4,500 homes for Waterbeach approved after Environment Agency lifts objection over water

Planning permission has been granted on long-awaited plans to build 4,500 homes at Waterbeach following water concerns.

The development, which includes a secondary school, two primary schools and a sixth-form centre, was first approved by South Cambridgeshire District Council in 2021.

But concerns about water supplies and the adequacy of the plans from Cambridge Water to meet future demand resulted in the Environment Agency objecting to the application.

Cllr Dr Tumi Hawkins, the Liberal Democrat-run district council’s lead cabinet member for planning, said: “At a time of national focus on the delivery of new homes and economic growth, being able to issue the final permission for this site will help the council to meet the growing pressure on local authorities to identify and bring forward sites for new housing.

“In Greater Cambridge our annual housing target has grown this month from 1,675 homes per year in the adopted 2018 Local Plan to 2,309 homes per year.

“Ensuring with our partners, such as the Greater Cambridge Partnership, that Waterbeach can fully contribute to meeting that annual target as soon as possible is therefore important.”

Alongside new homes, the outline planning permission for RLW Estates – now Waterbeach Development Company (WDC) – includes development of business, retail, community, leisure and sports use.

Together with the earlier green light given for up to 6,500 new homes to developer Urban&Civic, the decision enables the complete development of the new town at Waterbeach, identified in the council’s 2018 Local Plan.

Discussions to agree details relating to the town’s infrastructure requirements, and more recent water supply issues in Greater Cambridge, had caused the planning permission to be delayed.

However, following the government’s establishment of a Water Scarcity Group for Cambridge, the council deided it was able give the final green light for the scheme.

The planning application was considered by the council’s planning committee in January 2021, where it was agreed that permission should be granted, subject to conditions and completion of a s106 agreement, to secure the necessary infrastructure such as new schools, community spaces and affordable housing.

Through the work of the Water Scarcity Group, established last year, agencies across the area, including the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service, have been working to resolve the EA’s concerns.

Last month, the EA replaced their objection to the Waterbeach application with a recommendation that conditions be imposed.

The permission also requires Waterbeach railway station to be relocated prior to any of the new homes being occupied. The Greater Cambridge Partnership, working with Homes England, agreed to take on the project to relocate the station in June last year.

At the time the GCP said the scheme was expected to cost £37million to complete, but accepted there was a risk these costs could increase.

The project was originally expected to be led and funded by developers, but the GCP was told in 2022 that this was no longer considered to be viable. It agreed to take on the project to “unlock” the Waterbeach new town housing, and the developer RLW Estates proposed to contribute £17m towards the cost of relocating the station, which will be funded via a repayable grant from Homes England.

In January this year the GCP announced that the station’s opening date had been delayed and it is expected to open in 2027.

The development at Waterbeach New Town East will be based around the concept of ‘Sociable Streets’, which means neighbourhoods will be designed to place cyclists and pedestrians ahead of the car.

It also includes more than 35 hectares of open space, including a 20-acre country park and 24,800 sq m of employment space.

WDC is a joint venture between Turnstone Estates, Royal London Asset Management and Aquila Investments Limited.

Tim Deacon, managing director of Turnstone Estates, one of the partners of the WDC, 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.”