Boyer successfully secures planning permission for 4,500 new homes at Waterbeach New Town East

The Planning Committee at South Cambridgeshire District Council has (on 29th January 2021) resolved to grant outline planning permission for a 4,500 home development at Waterbeach New Town East. Boyer is proud to have played an important part in achieving this significant milestone, which follows the securing of the site’s allocation in the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan, adopted in 2018.

Acting as planning consultants on behalf of RLW Estates – a consortium comprising Royal London, St John’s College, Cambridge and Turnstone Estates – Boyer submitted the outline planning application and took a lead role in negotiations and engagement with a range of stakeholders.  The scheme will deliver:

• 4,500 new homes, providing a wide range of types from one-bed apartments to five-bed homes, ensuring a variety of homes for all requirements;
• 30% affordable housing provision;
• A masterplan approach based around the concept of ‘sociable streets’, designed to create neighbourhoods that prioritise cyclists and pedestrians over the car;
• Contributions towards and direct provision of local infrastructure totalling over £100m;
• Education facilities comprising one secondary school, two primary schools and a sixth-form centre;
• Over 35 hectares of open space, including a 20-acre country park; and
• 24,800 sqm of employment space, plus additional retail and community space.

Waterbeach New Town East will be developed alongside the consented scheme at Waterbeach Barracks, which combined will see the delivery of 11,000 homes. Boyer previously assisted RLW in securing full planning permission in January 2020 for relocation of Waterbeach Station to the New Town, identified as a key requirement of the Local Plan allocation and subsequent Waterbeach New Town Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).

Chris Goldsmith, of Turnstone Estates, said: “I am delighted that the Planning Committee of South Cambridgeshire District Council granted permission today for our application to create a vibrant, sustainable new town of 4,500 homes at Waterbeach. We are committed to delivering a new community that will place cyclists and pedestrians at its heart, creating an environmentally conscious and future proofed development. Located just 5km north of Cambridge, we will help to meet the growing housing demand in the City and Cambridgeshire through a wide mix of housing styles and tenures. Alongside the permission today we also have consent to relocate the existing station at Waterbeach village to Waterbeach New Town East. Its delivery is crucial for ensuring sustainable transport options from day one and we now look forward to working with our partners to bring the plans forward.”