Consultation is open from 3 August 2026 9:00am to 25 September 2026 5:00pm
Policy GP/QP: Establishing high quality landscape and public realm
1. Development proposals are required to deliver high quality landscape and public realm by:
a. Enabling local communities:
i. Create a range of open spaces that provide comfortable formal and informal places to rest, socialise and play, provide drinking water fountains, shade and shelter, bicycle parking, street lighting, signage and public art, designed in a coordinated and needs-led approach that is accessible and age appropriate for its user;
ii. Activate streetscapes, open spaces and the public realm by creating walking, wheeling and cycle routes through places of interest for people to encounter nature and dwell, whilst promoting health, wellbeing and social inclusion;
iii. Create flexible and adaptable spaces for activities and exercise, interactive water features such as splashpads, and imaginative and natural play within high quality public realm, to fosters a sense of wellbeing and community;
iv. Provide unobstructive street furniture that contributes to the cognitive accessibility of users through wayfinding and legibility of streets and spaces and does not and does not create street clutter;
v. Lighting and other elements in the public realm should avoid creating high-contrast, visually repetitive design that can cause visual discomfort for users, including neurodiverse individuals; and
vi. Where new spaces and facilities for children and young people are proposed, the Council will expect children and young people to have been meaningfully involved in the designs proposed.
b. Enhancing connectivity:
i. Ensure that new and existing public realm and green infrastructure seamlessly connects, is accessible for all intended users and that the quality and function of existing routes are enhanced;
ii. Establish streets and open spaces that are well defined with clear wayfinding, and which clearly demarcate public and private space with clear wayfinding;
iii. Ensure new and enhanced existing routes are designed inclusively, prioritising a pedestrian led movement hierarchy including generous and level footways that avoids street clutter;
iv. Provide cycle storage that is usable, easy to access, safe and secure. Cycle storage should be located at the frontage, or integral to the façade;
v. Integrate car parking into the existing landscape setting, retaining existing trees, hedges and other landscape features should into site design and use soft landscape to subdivide and screen car parking;
vi. Parking should not reduce the functionality of open spaces, and if on-street parking should be inset, an expanded footway is required for pedestrian movements when not occupied; and
vii. Create streets that respond to their levels of use while not allowing vehicular traffic to dominate.
c. Responding to climate change:
i. Be landscape led, by retaining and enhancing existing features including trees, natural habitats, boundary treatments such as hedgerows, and historic street furniture and/or surfaces that positively contribute to the quality and character of an area;
ii. Use permeable materials for front gardens and where paving over front gardens, it must be demonstrated that there will be no adverse impact on surface water run-off, particularly for areas with high levels of surface water flooding, and that it will not result in a net loss of biodiversity;
iii. Enhance biodiversity using native planting and/or species capable of adapting to our changing climate, ensuring that newly planted species are planted in seasons to support their growth;
iv. Seek opportunities to incorporate street trees into the public realm and where possible position them to provide additional benefits, such as solar shading and cooling, to both external and internal spaces;
v. Integrate surface water management and sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) through nature based design, retaining existing natural features where possible and incorporating the use of permeable paving and features that enable pedestrian accessibility and planting; and
vi. Factor microclimates into design proposals and ensure public spaces receive adequate sunlight, avoid wind funneling effects and minimise contribution to the urban heat island effect.
d. Integrating with local character:
i. Respond to its context and relate to the character and intended function of the spaces and surrounding buildings using high quality and well detailed materials that are easily maintained;
ii. Prevent negative impacts on the character and setting of the immediate area when using paving in front gardens, particularly where applications fall within conservation areas or in the curtilage of a listed building;
iii. Ensure that the right growing conditions and future management regimes for landscape schemes are secured as part of any planning permission granted and implemented across the agreed timeframe, and ensure that space for trees and other planting is incorporated that is appropriate to the scale of buildings;
iv. Preserve historic design, detailing and materials, and use high quality, durable materials that are appropriate to the historic context, resulting in reinforced local distinctiveness; and
v. Provision of public art will be required on all major development proposals and will make a significant contribution towards the appearance of the scheme. Public art should be developed through partnerships between the developer and the Local Planning Authorities, in consultation with the local community and art consultants where appropriate to the scheme.
