​Deal signed to deliver 3,000 homes as part of huge Northstowe new town project

Homes England has signed a deal with two developers to progress the next phase of the 10,000-home Northstowe project, in Cambridgeshire.

The agency, which is master developer for Northstowe’s remaining phases, has signed a ‘collaboration agreement’ with housebuilder Keepmoat and social impact developer Capital & Centric to deliver 3,000 homes as part of the scheme.

The agreement is intended to allow the development of the homes, of which half will be for affordable tenures, along with a town centre with 50,000 sq m of commercial space, including shops, offices and community facilities. Outline planning permission has been granted for the remaining phases.

Matthew Pennycook, minister for housing and planning, said the government will give “Homes England the tools it needs to deliver the next phase of Northstowe.”

He said: “For far too long we have seen large-scale housing projects stuck in the planning system and that is why we will create a new taskforce to accelerate these stalled sites.

“We will get Britain building again and work is already under way to unlock thousands of new homes in Northstowe.”

>>See also: What makes a successful new town?

>>See also:‘Good, but not perfect’ – What next for Homes England?

Peter Freeman, chair at Homes England said: “This agreement marks a significant step towards the creation of a vibrant town centre in Northstowe, just across the road to the multi-school Education Campus which already has 700 pupils and is currently being extended to house over 2,000 people.

“This collaboration with Keepmoat and Capital & Centric will allow us to further our investment in supporting the local community, helping create new, quality, affordable housing and ensuring this emerging town is a vibrant place to live.”

The first phase of development at Northstowe has been completed by L&Q, with 1,400 homes occupied to date. Homes England is also investing in roads, public transport routes, schools, green space and cycleways connected with the site.