Councillors have agreed to start work on a new local plan to guide future development across East Cambridgeshire.

East Cambridgeshire District Council’s current local plan was signed off back in 2015, and amended in 2023.

Councillor Anna Bailey (Conservative), leader of the district council said now was the time to start work on a new local plan, despite not having new guidance they had hoped for from the government.

However, opposition councillors said work to start the new plan was long overdue.

A report published by the authority said it had intended to fully update the plan in 2019, but “reluctantly withdrew” it due to recommendations made by an inspector that “were not palatable to council”.

The district council instead made a small partial update to the 2015 local plan in 2023.

The official end date of the authority’s current local plan is in 2031. Preparing a new local plan can take a number of years, a report presented to the district council said the work will take at least three years “if done well and to a tight timetable”.

Cllr Bailey said the district council had “always intended” to begin work on a new local plan around this point in time.

She said the authority had been waiting for updated government guidance on the “new style” of local plan.

However, Cllr Bailey said this information was now not expected to be released until next year.

She said now was still the time to start work on a new local plan to make sure the authority is able to protect its five year land supply for housing and for the infrastructure to be in place for new homes.

Councillor Lucius Vellacott (Conservative) said the district council had to ensure development in East Cambridgeshire was “governed by the people”.

Councillor Lorna Dupré (Liberal Democrat) said the proposal to begin work on a new local plan had come “not before time”.

She said: “We have been asking for this every year for the last two years at least. This council now has [one of] the oldest local plans in Cambridgeshire.

“We really should have been getting on with this for some time now. I am pleased it is finally on the table.”

Councillor Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat), leader of the opposition group, added that the local plan was “about so much more than housing”, and said she hoped the work on the plan would look at a range of things.

A working group is due to be set up to begin putting together the new plan.

However, this group caused some division due to the planned number of councillors from each party.

The administration proposed to have three Conservative councillors on the group and two Liberal Democrat councillors.

Cllr Dupré said the Conservatives did “not have a majority on this council” with them having 14 councillors out of the total 28. The Liberal Democrats have 13 councillors on the council.

Cllr Dupré called for an even number of councillors from each party to be a part of the group.

However, Cllr Bailey said the Conservative’s were the administration at the district council and said she was “comfortable” with the proposal put forward.

Councillor Julia Huffer (Conservative) said she could “reassure” the opposition councillors that the working group would “take everything into account”.

She said: “I will make sure everything is looked at and everyone’s views are taken into account. We will be fair, we will be reasonable, and we will be thorough.”

While the makeup of the working group was disputed, the members of the council unanimously agreed that work should begin on the new local plan.