ast month, the University of Cambridge formally gave the go-ahead to proceed with the first phase of large-scale development on the edge of the city (see panels). The scope of the 371-acre
site is huge. Up to 3,000 homes are planned, more than 530,000 sq ft of academic facilities, and more than 1m sq ft of research and development space. The plan spans two decades. Today the site is very different:
currently farmland to the north-west of Cambridge near junction 14 of the M11, where the motorway ends, it straddles the border between Cambridge city and South Cambridgeshire local authorities. It was released from the green belt to allow the university’s proposals to gain outline planning consent last summer. The main reason for the plans is a need
to provide residential accommodation for university staff and postgraduate students. Project director Roger Taylor
explains: “There is huge pressure on housing locally and the consequence is that researchers, especially from abroad, are finding it more and more difficult to access property at a reasonable quality and price. While salaries in Cambridge are competitive, the quality of life in terms of accommodation increasingly is not.”
CAMBRIDGE NORTH WEST DEVELOPMENT – PHASE ONE
Size 155 acres Construction cost £281m Key worker housing 540 homes Student accommodation 300 units Private housing 425 homes (26 acres) (80% family homes, 20% apartments) Local centre retail (inc supermarket) 60,000 sq ft Construction start 2013 Delivery Q3 2015-Q2 2016
Cambridge university is to go ahead with a £1bn, two-decade development at former green belt land on the edge of the city. But while private housing is up for grabs, commercial development is a long-term game, reports Mark Simmons
Rather than risk losing high-calibre staff
to universities overseas, the university decided to provide the accommodation itself now, while construction costs are low, though Taylor points out that the project has been conceived as a 20-year gradual expansion capability rather than a reactionary quick fix. The £1bn price tag is one reason the land will not be built out overnight. Where that sum will come from is unclear, but, unlike individual Cambridge colleges, which have directly funded large schemes (such as pioneer Trinity, which created Cambridge Science Park more than 40 years ago), the university has looked to the markets for the cash. Last year, for the first time in the establishment’s 800-year history, it made a £350m, 40-year bond issue. But the university is not relying solely on that money for the first phase of the North West development. It will also receive income from selling freehold