Climate Change

Through consultation feedback you told us that climate change was your highest priority theme. Setting ambitious targets for carbon reduction to help deliver net zero carbon was supported. Our

A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

also needed to be flexible to respond to changing technologies. There was concern about development putting pressure on scarce water resources and impacting on our precious chalk streams. 

Strategic Priority: Help

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

transition to net zero carbon by 2050, by ensuring that development is sited in places that help to limit carbon emissions, is designed to the highest achievable standards for energy and water use to reduce environmental impacts, adapts to and mitigates against climate change, and is resilient to current and future climate risks, including flooding. 

The UK has a legally binding requirement to achieve net zero carbon by 2050. Legislation requires local plans to include policies that ensure that development and use of land in the local planning authority's area contribute to the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. 

Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council have both declared climate emergencies. Climate change is a key priority across the Councils’ plans and strategies, but the

A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

is a particularly important tool for implementing positive change. 

Our spatial strategy has been informed by a carbon assessment that highlights the impact that transport emissions can have and promotes patterns of development that enable low-carbon transport modes. We have explored the issue of water availability and developed our plan to ensure that a sustainable water supply can be made available to support growth. 

Our policies in this chapter seek to shape the form of development, to ensure it responds to the challenges climate change will create in terms of hotter, drier summers and more extreme rainfall events, but also it minimises the impact of development on the causes of climate change. The standards it sets in many cases go beyond national standards, responding to the opportunities we have in

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

, and our expectation that development must be of a high quality. 

• This refers to development in its widest sense, including buildings, and streets, spaces and places. It also refers to both redevelopment, including refurbishment, as well as new development.

  proposals will be required to demonstrate how they have embedded the principles of climate change mitigation and adaptation into their design. 
• New buildings must be energy efficient and use renewable energy to meet their remaining energy needs. 
• Buildings must be highly water efficient, adhering to local water efficiency standards that seek to address the water supply issues within the

  The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

  area. 

• This refers to development in its widest sense, including buildings, and streets, spaces and places. It also refers to both redevelopment, including refurbishment, as well as new development.

  must use sustainable urban drainage systems to manage water in as natural way as possible. 

• This refers to development in its widest sense, including buildings, and streets, spaces and places. It also refers to both redevelopment, including refurbishment, as well as new development.

  must be safe from all sources of flooding and not increase the risk of flooding elsewhere. 
• Support renewable and low-carbon energy development projects in the right places and of the right scale, and support the development of a low-carbon heat network in Cambridge city centre. 
• Enable reuse of materials and recycling during construction and when buildings are in use. 
• Protect peat soils and encourage green infrastructure to support carbon sequestration. 

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

A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

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