Designing for difference, not for numbers

Done well, it can encourage social stability, promote community cohesion and make new places more resilient over time. Just as importantly, it creates a structure through which a broad spectrum of affordable housing can be delivered and sustained at scale and pace.

Northstowe, a new town taking shape near Cambridge, offers some early insight into how this can work in practice – and what other large-scale developments might learn from it.

While the town is only around 15% of the way through its three-phase development, it is already home to a pioneering community offering homes for private sale, private rent, shared ownership, affordable rent and via the bespoke Northstowe discount market sale scheme. In phases two and three, Homes England is overseeing the delivery of homes people want, with affordable housing at or exceeding 40%.

In a location close to Cambridge, one of England’s more expensive housing markets, this initiative provides buyers with a lower entry point into homeownership, creating a more accessible and inclusive route onto the property ladder. All residents benefit from access to the Cambridge job market, accessible via the Cambridgeshire guided busway and the improved A14. 

“By providing more affordable rented and ownership options in high-demand areas, new towns can support local and regional affordability targets in a way smaller schemes often can’t”

This ethos extends across the development, which includes housing types and tenures that cater to a range of households, from first-time buyers to growing families and older residents downsizing. By providing more affordable rented and ownership options in high-demand areas, new towns can support local and regional affordability targets in a way smaller schemes often can’t.

It’s a model that recognises people’s housing journeys are rarely linear; that places are more sustainable when residents can move within them rather than out of them; and that intergenerational neighbourhoods can contribute to community well-being.

In this respect, a planned co-housing scheme being brought forward by developer Town will support new communities to thrive by combining well-designed private dwellings with high proportions of shared communal spaces.

This speaks to emerging demand for more collaborative ways of living, particularly among those seeking a stronger sense of community and connection amid the loneliness epidemic in the UK. This type of home attracts a wide variety of people, but often offers a preferred way of life for older people, single people and those wanting to share their lives with others in a safe and welcoming environment.

All of this transcends the idea of ‘building houses’; it’s about creating community. A mixed-tenure approach supports the early development of social infrastructure. In new towns, that infrastructure simply cannot be inherited; it must be created.

Part of this involves delivering homes that are connected to spaces where communities can convene. Education plays a part in this from the earliest stages, which is why the first completed building in Northstowe was a primary school, which also acted as the community hub in the early days.

Community facilities like The Cabin and the Western Park Sports Pavilion help local groups to thrive and be active and healthy, with more civic buildings being built as the population grows. The Unity Centre community centre is under development, and making visible progress as an impressive ‘gateway’ building and local hub for a variety of long-term uses.

The master developer for phases two and three, Homes England, is providing land and funding for a healthcare facility, which will come forward for development in the near future as part of a completely new town centre.

“A mixed-tenure approach supports the early development of social infrastructure. In new towns, that infrastructure simply cannot be inherited; it must be created”

A strategic partnership agreement signed with house builder Keepmoat and developer Capital&Centric will accelerate the development of 3,000 homes and the delivery of the town centre in phase 2, comprising commercial, retail and amenity uses. Keepmoat is currently delivering Stirling Fields, which includes the town’s first commercial unit, and recently shared plans for its next parcel of 400 homes.

The overarching aim here is not to prescribe any single development model, but to demonstrate that a layered approach to tenure can play a significant role in shaping successful places rather than ‘building by numbers’. It reduces the risk of homogenous, disconnected development, supports delivery at scale, and creates space for residents with different incomes, priorities and lifestyles to live alongside one another and thrive.

In this respect, new towns present a unique opportunity to plan for housing, infrastructure and community in a more integrated way. Mixed-tenure housing, when delivered with community-led intent, strengthens that process.

As current and future developments take shape, building that diversity in from the beginning will ensure these places grow into thriving, balanced communities.

Mark Wilkinson, head of development consultancy, Lambert Smith Hampton