Introduction
In the Wellbeing and Social Inclusion theme we set out policies to secure ‘good growth, supporting delivery of healthy and inclusive communities where needs can be met locally.
How has community engagement helped shape the wellbeing and social inclusion policies
Through engagement so for you told us we should support communities to thrive and increase their resilience. We should be locating development in sustainable locations, where there is a range of housing types, jobs and sustainable travel opportunities. Developments should be inclusive healthy places, where people can access local services, including health, sports, and leisure facilities. We should make places inclusive, proving employment and training opportunities, and provide space for cultural activities and for social enterprise.
Our strategic priority for our wellbeing and social inclusion policies
Strategic Priority: Help improve equality of access and opportunities for people in to lead healthier and happier lives, ensuring that everyone benefits from the development of new homes and jobs.
The Councils aspire to create healthy, sustainable and inclusive communities. Our places need to enable people to live healthy lives, where they can access the services and facilities they need locally, where people feel safe, they can have active lifestyles with access to high quality green spaces and active travel, and needs can be met throughout their lives. We want our communities to support arts, sports and leisure, with thriving centres which have facilities to support day to day needs as well as creating vibrant cultural centres.
Many residents of benefit from the economic success of the area, through high employment rates and high average pay rates and disposable incomes. This financial prosperity is accompanied by a high quality of life and very high levels of health and well-being. However, there are also significant numbers of people continue to experience poverty in alongside many residents who face challenges due to a high cost of living and lack of affordable housing. Both Councils have corporate priorities to help address these issues. Cambridge City Council have
developed a Community Wealth Building Strategy which looks to build an inclusive and sustainable economy whilst tackling poverty and inequality.
Through the we have explored how we can share the benefits of growth with all parts of the community, and the range of policies in this theme reflect that aim.
What our wellbeing and social inclusion policies do
- Ensure health is a key driver in the way places are designed, requiring developers to demonstrate how they have considered health in all aspects of the design process;
- Control the development of fast-food takeaways, particularly near to schools;
- Require planning for a range of services and facilities that will help developments become communities where day to day needs can be met locally;
- Ensure proposals for new facilities are properly located, including where they can be accessed by sustainable travel;
- Protect important local facilities including pubs from being lost unless it is demonstrated that all avenues for their continued use have been fully explored;
- Seek meanwhile uses in new developments that will be built out over a long period to ensure the needs of early residents can be met;
- Support the creation of cultural hubs, where creative or cultural activities can be focused;
- Require developers provide inclusive employment opportunities, through employment and training opportunities from construction, and opportunities for local workers when buildings are operational.
- Ensure new places are safe for the use proposed, and that they will not have unacceptable pollution impacts on surrounding areas.
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.