Cambourne, South Cambridgeshire

Social

Around 30% of homes on the site are affordable housing, and residents benefit from shops, three new schools, a hotel and allotments, among other facilities. The community centre is available for hire by local residents, and the sports centre includes tennis courts, a cricket oval and bowling greens. A well-stocked fishing lake is managed by the local fishing club.

Environmental

More than half the site is dedicated as open space, and wherever possible, natural features and mature trees have been retained. The site includes 45 hectares of new woodland and 12 miles of hedges containing over 250,000 trees and shrubs. Six hectares of new lakes and wetlands were created providing areas for recreation and bringing new species of birds, mammals and insects onto the site. This includes 40 new bird species recorded, as well as an increase in the number of butterfly and dragonfly species, and pipistrelle bats now breeding on site. A network of footpaths, cycleways and bridleways link the residential areas with the centre and green spaces, reducing car journeys.

We contributed £600k towards a Community Sustainability Fund which is providing funding to help improve the environmental performance of local buildings, including installing solar panels on the local council offices and community centre.

Economic

A 20 hectare business park offers commercial premises currently employing over 1,000 people.