Sustainable green dream
MAJOR house-building firms are returning to work in many parts of the UK but nowhere will they be more welcome than at Northstowe, the largest new town to be built in Britain since Milton Keynes more than 50 years ago. While Milton Keynes was a solution to London’s 1960s house shortages, Northstowe is testament to Cambridge’s booming hi-tech industries. In 2018 it overtook Milton Keynes as Britain’s fastest-growing city and remains in the top five, recently leapfrogged by Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham.
But while new communities are being built around Cambridge, average house prices are among the highest in the country, which makes the new town of Northstowe, five miles away, a more sustainable prospect for those wanting to live in the area.
It’s being built by six house builders on land surrounding Longstanton, a village west of Cambridge, near the A14 dual carriageway that runs from Felixstowe docks in Suffolk to the M6 and M1. Phase one is well under way, with approximately 550 homes of an initial 10,000 already built, although 30,000 homes will be delivered over the next 20 years to create a town the size of Harpenden in Hertfordshire.that’s about the size of 600 football pitches.
Much of this land belongs to Homes England, a public body that funds new affordable housing in England and describes itself as “the Government’s housing accelerator”. It has invested heavily in infrastructure and facilities for the town, says Stephen Kinsella, Homes England’s chief land and development officer.
“Homes England is constructing a dedicated
DEBORAH STONE spotlights Northstowe, a ‘healthy new town’ being built to support hi-tech hotspot Cambridge public transport route through the town right now, which will link Northstowe to the key employment areas of Cambridge city, Cambridge Science Park,addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Biomedical Campus, where Astrazeneca is building its new HQ,” he says.
“We have also created large lakes that can be used for leisure activities and form protection against flooding.the town is designated as a ‘healthy new town’ with green spaces and lakes for exercise, recreation and relaxation.”
He adds: “A strategy for the delivery of the town centre has been produced, which responds to the changing nature of the high street and is built to be resilient and flexible over time.
“Subject to the strategy being approved by the council, we hope to see the first elements of the town centre being delivered in two or three years.”
DURING coronavirus lockdown, road building and utility installations have continued under Public Health England guidelines and, while house building has been stalled, work has continued on preparing the site for construction. But Northstowe’s first phase is already filling up, with Alistair Philips and partner Carla Sheldon relocating from Surrey to buy home number 500 a few months ago.
Both teachers, they have family nearby and like the idea of living near Cambridge without being in the city.
“Here, you get the best of both worlds,” says Alistair. “We like that Northstowe is built for a more environmentally-friendly way of life and the bus and cycling facilities will make it easy for us to get around.
“Cambridge is expanding and there are lots of opportunities for us to find new teaching jobs, either in the city or the surrounding areas.”
Homes are for sale from £145,000 for Linden Homes’s part buy-part rent houses, up to £624,995 for five bedroom houses by David Wilson Homes.
See details of all the builders involved at northstowe.com plus fly-through videos, drone footage and contacts for sales teams.
“Homes England itself is very much open for business,” says Kinsella. “We will support the Government to help the sector get back building as quickly as possible where it is safe to do so, following guidance of Public Health England.”
‘Here you get the best of both worlds – we like that it’s built for a more environmentallyfriendly way of life’