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Planning in Cambridgeshire – updated March 2026
Local government is currently divided between Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council, which is a separate unitary authority. Under the county council, there are five district councils, Cambridge City Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council and Fenland District Council.
All seven councils were invited to submit Local Government Reorganisation proposals in February 2025, with final submissions made in November 2025. The Government’s statutory consultation ran from 5 February to 26 March 2026 and has now closed. Responses are currently under review, with a final decision expected in summer 2026.
The current Strategic Planning position in Cambridgeshire is as follows:
Peterborough City Council
The Peterborough Local Plan was adopted on 24 July 2019.
This is a statutory Local Plan which sets out the overall approach to development in Peterborough to 2036 and beyond.
The Council is preparing a new Local Plan to replace the adopted 2019 plan, setting out how the city and surrounding villages will grow and develop to 2044. A consultation on alternative site options took place between January and March 2026, and the Council is now reviewing representations and evidence. The next stage will be the publication of the Proposed Submission (Regulation 19) Local Plan in summer 2026, followed by submission to Government for independent examination. Updates can be viewed on the Council’s website.
Cambridge City
The Cambridge Local Plan 2018 forms part of the development plan for Cambridge. It sets out the vision, policies and proposals for the future development and land use in Cambridge to 2031. It is the main consideration in the determination of planning applications. More details can be viewed here.
South Cambridgeshire
The South Cambridgeshire Local Plan was adopted in September 2018 and sets out the planning policies and land allocations to guide the future development of the district up to 2031. It includes policies on a wide range of topics such as housing, employment, services and facilities and the natural environment.
Following the Regulation 18 consultation of The Greater Cambridge Local Plan (covering Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire) which ended in January 2026, the councils are reviewing representations and processing submitted sites and evidence to inform the next iteration of the plan. The plan remains a joint long-term strategy to 2045, setting out development locations, policies and infrastructure requirements, but it is still an early draft with limited weight in decision-making. The programme is broadly unchanged, with a Regulation 19 (submission) version expected to be consulted on in summer 2026, followed by submission for examination by the end of 2026.
East Cambridgeshire
The East Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2015 (as amended in 2023) sets out the vision, objectives spatial strategy and policies for the future development of the district. It also identifies land and allocates sites for different types of development, such as housing and employment, to deliver the planned growth for the district to 2031.
Work had progressed on a full Local Plan review but in February 2025 the Council decided to pause preparations for the new Local Plan.
Huntingdonshire
In May 2019, Huntingdonshire’s Local Plan to 2036 was adopted together with the Adopted Policies map .
The Huntingdonshire District Council’s Local Plan to 2046 Preferred Options (Regulation 18) stage, consultation closed in December 2025 and the council is now reviewing representations and continuing to develop its evidence base—including further technical studies on transport, water, infrastructure and viability—to inform the next draft . The Preferred Options document remains the first full draft setting out spatial strategy, site allocations and development management policies, but carries limited weight at this stage, with the adopted Local Plan (2019) still forming the primary basis for decision-making. The Proposed Submission (Regulation 19) Local Plan is expected to be published for consultation in summer 2026.
Fenland
The Fenland Local Development Plan, adopted in 2014, sets out the policies and broad locations for growth and regeneration across the district over a 20-year period.
The Council is now preparing a new plan, “Fenland 50” with early-stage consultation currently underway; a scoping consultation ran from January to March 2026, focusing on key issues and priorities, and a Call for Sites consultation is open until 30 April 2026 inviting land submissions for development and Local Green Space designation. The Council is using this period to rebuild its evidence base and establish growth options, with the formal plan-making process expected to progress from mid-2026 and an initial draft plan anticipated later in the year.
For further advice or to find out how your property fits into this framework for planning in Cambridgeshire please contact us.
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