South Cambridgeshire District Councillors called on the Government to help improve infrastructure in the area.

Councillors shared concerns over the creation of a Greater Cambridge Urban Development Corporation and plans to remove some local planning powers. An Extraordinary Full Council meeting was held on Tuesday (March 17) to discuss the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) plans to establish a Development Corporation for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire.

The proposals being consulted hope to create the largest corporation of its type to “enable a transformational long-term approach to delivering high-quality sustainable growth”. South Cambridgeshire District Councillors said at the meeting that already approved or proposed developments across Greater Cambridge are forecast to create more than 100,000 new jobs and up to 77,000 new homes.

Councillors believe these new homes and offices should be created in partnership with local councils. They raised concerns about a lack of funding and slow delivery of transport and utility improvements.

They said these problems don’t stem from the local planning system, but rather from wider infrastructure challenges and national regulations. The new Development Corporation would remove the responsibility of local planning authority for major planning decisions above a certain threshold from the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning service.

If the Development Corporation were created, decisions about where new homes and jobs across Greater Cambridge would be made by the Development Corporation – not by communities through local authorities. The most recent consultation into the joint Local Plan received 5,000 comments and was built on feedback from earlier rounds.

The meeting also heard that Greater Cambridge’s infrastructure challenges needed national Government’s support. This involves ensuring utilities such as water and power and essential facilities like health provision and education are properly funded.

Councillors said good skills, affordable homes, and reliable transport are necessary. Councillors want the Government to work with local authorities to tackle funding and delivery problems that affect residents’ quality of life. They said that the consultation has a lack of justification for the new proposals and it creates uncertainty among communities and developers about the future of the area.

The Leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cllr Bridget Smith, said: “We have long talked about the need for Government support to help tackle challenges around growth. However, their proposals, which will remove local voices from important decisions about the future of Greater Cambridge, have not been convincingly justified by the evidence presented so far.

“Councillors came together last night to make clear their feeling that Government should be working in partnership with local councils, not punishing them. The transfer of planning powers away from councils and communities to an unelected body is unacceptable and unnecessary.

“We already have an outstanding track record of delivering ambitious, evidence‑based plans and sustainable growth with our residents at the heart of decision‑making. Any new arrangements must support us in addressing the systemic, national barriers to growth – not override local voices or undermine our ability to shape the future of our own area.”