Where will 4,000 homes be built across Cambridgeshire?

The responsibility for deciding if new developments get to go ahead falls to the district and city councils.

Most large planning applications put forward by developers are decided by councillors at planning committees.

This year, Cambridge City Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Fenland District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, and South Cambridgeshire District Council approved planning permission for 4,029 homes across large development sites in the county.

Further homes were approved through smaller applications across the county.

Here are all of the developments of over 50 homes that have been approved by councillors to be built across Cambridgeshire.

February

113 homes: Barrington

In February a developer was given permission to redesign a planned development at the former Barrington Cement Works to build an additional 37 homes.

This change meant land where 76 homes had been due to be built previously, now has permission for 113 homes to be built.

The application was approved by South Cambridgeshire District Council despite some concerns raised, however, councillors said the 45 proposed affordable homes were ‘desperately needed’.

147 homes: Stapleford

In the same month, South Cambridgeshire District Council also gave permission for a new retirement village to be built in Stapleford.

The development proposed to build 147 homes, offering a mixture of flats and bungalows, as well as a two-storey pavilion building that included a restaurant, cafe, bar, shop, gym, wellness area, and swimming pool.

Stapleford Parish Council had raised concerns about the development, describing the main pavilion building as an “eyesore”.

While councillors said they “sympathised” with the concerns, the application was unanimously supported by the planning committee.

343 homes: Kennett Garden Village

East Cambridgeshire District Council signed off plans for the first 343 homes in the Kennett Garden Village development in February.

The new homes are proposed to be a mix of houses and flats and range from one to four-bedrooms in size.

The plans proposed to make 93 of the homes available as affordable housing, and said 15 of the plots would be offered for self-build homes.

77 homes: Littleport

Plans for 77 homes were also approved by East Cambridgeshire District Council to be built in Littleport.

The homes are planned as part of the wider Highfields Farm development, which has outline permission to build 650 new homes.

The new homes are proposed to be a mix of two to five-bedrooms in size.

63 homes: Elm

Fenland District Council approved permission for 63 new homes to be built on land north of Gosmoor Lane in Elm, in February.

The new homes are proposed to be a mix of flats and houses ranging from one to four-bedrooms in size.

Concerns were raised by some councillors about the size of the development, but the plans were ultimately approved, with the request of £38,000 to be contributed towards play equipment.

88 homes: Wimblington

In the same month, Fenland District Council also approved plans to build 88 homes on land south of Bridge Lane in Wimblington.

The new homes are proposed to range in size from two to four-bedrooms.

Concerns were raised that the plans would be a ‘massive overdevelopment’ of the area.

However, the application was ultimately approved by the planning committee.

March

58 homes: Whittlesey

In March Fenland District Council gave permission for 58 new homes to be built on land north of Hemmerley Drive in Whittlesey.

Concerns had been raised about further development to the north of the town, however, some councillors said they did not think they had a valid policy reason to refuse the application.

The application was ultimately approved by the planning committee.

80 homes: Chatteris

In the same month, Fenland District Council also approved a planning application to build up to 80 new homes on land east of The Elms in Chatteris.

The proposals were an outline application, which means more detailed plans need to be submitted to the district council and approved before building can take place.

April

210 homes: Darwin Green

In April, both Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council gave approval for a further 210 homes to be built in the Darwin Green development on the edge of the city.

The new homes are proposed to range in size from one-bedroom flats up to four-bedroom houses.

Councillors supported the plans, but warned the developer at the time to make sure it complied with the planning conditions imposed as part of the permission.

It was revealed later in the year that a number of houses built in a previous phase of the development would need to be demolished due to issues discovered with the foundations.

160 homes: Eddington

In the same month, the two councils also approved plans to build 160 homes in the Eddington development, also on the edge of Cambridge.

Of the total 160 homes, 89 are proposed to be flats and 71 are proposed to be houses.

Concerns were raised by some councillors about the “brutal” design of the development, with one councillor stating that some of the buildings could be “overbearing”.

However, they supported the sustainability measures proposed and ultimately unanimously approved the plans when a decision was put to a vote.

351 homes: Cherry Hinton

The first phase of the 1,200 home development to the north of Cherry Hinton was also approved in April.

The detailed plans for 351 homes were approved by councillors, with the developer praised for the energy efficiency measures proposed.

Out of the 351 homes, 210 are proposed to be made available for market sale, with 98 designated for social rent and 43 for shared ownership.

125 homes: March

In April Fenland District Council also approved plans to build 125 homes on land west of Princess Avenue in March.

The proposals were an outline application, which means more detailed plans about what the development will look like need to be submitted to and approved by the district council before building work can take place.

July

80 homes: Eddeva Park

In July councillors approved plans for 80 new homes to be built on farmland off Babraham Road on the edge of Cambridge.

The new homes are due to form part of the wider Eddeva Park development planned by This Land Ltd, the housing development company set up by Cambridgeshire County Council.

The 80 homes are proposed to be a mix of detached, terraces, and flats, with 40 per cent of the homes planned to be made available as affordable housing.

118 homes: Cambourne

Councillors in South Cambridgeshire approved plans to build 118 homes in the Cambourne West development.

The new homes are proposed to be a mix of detached, semi-detached houses, and flats.

Of the 118 homes, 83 are proposed to be privately sold and 35 to be made available as affordable housing.

Councillors said they could see a lot of work had gone into the application and unanimously voted to back the proposals.

93 homes: Chatteris

In July councillors at Fenland District Council approved plans to build 93 new homes on land north of Wenny Estate in Chatteris.

The new homes are proposed to be a mix of houses and flats, with the houses ranging in size from two to five-bedrooms, and the flats all proposed to have one-bedroom each.

Councillors approved the plans on the condition that a number of financial contributions were made by the developer towards things such as health facilities, libraries, and early years provision.

September

80 homes: Soham

In September East Cambridgeshire District Council approved plans to build 80 new homes off Brook Street in Soham.

The proposals were an outline application, so further more detailed plans will need to be submitted to and approved by the district council before work can take place.

November

1,000 homes: Huntingdon

Permission for the largest single development of homes in Cambridgeshire in 2023 was given by Huntingdonshire District Council to an application to build 1,000 in Huntingdon.

The new development is due to be built on the edge of the town on land off Ermine Street.

A new primary school with space for up to 420 children was also included in the plans, alongside a ‘local centre’ where shops and a community centre are proposed to be based.

As an outline application more detailed plans will need to be submitted and approved before building work can start.

271 homes: Burwell

East Cambridgeshire District Council approved plans to build 271 homes on the edge of Burwell after the developer agreed to drop some of the homes from its plans.

The new homes are due to be the first two phases of a wider development of up to 350 new homes on land north of Newmarket Road.

175 homes: Soham

Proposals to build 175 homes off Broad Piece in Soham were also agreed by East Cambridgeshire District Council in November.

The new development is proposed to offer nine-self build plots. The homes built by the developer are due to be a mix of one to five-bedrooms in size, with 53 homes planned to be made available as affordable housing.

Concerns had been raised by neighbours that the development would leave them with a “stagnant smelly swamp”, but the developer said they would actually be reducing the flood risk for existing homes.

397 homes: Littleport

Later in the month, East Cambridgeshire District Council approved plans to build 397 homes on land north of Saxon Business Park in Littleport.

The application requested full planning permission to build 180 of the homes, and outline permission to build 217 of the homes.

This means further details about the 217 homes will need to be submitted to the district council for approval before they can be built.