Cambridge University unveils HUGE plan to build 1,400 new homes

The proposed site is located just south of the university’s West Cambridge site – your cycle ride down there in the morning may be about to get a little busier

| UPDATED Cambridge College Green housing land money planning protest university

The University has joined forces with a group of colleges, including Corpus Christi, to unveil a plan for the building of 1,400 new homes in Cambridge.

The development will take place on the ‘green belt’ to the west of the city centre, and aims to cater for the heavy demand for property in the region. The site will also provide brand new community facilities, such as a primary school.

The Corpus Christi busar, Tim Harvey-Samuel, told Cambridge News, “there are considerable challenges relating to transport and the affordability and supply of housing in Cambridge today.”
He argued that the new plans “could deliver housing in a high-quality sustainable development”, providing a long-term solution to Cambridge’s housing shortage. In October, Cambridge News reported that the average home in the city was worth 7.3% more than it was 3 months previously.

The landholding structure

All the same, not everyone is so happy about the project. Opposition to the building work comes from conservationists. The Conservation charity Cambridge PPF “strongly opposes” the plans, saying it has already been approached about some land they own.

A spokesperson for the charity reported that they rejected the scheme proposed by the consortium to “join them in presenting a much bigger scheme than would extend the whole way to the M11”.

The charity is protesting the proposed building on arable farmland, arguing “This section of the Green Belt is of the highest importance for protecting the setting of the historic core of the city.”