e. Being accessible to all:
i. Ensure that open spaces are suitable for different users throughout the year, with consideration being given to the needs of all public realm users, including people with disabilities;
ii. Provide clearly navigable places, which are easy for users to understand, utilising legible, permeable and inclusive design principles;
iii. Seek to remove any barriers and hostile architecture, both actual and perceived, in public realm improvements, minimising barriers to accessibility and inclusion of users including those wheeling and skateboarding; and
iv. Provide adequate lighting; lamp columns and lanterns should be carefully considered, well-designed and appropriately located, in order to minimise intrusive lighting and reduce light pollution.
f. Promoting health and wellbeing:
i. Use open and adaptable spaces in flexible ways such as allotments, concerts, performances, exercise classes, event spaces, and fetes that offer physical and mental health benefits. To support the flexible use of open spaces and any meanwhile uses, design should consider access to power and water and the protection of these alternative uses through counter-terrorism protective security; and
ii. Encouraging walking, wheeling including skateboarding, cycling, access to public footpaths and public bridleways for equestrians, and access to active travel.
Supporting information
7.35. Public realm helps to define the character and experience of great places; whether it is within Cambridge or surrounding villages it is crucial that these positive qualities are maintained into the future. The importance of creating and protecting high quality streets and open spaces, both public and private, is a key part of adapting to climate change pressures, supporting biodiversity, and promoting active and healthy lifestyles.
7.36. The public realm acts as a way of siting buildings in their context. The spaces between, around and within buildings, streets, squares, parks and open spaces all play a key role in supporting public life and fostering social interaction. Greater Cambridge’s landscape spaces and public realm are key to creating a sense of place and play an important role in enhancing communities’ quality of life and health and wellbeing and can even play a role in boosting the local economy. In addition to this, the public realm has many functions including providing space for recreation and social interaction including access interactive water features such as splashpads, and imaginative play, space for nature, supporting movement, climate change mitigation and adaptation and provision of utilities.
7.37. The long-term development of the Greater Cambridge area requires careful consideration of how the design, delivery and management of new and improved public realm is coordinated. Proposals must ensure the design of the public realm is considered early in the development design process and that consideration is given to the integration of the public realm with the surrounding built form and that it responds to local context and character.
7.38. Component parts of the public realm should be integrated with the wider townscape and should be delivered to provide an uncluttered environment. Developers will need to work collaboratively to deliver a coordinated range of materials, finishes and details that respond to and enhance local character. Durability will be key within the high-density environment such as within the city centre and materials will that are adaptable and sustainable will play a key role in delivering distinctive and resilient places. Proposals should not use hostile architecture such as spikes, uneven surfaces, harsh angles, or large bollards in the public realm that undermine the public space as a shared resource and prevent inclusive use such by homeless people, older and young people using the space to rest or socialise, and skateboarders.
7.39. Designing public realm that supports comfortable, visually accessible environments is therefore an important component of promoting health and wellbeing and inclusive design. Lighting and other elements in the public realm should avoid creating high-contrast, visually repetitive environments that can cause visual discomfort for users, including neurodiverse individuals.
7.40. Street furniture and design of bins should be consider guidance set out by the National Protective Security Authority NPSA Selection, Positioning and Testing of Blast-Resistant Litter Bins considered early in the design process and be successfully integrated into the development to form part of the overall design and not as an afterthought. Such features must be designed to be secure, located conveniently and appropriately designed to be unobtrusive and prevent clutter as set out in further NPSA guidance on building and infrastructure design.
7.41. To support well designed public realm, the Local Planning Authorities promote the removal of paving in front gardens. When considering paving to front garden, it is encouraged that permeable paving is used. Planning permission will be required for the provision of a hard surface between the principal elevation of the dwelling and the highway if the area is greater than 5 square metres. However, paving does not require planning permission if porous materials are used for paving, or provision is made to direct run off water from the hard surface to a permeable or porous area or surface within the curtilage of t he dwelling house.
