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Cambridge urban area

Introduction

The Cambridge urban area includes all of the built-up areas of Cambridge, including the existing homes and businesses that fall within the adjoining administrative areas of South Cambridgeshire. 

Our ambition is to enable Cambridge to accommodate growth of the highest quality whilst protecting and enhancing the historic environment and the key public spaces which are an important part of what makes the city so special to local people. Further growth will be directed to under used areas that are not fulling their potential as well as creating new neighbourhoods on the larger previously developed sites on the edges of the city. Within the heart of the City, the Historic Core and wider City Centre will continue to be a rich mix of cultural, educational and retail uses set within the backdrop of beautiful streets and open spaces, complemented by active, compact neighbourhoods across the wider city – new and old. 

These new neighbourhoods must make the best use of land, providing a mix of homes, jobs and services to create thriving communities which are fully integrated with surrounding areas and reflect the key characteristics of the city. We want all of Cambridge to be a place where walking, cycling and public transport is the natural choice and where unnecessary journeys by private vehicles are not needed to help with our net zero carbon ambitions.

Our strategic priority for Cambridge urban area policies 

Strategic Priority: Our strategic vision is set out in Figure 15, that reflects our ambitions for the Cambridge urban area. 

Map demonstrating the strategic vision of Cambridge urban area
Figure 15: Strategic vision of Cambridge urban area
Map of proposed site allocations and policy areas in Cambridge urban area
Figure 16: Map of proposed site allocations and policy areas in Cambridge urban area

 

Tell us what you think?

We will consider all comments while developing the next version of the .

All comments must be received by 30 January 2026 at 5pm.