Selling Land in Peterborough

On 31 January 2025 the council refused Larkfleet Group's outline plans for 95 homes east of Lincoln Road, Glinton. Before the inquiry on 1 July 2025 it dropped its landscape objection and then, citing a change in its supply position, chose not to defend the appeal. The council put its supply at 4.88 years, Larkfleet at 3.42, and the inspector's decision of 14 July 2025 allowed the appeal: the conflict with the plan remained, but the harm did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefit of 95 homes. A second appeal, for 250 homes off Peakirk Road in the same village, was allowed in January 2026. The statement counts neither, as both were decided after its base date.

Glinton is an outlying village, so the route is not confined to the urban edge, though both schemes were decided under the framework then in force, before the August 2026 revision.

How National Policy Treats the Shortfall Now

Under policy S5 of the August 2026 framework, when a council cannot point to five years of deliverable housing sites, that gap counts as evidence that need is going unmet beyond settlement edges. It is evidence, not a verdict. The land must be well related to the city or village, the scheme must be of a size its roads, schools and services can absorb, and the usual tests on landscape, flood risk, heritage and design still apply. Each annual statement sits in a folder linked from the council's monitoring page, and the current one is the first document we read for any site.

Outside the large allocations, the question for most land is which of three routes fits:

• Edge-of-village land under S5. Where the city is short of five years of land, a modest site that sits well against a village such as Glinton, Northborough or Eye Green can be put forward through an application, as the Glinton appeals showed.
• Land inside the city or a village under S4. Plots within a built-up area are judged under policy S4 of the framework, where approval is the starting point and only substantial harm, outweighing the benefits, justifies refusal, whatever the supply position.
• Previously developed land. The council keeps a brownfield land register, last updated on 21 May 2026, of previously developed sites it considers appropriate for homes. With the new plan leaning towards the city centre, yards, garages and older commercial buildings deserve a fresh look.

On the cost side, the council expects 30% affordable housing on schemes of 15 or more homes, and it has pledged 1,250 affordable homes between 2023 and 2028. That comes off a scheme's value along with section 106 payments, and we allow for it from the first appraisal. Our brownfield and yards page explains the urban sites we take on.

A Final Draft, a Little Later Than Reported

Local reporting in August expected Cabinet the following week and consultation in September and October. The council's own page, updated on 23 September 2026, sets Cabinet for 1 October 2026 with a six-week consultation after approval, so comment is likely to run into November.

The Council's Timetable

The Supply and the Delivery Test

The 2025 statement appeared almost a year after its base date. The next, from 1 April 2026, will again use the standard method and will take in the 1,249 homes completed in 2025/26. We make no forecast, but if it is also below five years, the S5 route stays open. The Housing Delivery Test 2025 was published on 17 August 2026 and a new edition follows every year. The test carries its own triggers at 95%, 85% and 75%: first an action plan, then a 20% buffer on the supply requirement, then unmet need taken as given without further evidence. At 100%, none is engaged today.

Reorganisation Paused

In July 2026, when the government put off its decision on the area until the autumn, the council said its preferred option, known as Option D, would protect the identity of a rapidly growing city. Since then, the government's announcement of 7 September 2026 has put the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough proposals on hold while ministers look again at the programme nationally, and elections in May 2027 go ahead on today's boundaries. The city council remains the planning authority and carries the plan forward.

What This Means for Timing

The window that matters most is the one before adoption in 2027. A shortfall carries most weight while the old plan is out of date; once a new plan with its own allocations is in force, the council can defend its choices far more easily. Well placed village and edge-of-city land is therefore worth reviewing now, and land that needs the plan is best prepared for examination. Our guide to call for sites and local plans explains those stages.