Suburban build to rent start-up wins high profile role on Eddington development

Suburban build to rent start-up Present Made is to build 370 homes on Cambridge University’s high-profile Eddington site for its first ever scheme.

The business, set up in May by long-time build to rent investor Apache Capital, said it had been appointed by the University to build out the £160m scheme as part of a new neighbourhood designed to promote healthy and sustainable living.

Present Made has been set up by Apache co-founder Richard Jackson to deliver £1.6bn of single family rented housing, becoming the latest business after Sigma Capital and L&G to aim to capitalise on increasing demand for rented housing for families.

The idea is that Present Made will own, develop and operate beautiful, sustainable homes for the long term. Apache has already developed 6,000 flats for private rent over the last decade with developer Moda.

The homes, which will be constructed offsite, have been designed by Jo Cowen Architects to meet high sustainability and placemaking standards. Jo Cowen said its design included liveable streets which prioritised pedestrians over cars, and a raised garden court.

Present Made said it wasn’t able to confirm the manufacturer of the homes, however, Jo Cowen Architects has previously said it developed its single family rented housing design concept in partnership with modular housebuilder Ilke.

The wider Eddington scheme is designed to deliver 3,000 homes, 2,000 bed spaces and academic research space across a 150-ha site.

Present Made said it had a further three sites in the pipeline within the Oxford Cambridge Arc, and was expecting to make further announcements later this year. The company has plans to build 3,000 homes in its initial phase.

Richard Jackson, CEO of Present Made, said it was a “privilege” to have been selected by the university. “Our aim is to create a new way of living, providing aspirational yet attainable housing set within living streets and active communities that are integrated with their surroundings,” he said.

Brian Nearney, commercial director from the University of Cambridge, said: “Present Made will take a unique role at Eddington with the delivery of highly sustainable family homes and their on-going community development work which complements the overall masterplan vision.”