Housing and related strategies

On this page:

Housing Strategy

Our Greater Cambridge Housing Strategy for 2024 to 2029 has been developed with South Cambridgeshire District Council. It replaces our previous strategy, which was dated 2019 to 2023.

The strategy includes:

  • a main strategy document setting out our aspirational vision, objectives and priorities for both new and existing housing of all tenures.
  • a set of annexes providing further detail on our policy direction in particular areas, a summary of evidence used to support the Strategy, and a glossary of terms.
  • an annual action plan, to be monitored and reviewed each year, giving more detail on how the strategy will be implemented.

It is set within the context of a number of our other strategies and plans including both councils’ local plans, which were adopted in 2018. The strategy and annexes cannot override national planning policy or the local plans, but they will be taken into account when dealing with planning applications.

First Homes scheme

The government’s First Homes scheme helps to provide affordable home ownership for first time buyers.

We have decided not to include First Homes as a preferred tenure within the Greater Cambridge Housing Strategy at this time. This is due to the affordability challenges in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, and the impact of the national First Homes price cap on the size of homes that can realistically be delivered.

Developers still wishing to provide First Homes are referred to our Interim Position Statement for further guidance.

To date, the government has not made any changes to the national First Homes policy since its introduction.

Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy

Our Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2021 to 2026 sets out our plan to deal with homelessness and rough sleeping in Cambridge.

We wrote the strategy following extensive consultation, including with statutory and voluntary agencies. It drew on the findings of our 2019 review of homelessness and rough sleeping.

We have since published an extended version of the strategy, for 2021 to 2028. The updated strategy and accompanying action plan are based on the findings of another review of local homelessness in late 2025 and early 2026.

Councillors approved the new version of the strategy at the Cabinet meeting on 7 July 2026.

Sub-Regional Housing Action Plan

The Housing Board for Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and West Suffolk works on strategic housing issues across the Cambridge housing sub-region.

It covers Cambridge, East Cambridgeshire, Fenland, Huntingdonshire, Peterborough, South Cambridgeshire and West Suffolk.

The group’s action plan is reviewed regularly. It is available on Cambridgeshire Insight’s housing priorities webpage.

Tenancy strategy

Our tenancy strategy sets out the issues registered providers must consider when deciding:

  • what type of tenancies to offer
  • the circumstances in which they will offer each type of tenancy
  • the length of any fixed-term tenancy
  • the circumstances in which they will grant a new tenancy when a fixed term tenancy comes to an end

Further information

Other relevant strategies, policies and plans can be found on our council policies, plans and strategies section.

Page last reviewed: 17 August 2026

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