Selling land in South Cambridgeshire

A joint plan about to be submitted, strong values and a buyer who wants 5 to 25 homes.

By Iain Forster, The Land Buyer. Last reviewed 2026-10-05.

In shortCambridge and South Cambridgeshire are preparing a joint Greater Cambridge Local Plan. The proposed submission consultation closed on 25 September 2026 and the plan goes to government by the end of 2026; new sites are not being accepted at this stage. Land beside a village with good access still has an application route. The values round Cambridge mean small sites pay.

The local plan
What we look for
Free land review

The local plan

A joint plan about to be submitted

Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire are replacing their 2018 plans with one Greater Cambridge Local Plan. The proposed submission version was consulted on from 3 August to 25 September 2026 and the councils intend to submit it for examination by the end of December 2026, with hearings expected in 2027 (South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge City news pages, read October 2026). The councils have said they are not accepting new site proposals at this stage.

What that means for an owner. If your land was put forward earlier and is allocated in the proposed plan, it is close to its developed value and the question is who buys it and on what terms. If it was not, the route is a planning application against the adopted 2018 plan, which still carries weight until the new one is adopted. Village edge land with a road frontage, outside the Green Belt and away from the river flood plain, remains the kind of site that wins.

Why our buyer wants it

A housebuilder we hold wants small village sites in districts where new homes sell well. South Cambridgeshire's villages clear that bar comfortably. We have read the plan, the five year supply position and the recent appeals for the district in full.

Check the register yourself

Greater Cambridge Shared Planning's online register shows every application by postcode or address, with the officer's report and the decision.

What we are looking for here

Backland, village edges and stuck consents

Backland in the larger villages

Land behind a High Street with a way in between two houses. Meldreth, Melbourn, Great Shelford, Sawston, Cottenham and their like.

Village edge fields

One to six acres touching the built edge, with a gate onto an adopted road and no Green Belt washing over it.

Sites with a consent that stalled

Permission granted, nothing built. Often a funding or access problem a different buyer can solve.

Questions landowners ask

Straight answers

Can I still put my land forward for the Greater Cambridge Local Plan?

The councils said in 2026 that new sites are not accepted at the proposed submission stage. The next chance is a later review. A planning application is the route in the meantime.

Is my village in the Green Belt?

The Cambridge Green Belt covers the villages nearest the city. Land washed over by it has a much harder route for market homes. The adopted policies map shows the boundary; we check it first.

Do small sites of five homes really interest a housebuilder?

Yes. The buyer we hold builds small sites by choice. Five well placed homes in a South Cambridgeshire village are a real scheme to them.

Free land review

Tell us about your land

Tell us the postcode. We do the rest at our cost and come back to you within ten days.