From the workshops seven headings were proposed and in February 2018 the Forum leafleted the neighbourhood community and invited comment and feedback. This resulted in a Vision Statement for the Neighbourhood Plan.

“The Vision for South Newnham neighbourhood is one in which a balance exists between our natural environment, our economic and social infrastructure, and our mix and style of housing stock, supporting the transition to a low, and ultimately zero carbon society and making South Newnham a great place to live both now and for future generations”.

In developing the Neighbourhood Plan and its associated policies, South Newnham Neighbourhood Forum has considered the following documents: National Planning Policy Framework, the Cambridge City Council 2018 Local Plan, the West Cambridge (2011) and Newnham Croft (2013) Conservation Area Appraisals, the Cambridge City Council’s Suburbs and Approaches document 2009, the Management Plan for Coe Fen and Sheep’s Green, the Paradise Nature Reserve Management Plan, the Cambridge City Council Citywide Tree Strategy 2016 – 2026, and the Greater Cambridge Landscape Character Assessment (2021). The Forum has also considered: the local context, the input of Newnham residents and organisations, the formal representations of external organisations and public bodies received during the consultation process as detailed in the Consultation Statement. An extensive Evidence Base has been assembled and is presented in a separate document to support the Policies presented in the section.

The Neighbourhood Planning process involved two six-week consultations; the first, Regulation 14 consultation, was conducted by the Forum and the second, Regulation 15/16, was conducted by Greater Cambridge Shared Planning. Revisions were made to the Plan in co-operation with Greater Cambridge Planning Services and the Plan was then submitted to an Independent Examiner in 2024. The Examiner approved the Plan and recommended it should go forward to a Referendum. The Referendum was held in January 2025 and resulted in a vote of 63% in favour of the Plan. At a meeting of the full Cambridge City Council the Plan on 24th February 2024 the Neighbourhood Plan was made (adopted) by 37 votes to 1.

The Policies detailed in the Neighbourhood Plan aim to achieve the Vision for South Newnham Neighbourhood and are to be used in determining the outcome of planning decisions affecting the neighbourhood. The policies apply to proposals which require express planning permission. They do not apply to development which benefits from permitted development rights enacted by statute.

The scope for large-scale development in South Newnham Neighbourhood is very limited. The policies are intended to assist in the delivery of appropriate development and seek to support planning applications for initiatives that are appropriate and discourage applications for developments that are inappropriate. The specific Plan policies provide guidance on acceptable and unacceptable development, so that design elements such as scale, massing, materials, and impact on amenity of proposed developments fit appropriately within the South Newnham built landscape. They will also be used to establish the principles for changing or retaining land use and to set out the conditions against which development proposals will be judged in terms of their design, access, etc.

The Neighbourhood Plan policies do not repeat existing national or local plan policies. They focus on a relatively small number of development issues of particular significance to South Newnham. For all other planning matters, existing policies and guidance cited above will continue to be used. The Plan also includes a series of Community Actions. They are non-land use issues which have naturally come forward as the Plan was being prepared but they will not form part of
the development plan.