Homes England to deliver next phase of Northstowe development

Plans for Northstowe, the largest new town since Milton Keynes, have taken a major step forward with Homes England securing £123.9m to deliver new infrastructure and planning approval for 4,000 new homes.

The plans for the penultimate phase of Northstowe were given the green light by South Cambridgeshire District Council, covering the development of new homes, a mixed-use centre, two primary schools, and a range of open spaces across 210 hectares of land.

In addition to securing outline planning permission for new homes, Homes England will use the £123.9m of funding to build more essential infrastructure for the town, including roads, public transport routes, cycleways, green space and schools.

The Homes England flagship settlement is set to create 10,000 new homes in total, making it one of the largest new settlements in the country.

Housing Minister Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP said: ‘It is crucial to our levelling up mission that we build the high-quality homes this country needs, where we need them. So I am very pleased that thousands of families will have the opportunity to rent or buy a new home in Cambridgeshire and enjoy the cycleways, green space and schools that will be provided for them in Northstowe.’

Ken Glendinning, Regional Development Director South (Interim), commented: ‘Homes England is committed to using its expertise as a master developer to create a well-designed, sustainable new town that promotes a sense of community and pride in place.

‘Securing the go ahead for Northstowe Phase 3A from the planning committee marks a significant step forward for the town. These proposals, combined with the additional funding will establish a pipeline of new homes at Northstowe for the next 15 years, providing a variety of neighbourhoods and homes of a wide range of tenures.’

This phase of the development is expected to start in 2023, with work on the previous phase starting to take shape in the meantime.

In related news, new research has found that greenfield housing developments are adding hundreds of thousands of new car journeys to our roads, increasing congestion, carbon emissions and air pollution.

Photo by James Feaver