Homeowners breathe hope for Northstowe amid service delays
The town is expecting to be home to 26,000 people but currently lacks certain public services
The new town of Northstowe, around 10 miles north of Cambridge, is expected to be home to 26,000 people.
Currently, 1,200 homes are occupied but with that figure predicted to rise to 10,000 and no key services like a GP surgery to use, residents are having to travel elsewhere.
Work on a new sports pavilion is under way and a temporary community centre, led by South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC), can be in place for the next three years before a permanent building is completed.
One local community group reported that volunteers have provided public services such as food and coffee trucks, as well as a warm hub run by the town council.
And some homeowners we spoke to in the town have mixed thoughts on the delays to the provision of key facilities.
Sinthuja has lived in Northstowe for more than three years:
“There are no shops and we have to go out of the village if there’s any emergency,” she said.
“I don’t have any problems; I have a peaceful life here but if a GP surgery comes here, I think it would be helpful for everyone.”
One woman, who wished not to be named, has lived in Northstowe for three years and believes it’s got “the most vibrant heartbeat of anywhere I’ve lived”.
Hannah is a dance teacher and has been pleased with how the community has rallied since the first residents moved to Northstowe in 2017.
But she feels with more community facilities available, the town can improve.
“I think things have been delayed which has been disappointing, but the sense of community has been amazing, and people have rallied and put on lots of extra things to support that,” she said.
“I think people have had to work harder to create a community and there haven’t been as many natural places for people to meet.
“We need more support and infrastructure to help it be even more amazing and get things here for local families and businesses.”
"Eventually, it will all come good"
A permanent community centre is due to be built by the winter of 2025-26, while the sports pavilion is planned to be ready in September.
Another homeowner thinks all the necessary facilities needed are already in place.
“The facilities that are relevant are very close at hand; one of the benefits of the site is it’s well-connected to Cambridge and to the villages of Willingham and Longstanton,” he said.
“It is a new community and it’s predominantly young; eventually, it will all come good.”
SCDC have pledged to invest £15 million into developing community facilities in Northstowe, as the village boasts a ‘new homes, new community’ motto at the entrance to the town.
Councillor Bill Handley, Lead Cabinet Member for Communities at SCDC, backed the current improvement plans:
“In the past year, the Council has announced an investment of nearly £15 million to help deliver community facilities; the first of these, a temporary community centre, has just opened,” he said.
“Northstowe is already a great place to live, with new allotments, walking and cycling trails, schools, sports pitches, arts, horticulture and sporting groups.
“There is still a long way to go, and facilities will continue to come forwards alongside those new homes in the years ahead.”