On 13th September, South Cambridgeshire Councillor David Bard took part in a sod cutting ceremony to initiate the first stage of Darwin Green.
This new development of 1,593 dwellings* between Huntingdon Road and Histon Road occupies land originally belonging to the National Institute of Agricultural Biology (NIAB). It will create a new community, eventually straddling the border between Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire.
Although this area was originally earmarked for development in 2009 and outline permission grated in 2013, full applications were delayed and permissions for the central square and a total of 287 new homes* were granted in May, 2016.
Planning applications on Darwin Green are dealt with by the Cambridge Fringes Joint Development Control Committee. Originally set up in 2007, it comprises members from South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridge City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council.
40% affordable – and community facilities from day one
South Cambridgeshire District Councillor, Cllr. David Bard who chairs the Committee said: "The Joint Development Committee is an excellent example of the way in which councils are working together to achieve a common aim, the provision of high quality homes, 40%** of which will be affordable.
"Darwin Green will provide a range of local facilities including shops, a health centre, community rooms, a library and primary and secondary schools making it not just a housing estate, but a new urban extension of Cambridge.
"We insisted the community facilities went in early in the development to ensure they will be available for the new residents from day one."
Worth noting – additional comment by Cllr Bard
* ‘1,593 dwellings’ refers to the outline permission for the whole of Darwin Green 1. The way in which these large sites work is for an outline to be granted for the whole site. This usually includes a parameter plan and design guide. Full permissions are then applied for for individual parcels, typically of 100 to 200 dwellings. The 287 new homes refers to the total number of dwellings in the first two parcels to receive full permission.
** The 40% affordable figure refers to the whole site and to the individual parcels. It sometimes happens the percentage is slightly lower in one parcel and slightly higher in another, but the variation is quite small and averages out across the whole site.
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