University of Cambridge considers doubling number of homes planned for Eddington to 6,000

The University of Cambridge is considering doubling the total number of homes it builds at Eddington from 3,000 to 6,000.

Representatives of the university said they wanted to make the “best use of land released from the green belt” by “maximising” the number of homes built in a “sensible” way.

The university was given permission in 2013 to build up to 3,000 homes in north-west Cambridge, with 50 per cent of these homes to be sold as market housing, and 50 per cent made available for university staff and students.

So far around 1,100 homes have been built of the 1,800 homes planned as part of the first phase.

The time period has now lapsed for the university to continue to build homes under the 2013 permission, so it is preparing a new planning application.

At a pre-application briefing to councillors at Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council, representatives of the university said they were now looking to build up to 6,000 homes.

Matt Johnson, head of development for North West Cambridge and for the University of Cambridge, said the need for housing had grown since work on the Eddington development Cllr Martin Smart (Lab, King’s Hedges) asked why the university wanted to increase the number of homes by so much.

Cllr Anna Bradnam (Lib Dem, Milton and Waterbeach) noted it would “represent a doubling” of the number of homes on the site and asked if more facilities would be provided to meet the needs of more people living there.

Mr Johnson said: “Firstly, there is a significant shortage of housing in Cambridge; where we have land available for development I think it is appropriate to maximise that within sensible bounds.

“So from a city perspective we need more homes, from a university perspective we believe we have more demand for key worker housing.”

Mr Johnson said Eddington had not been a “financial success” for the university and added that building more homes would “improve the financials”.

He went on to say that the university had “overbuilt” the amount of facilities needed in the first phase. He highlighted that the existing primary school was big enough to meet future demand.

In terms of providing more sports facilities, Mr Johnson said they planned to listen to what people in the area wanted and would design detailed plans around that.

Mr Johnson said they would ensure that the needs of an increased population would be met.

The discussion follows a visit by housing minister Matthew Pennycook to Eddington in September, when he met with Mr Johnson, the university’s vice-chancellor Deborah Prentice and Peter Freeman, who is heading up the Cambridge Growth Company, tasked by the government to deliver a plan to accelerate Cambridge’s growth.