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Brownfield Site For New Green Town

Posted: 31/03/2006

In a deal worth almost £100m, English Partnerships, the national regeneration agency, has completed the purchase of the disused Oakington Barracks in south Cambridgeshire. The purchase of the 288 ha site is set to unlock the development of the proposed new town of Northstowe, creating up to 10,000 new homes, largely on 'brownfield'(ex MOD)land.

Northstowe, which is five miles from the centre of Cambridge, will be developed on the former airfield and adjacent land near Longstanton and Oakington. The new town will contribute to the region’s growth agenda and ease pressure on the Cambridge housing market that currently suffers from a shortage of new and affordable homes.

The Government says it intends to use more brownfield land to create sustainable communities with affordable housing, and Northstowe is being mooted as a sustainable new town for the 21st century which will be built to the highest standards of design and environmental quality.

English Partnerships are committed to building all their new constructions to Eco-homes Very Good standard, so energy and water efficiency will be high on the agenda. Its town centre will contain a mix of shops, restaurants, offices and civic uses, and the neighbourhoods will be well supported by local schools and community facilities.

A network of open spaces will run through the area, linking it to the surrounding countryside. Northstowe will be served by the proposed Cambridgeshire Guided Busway to provide public transport links to St Ives, Huntingdon and Cambridge and easy access to a wide range of sub-regional employment and leisure facilities.

Within the town, there will be a network of local roads and walking, cycling and public transport routes. Housing will be provided for all sectors of the community with a full range of tenure options. The town is expected to accommodate up to 8,000 homes, 6,000 of which should be constructed by 2016.

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