Latest on plans to build more than 290 new homes on the edge of Cambridge

Developers have updated councillors on plans to build over 290 new homes on the edge of Cambridge. The new homes are due to be a part of the larger development currently being built to the north of Cherry Hinton. Up to 1,200 new homes are due to be built in the new development, with work already having started to build the first homes.

Representatives of the developers, Bellway Latimer Cherry Hinton LLP, met with councillors from Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council to update them on the plans for the third set of new homes. The developers said they are currently working on the detailed proposals for 292 new homes.

This phase of the development is also proposed to include the “local centre”, which will offer spaces for shops and a community centre. New allotments are also proposed to be created in this phase of the development. Alexis Butterfield, one of the architects working on the project, told councillors that the 292 homes are proposed to be built in “two small residential neighbourhoods” which each face on to a shared green space.

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He explained that mainly flats and terraced houses were proposed to be built near to the centre of the site, with a mixture of houses and some smaller flats proposed in the streets further out from the local centre. Councillor Anna Bradnam said she had noticed that many of the affordable homes were proposed to be grouped together in the centre of the development.

She said authorities normally like to see the affordable housing “scattered amongst the other housing” and suggested the affordable homes could be spread out a bit more across the site. Mr Butterfield said he “totally appreciated” Cllr Bradnam’s point about the affordable housing.

He said they were making sure to include some affordable homes in the housing that faced onto the neighbourhood parks, and said in these cases people would not know which was an affordable home and which was not. However, Mr Butterfield said the reason a lot of the affordable housing was proposed together in the centre was mainly due to urban design. He said as affordable housing “tends to be slightly smaller” he said that did not always work with the design across the development.

Councillor Katie Porrer said she welcomed the proposal to create new allotments within the development. She also raised the issue of water supply and asked the developers to do what they can to try and mitigate the water scarcity issue. A detailed planning application for the 292 homes is expected to be submitted at a later date for the planning authorities to consider.