South Cambridgeshire District Council has today issued formal planning permission to the Waterbeach Development Company (WDC) for 4,500 homes to be built at Waterbeach New Town East.
The main deliverables of the New Town East, are:
Waterbeach New Town East forms part of the 560-hectare site identified by South Cambridgeshire District Council in the Local Plan of 2018 as suitable for up to 11,000 new homes. Urban and Civic secured planning consent in 2019 for 6,500 homes on the western portion of the site, located at the former RAF Waterbeach base.
Alongside approval for 4,500 new homes, the WDC received consent from South Cambridgeshire District Council in 2018 for the relocation of the existing Waterbeach Station to a location one mile north, in the New Town East site.
The planning permission now allows WDC, a joint venture between Turnstone Estates, Royal London Asset Management and Aquila Investments Limited, to move into delivery phases. This will firstly comprise key infrastructure including the relocated railway station, critical to realising the original vision of creating an attractive, flexible and sustainable public transport network.
Funding for the relocation of the station has been secured via a repayable grant from Homes England and a contribution from the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP). The GCP will be responsible for delivery of the Station, which will open in 2027, ensuring the first residents that move into Waterbeach New Town East will have a sustainable travel option from day one.
Tim Deacon, Managing Director of Turnstone Estates, one of the partners of the Waterbeach Development Company, said:
“We are delighted to have received the formal planning permission from South Cambridgeshire District Council, enabling us to start the delivery of 4,500 new homes at Waterbeach New Town East.
“With funding for the relocation of the train station agreed and its delivery scheduled for 2027, we can ensure that sustainable infrastructure is in place for the residents of the Eastern side of Waterbeach New Town from day one. This will also enable the acceleration of housing delivery across the entire New Town, ensuring the homes that are needed to support the growth of Greater Cambridge can be delivered.”
The Waterbeach Development Company LLP comprises a joint venture between Aquila Investments Limited Royal London Asset Management and Turnstone Estates.
The South Cambridgeshire Local Plan of 2018 identified Waterbeach as the location for a new town. The Local Plan also supported the relocation of the existing station at Waterbeach to the new town, ensuring sustainable travel options would be available for new residents.
The Waterbeach Development Company secured planning permission for a relocated train station from South Cambridgeshire District Council in September 2018.
The Waterbeach Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) was adopted by South Cambridgeshire District Council in February 2019 to help guide the development of the new town.
Urban & Civic received a resolution to grant permission from the South Cambridgeshire District Council’s s Planning Committee in May 2019 for 6,500 homes.
The Outline Planning Application was approved by the South Cambridgeshire Planning Committee on 29th January 2021, with the formal permission issued 17th December 2024.