7.42. Well designed public realm, existing trees, hedges and other landscape features are valuable as established greenery in new developments and should be retained and incorporated into the designs for public realm. Car parking should be integrated into the existing landscape setting and within a framework of green infrastructure and designed as part of the landscape strategy. Soft landscaping should be used to subdivide and screen car parking. Planted and porous surfaces, hedges and tree planting provide opportunities for green infrastructure. More guidance on sustainable placemaking and parking in design is set out by Homes England.
7.43. Cycle storage should be located at the front of buildings, or integral to the façade of development. Safe, convenient and accessible cycle parking and storage should be integral to design of buildings. If cycle storage is in the front garden space, it should be incorporated into the design of the garden, designated area or porch. If cycle storage is in the back garden, it should be a secure store with a simple direct and convenient way out to the street. For apartments, secure, safe, easily accessible, covered and well overlooked external storage or secure individual lockers are a better option. Further design guidance is set out by Homes England.
7.44. Implementation of nature-based design solutions should also be considered in proposals for built environments and public realm such as the incorporation of integrated nesting for birds, and consideration of wildlife corridors such as hedgehogs highways.
7.45. Proposals should define how they will support the activation of the public realm including the location of positive and active frontages to support natural surveillance and the positioning of seating or other elements of street furniture to encourage social interaction. These elements should be situated within appropriate locations of publicly accessible open spaces, town centres and other locations with good levels of direct sunlight to create a sense of place, with capable guardianship of an area by the people who use it.
7.46. To support social cohesion and wellbeing, new and enhanced communal facilities, including seating and play equipment, should be accessible and age-appropriate to effectively serve their intended users. The Healthy Places Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) provides an evidence base for how Cambridgeshire and Peterborough can best support the health and wellbeing of our communities. The assessment should be used as guidance when submitting planning proposals that will require new or enhanced community provision.
7.47. The Local Planning Authorities support the provision of public art within proposed development and recognise the significant importance it has in contributing to social, economic and cultural benefit. The Local Planning Authorities support implementation of best practice approaches, and the commissioning of publicly accessible art. Successful public art demonstrates ambition, innovation and is relevant to its context, character and surrounding built and natural environment. It should genuinely engage people, including under-represented members of the community and it should contribute to local identity.
7.48. Public art refers to permanent or temporary artworks in any media created for the public realm, built or natural, and is based on community identity or is site specific, reflecting on the surrounding biodiversity, habitats and nature. Crucially, it is experienced outside of galleries or museums, ensuring wider public accessibility. The art should be original, of high quality and designed for and with community input. Public art should be developed through a collaborative approach between the developer, the Local Planning Authorities and an art consultant and should involve consultation with the local community.
7.49. Relevant documents such as The Cambridge City Council SPD (2010), the South Cambridgeshire Design Guide (2010), the South Cambridgeshire Public Art SPD (2009) and any successor documents should be referred to when preparing and submitting planning applications. Co-operation between the arts communities, authorities and residents are the basis for vibrant cultural life.
7.50. All forms of major development are required to make provision for public art,
meaning residential developments comprising ten or more dwellings. Other developments where the gross floor space created is 1,000 square metres or greater, including offices, manufacturing, warehousing and retail development should provide public art where possible. For Outline planning permission, planning applications should provide a Public Art Strategy, including indicative budget. For Full Planning and Reserved Matters applications, these should be supported by a Public Art Delivery Plan.
7.51. Where a Section 106 agreement is required, it should include a negotiated commuted sum based on the complexity and timelines outlined in the Public Art Delivery Plan or Strategy, covering the Local Planning Authorities' need for public art expertise to support delivery. National guidelines recommend allocating at least 1% of the total build cost in major developments for public art and culture to mitigate the development’s impact on people and place, with 1% serving as a starting point. Full details are set out in the Greater Cambridge Planning Obligations SPD. Exemptions may apply where public art requirements do not meet NPPF Paragraph 58 tests or where viability is a concern, and such cases will be considered individually.
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All comments must be received by 25 September 2026 at 5pm.