cambridge Indoor Sports Facility Strategy (2026) 4.93 MB.
“It’s 178 pages long!”
That’s normal for a document produced by consultants. Also, it’s not designed to be read cover-to-cover. It’s designed to be referred to in reports.
The report states that the new swimming pools proposed are:
- By 2031 New swimming pools at:
- Genome Campus (providing predominantly for employees and onsite residents) and
- Cambourne (Cambourne West and Bourn Airfield),
- 2031-2045 New swimming pools at
- Northstowe, and
- Waterbeach
- A new swimming pool at West Cambridge
- A new Regional Pool (50m) at Cambridge East
“The development of these two new facilities would increase provision from the existing 10 swimming pools with community access to 12 swimming pools with community access. “
Above – Draft Indoor Sports Facilities Strategy (2026) p77 / 84pdf
Note the two proposed swimming pools to be completed by 2031 are not designed to serve Cambridge residents – neither are the ones at Northstowe or Waterbeach.
Therefore the two most important ones from my perspective *as a resident of Cambridge* are:
- The new regional pool at Cambridge East
- The long-delated West Cambridge pool promised by the University of Cambridge
Furthermore, we should not be waiting until 2045 for those to be completed
Food for thought?
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