The first homes at the former Waterbeach barracks and airfield site have taken a big step forward after the master developers, Urban&Civic, confirmed that Stonebond Properties are the partner for the first land parcel, a deal carried out by Bidwells and Savills on behalf of Urban&Civic.
The land parcel is approximately 4.3 acres and will deliver around 88 homes for the planned 1,600 of phase one, 28 of which will be allocated as affordable housing. The first phase also includes a primary school, retail space, community buildings, up to 11 acres of grassland, a 23-acre lake, woodlands and more than 25 children’s play areas. Urban&Civic secured outline planning permission for 6,500 homes and other facilities on the 716-acre site in the western half of the Waterbeach development in 2019.
Along with 6,500 homes, of which at least 1,950 will be affordable, there is also outline permission for five schools, commercial, retail, leisure and other community facilities, with more than 40 per cent allocated for open space and recreation, with £20 million allocated funding for early facilities to be built.
They will also fund £141 million of new facilities and transport upgrades, such as improving junctions on the A10 and introducing traffic calming measures in surrounding areas
Senior development manager at Urban&Civic Caroline Foster said “We’re delighted to have our first partner in place who will now be able to deliver high quality, much needed new homes for the area. Our design code has set the bar extremely high, and we look forward to seeing the homes come forward alongside the work we are doing to create the connections, play and green spaces around it, and our work with the county council to bring forward the first primary school. Stonebond’s commitment to our strong sustainability vision for Waterbeach also means we are starting as we mean to go on, in crafting not only an exciting but also an exemplar place to live.”
Partner in Bidwells residential development team Alex Cox said “In Stonebond Properties we have selected a developer who not only deeply understands the local market but has also bought into Urban&Civic’s exciting vision for Waterbeach. They demonstrated their appetite for ensuring that Waterbeach’s first new homes will meet the development’s agreed design code and sets a high design standard for years to come. The gateway parcel is incredibly important because it sets the tone for the development and posts a benchmark for others to follow over the next 20-30 years.”
Leader of the development team at Savills Cambridge Richard Janes said “Supported by a robust housing market there continues to be a strong appetite for land in the East of England – especially in well-connected areas such as Cambridgeshire which link up so well with the rest of the UK. This particular development will provide much needed new homes for the local community and will play a significant part in helping the wider region to meet its longer-term housing needs.”
Photo source: Bidwells
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