The University of Cambridge’s governing body, Regent House, has formally approved Phase One of the North West Cambridge development. A £1 billion project, the development will provide Cambridge with 2,000 student bedrooms, 3,000 affordable homes and a million square feet of space to be put to academic and research use.

College and university staff will be provided with 530 new homes, 430 of which will be sold on the open market.  Post-graduate students can equally look forward to new accommodation, containing 300 bedrooms.  Building work on community facilities and much of the entire site’s transport network and infrastructure are included in this initial phase.  Set to be completed in late 2015, construction will commence later this year, subject to the approval of local planning authorities.           

Future residents of North West Cambridge will also enjoy a large amount of green space, similar in size to Parker’s Piece, along with 60,000 square feet of shops.  This will be in addition to a new primary school, health and community centres, sports facilities and an energy centre.

Rumours that have been circulating since the project’s announcement, however, of a new college on the site have been decisively denied by Cambridge University’s Office of External Affairs and Communications, who have confirmed that “no plans exist for a new college.”  This news will add fuel to criticisms that new post-graduate accommodation will be too far from the city centre, and the already-established colleges that have expressed interest in utilising it.  Concerns have also been raised that low-cost homes are being provided to university staff already earning as much as £47,000, instead of automatically favouring lower-income Cambridge residents.

Professor Jeremy Sanders, the University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Institutional Affairs, has nonetheless expressed his support for the project, stating it would remove the university’s ceiling on growth for “the next 20 years.”  He added: “Attracting world-class academics, researchers and research partners is vital if the university is to retain its world-class position.  Being able to provide high-quality, affordable housing in a thriving community will be an important element of our attraction to staff and students, and Phase One of the development focuses on this immediate need.”

The project’s coordinators have also drawn attention to its environmental credentials. Roger Taylor, Project Director of the North West Cambridge Development, said: “North West Cambridge is the largest development in the country to be built to the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 5 and BREEAM Excellent for other uses. The ambition to create a low-carbon community incorporates a green travel plan and energy and utilities systems. The development will be an exemplar of sustainable living.”