Regulation 19: Our Last Chance to Make a Difference

Regulation 19 is upon us. But what does it mean? And what can you do to help stop the Grange Farm proposal?

SAVE is campaigning to stop South Cambridgeshire District Council's proposal for a new town of 4,500 houses at Grange Farm. The Council needs a site of the scale of Grange Farm in the Greater Cambridge Local Plan to help meet the government's 50,000-home target, and must submit the Plan to central government by the end of December 2026.

We believe the Council's case for the site is unsound, unsustainable and undeliverable. It would harm the landscape, ecology and heritage of the surrounding area, and destroy the rural identity of South Cambridgeshire and our surrounding villages.

Why It Matters

From 3 August to 25 September 2026, we have one final chance to publicly comment and object to the plan. This is called 'Regulation 19'. After the deadline on 25 September there is no further opportunity to comment.

Regulation 19 submissions carry more weight than the earlier Regulation 18 comments made in December/January, and form part of the legal record reviewed by the Planning Inspector if matters progress to a public inquiry.

Key Facts

• The Regulation 19 Consultation runs from Monday 3 August until 5pm on Friday 25 September 2026.
• Greater Cambridge Shared Planning will be returning for a meeting at The Abington's on 3rd September, 4-7:30pm: Great Abington Primary School, 68 High Street, Great Abington, CB21 6AE. Be sure to attend this session, it's recommended to sign up here.
• Regulation 19 submissions carry more weight than the earlier Regulation 18 comments made in December/January, and form part of the legal record reviewed by the Planning Inspector if matters progress to a public inquiry.
• Anyone can comment — you don't need to be an expert.
• You can submit your comments via:
  • the GCLP consultation portal (recommended — read the step-by-step representation guidance first)
  • email to localplan@greatercambridgeplanning.org
  • the downloadable response form if you can't use the online portal
• Submit individually, not as a household. One comment per person, ideally from every member of your household — individual voices carry more weight and show the depth of community concern.

Top Tips for an Effective Submission

1. State the Grange Farm policy number clearly — it's Policy S/GF: Land adjacent to A11 and A1307 at Grange Farm.
2. Use clear, factual language — avoid emotional or dramatic wording.
3. Write in your own words. Copy-and-paste text is easily spotted and carries less weight.
4. Quality over quantity — short, sharp, specific points beat a long essay.
5. Reference specific evidence where you can (e.g. A1307 traffic data — see the resources below).
6. Spotted missing evidence in the Council's case? Say so.
7. Make it known that you do NOT want your comments assessed by AI. At the last consultation, SCDC's use of AI dulled the force of objections and, in many cases, misread them so they weren't even counted as objections.

Evidence Worth Reading First

These are the official documents behind the Grange Farm proposal, published by Greater Cambridge Shared Planning as part of the Regulation 19 evidence base. The full library (hundreds of documents, including every parish's policies map) is at the GCLP Document Library — the links below jump straight to the ones most relevant to Grange Farm.

The Plan itself

Proposed Submission Greater Cambridge Local Plan (2026) · Policy S/GF (Grange Farm)

Traffic evidence

Draft Interim Greater Cambridge Transport Strategy (June 2026) · Trip budgets and transport mitigation strategies

Landscape, heritage & archaeology

Grange Farm Heritage Impact Assessment Update (2026)

Site allocation and land use

Site Allocations Topic Paper (2026)

Sustainability & environment

Sustainability Appraisal (2026) · Habitats Regulations Assessment (2026)

Jobs growth

Jobs Topic Paper (2026)

Deliverability & viability

Local Plan Viability Assessment (2026) · Housing Delivery Study Addendum Update (2026)

CSET busway extension

Infrastructure Topic Paper (2026) · Infrastructure Delivery Plan: Strategic Sites Appendix (2026)

Local facilities & services

Greater Cambridge Community Infrastructure Study (2026)

Water supply & waste water

Not yet published as a standalone document — check the Document Library under "Infrastructure" and "Climate change", or email localplan@greatercambridgeplanning.org to request it directly.

The Wrong Scale, in the Wrong Place

The southern boundary of Grange Farm will be metres — not kilometres, as with other Greater Cambridge developments — from the A1307. Urban will meet rural head-on: new building pressed directly against existing, traditional communities. A new urban settlement at Grange Farm would come at the cost of the landscape, heritage and village identity that make the Abingtons and surrounding villages worth protecting.

Three Ways to Help, Today

1. Attend the GCLP in-person session at Great Abington Primary School, 3 September, 4–7:30pm. Sign up here.
2. Submit your Regulation 19 comments before 5pm on 25 September 2026, via the GCLP consultation portal.
3. Donate to our legal campaign fund. We're raising £30,000 for specialist planning solicitors, and every donation is being doubled by a local supporter until mid-August (up to £10,000).