Northstowe Brochure
WELCOME TO NORTHSTOWE
Northstowe is a pioneering community with a rich past and a dynamic future, less than 10 miles from Cambridge city centre.
Be part of an innovative, international community in a green, healthy, new town.
A PLACE TO BUILD YOUR LIFE
Northstowe marries the latest home designs with the natural assets of Cambridgeshire to create a spacious place to live, work, and relax.
COME AND EXPLORE OUR NEW TOWN.
Northstowe is being developed as a green community in every sense. A third of the site will be public open space, with the Cambridgeshire countryside on your doorstep. It will be a low carbon town, designed to minimise car usage, with walking, cycling and bus routes, plus plenty of electric vehicle charging points.
Northstowe features great homes in pleasant neighbourhoods. There is as much focus on the spaces between the buildings as the buildings themselves. There will be space for events, performances, and sports and leisure facilities, making it a destination for people to visit and for residents to enjoy.
Whether you work for a company based in the Cambridge sub-region, or you want to grow your own business, Northstowe will support your ambitions. The town is designed so it will be easy to bump into others with similar skills or interests, such as tech, medicine, research, entrepreneurship, and the arts, as well as people who love sport and being close to nature. There will be places to meet up, and plans include co-working spaces for when you want to leave home and work somewhere new.
Northstowe marries the latest home designs with the natural assets of Cambridgeshire to create a spacious place to live, work, and relax.
NORTHSTOWE DARES TO BE DIFFERENT
It is designed to be an excellent place to live, built to high quality standards. The town has a vital role supporting growth in Cambridge and the wider region while having its own independent spirit.
Once complete, the community will have around 10,000 homes in an area of 540 hectares with lakes, parks, a town centre, schools, sports facilities, community facilities, and business space. There is easy access to the countryside and Cambridge via the guided busway and active travel routes.
The wide variety of home types and range of buying and renting options available in Northstowe supports a vibrant and diverse community where you can find a place to put down roots, nurture your family, or retire. From traditionally built homes with EV charging and solar panels to timber frame and factory-built electrically heated homes, there is something for everyone. Whether you are single, a couple, a growing family, or your children have flown the nest, the types of homes on offer to you will be extensive. There are already apartments, town houses, and family detached homes in the mix. This is a lifestyle destination for all ages, which has quality and sustainability at its foundation, and where you can help shape and develop your community.
A GROWING AND THRIVING COMMUNITY
Northstowe residents are pioneers: enjoying a new way of living, shaping community facilities and creating the groups they want to see. It’s a place where you can break boundaries and create something different, bringing like-minded people together. The town is in the early stages of development, but many community groups are already thriving here, including artists, runners, foodies, growers, walkers, and birders. There are more than 40 local community groups even now!
The Northstowe community centre provides a focal point for much of the town’s activity. Situated at The Green, The Cabin is a flexible space which hosts regular events, meetings, and exhibitions. Northstowe Tap and Social is a bar, bakery and more - offering a great place to socialise, day or night and featuring its very own popular Northstowe beer. People regularly book out the formal and informal sports facilities already on site. You can make use of these for your own events. Western Park Sports Pavilion provides access to a wide range of team and individual sports, from football to bowls.
The clubhouse is a place to gather and is available for private hire. Northstowe also has its own parkrun at Bug Hunter Waters. Further sports facilities planned include provision for cricket, tennis and rugby, skateboarding and BMX. And there are already a wide range of facilities and pitches that can be booked at weekends and evenings at Northstowe Secondary College for activities such as dance, yoga and a variety of ball sports. There are many more community facilities to come.
A COMMUNITY FOR GENERATIONS TO COME
Northstowe is a great place for children of all ages to live and educational facilities are a priority for the town’s development. Unusually, for a new development, the first building in Northstowe was The Pathfinder Church of England Primary School.
Early years, primary, secondary, and sixth form education are available in Northstowe, providing a place to learn for everybody from nine months to 18 years. The Northstowe Learning Community is home to Northstowe Secondary College, which opened in 2019, Northstowe Sixth Form College, which opened in September 2024, and The Martin Bacon Academy, a state-of-the-art special school. Northstowe Primary School opened to reception children in September 2024. Early years places are also catered for at Northstowe Nursery.
A CONNECTED TOWN
Northstowe is planned around a dedicated public transport system.
The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway whisks residents to Cambridge city centre in less than 30 minutes. You can be at Cambridge North railway station in under 20 minutes. The Busway also provides easy access to the science parks, Cambridge Regional College, Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Biomedical Campus. It has a purpose-built park and ride site; Longstanton Park and Ride, with 300 parking spaces and plenty of bike racks. A footpath from Northstowe provides easy access to walk there and get on a bus.
A HEALTHY NEW TOWN
Northstowe is designed to be an inspiring example of a sustainable, healthy living town that supports your wellbeing. You’re never far from nature.
The lakes and their setting attract wildlife and create tranquillity whilst accommodating walking and cycling routes, with sports facilities nearby that enable you to work out on your own or compete with others. There are incidental play areas threaded through the town for children to enjoy. Outdoor gyms and playing fields also provide plenty of options for getting active, and allotments are available for those who enjoy growing their own fruit and vegetables.
At Northstowe, you will never be far from enjoying the great outdoors at a pace to suit your mood and abilities. The town is criss-crossed with footpaths, cycling routes, and occasional bridleways providing miles of exploration opportunities from your doorstep.
In summary:
Publicly accessible open space
Sports pavilion and playing fields
Footpaths, Cycling routes, and Bridleways
Play Areas and Outdoor gyms
Waterside walking and cycling routes
Find a place to suit your mood.
OUTSTANDING AMENITIES ON THE WAY
This is a place of pioneers and entrepreneurs, where everything is designed to help you grow personally and professionally. Northstowe is a continued work in progress, breaking boundaries and showing what a community can achieve.
It already features amazing educational provision, community groups, leisure and sports provision, places to ‘grow your own’, facilities for young people, and space to breathe and think. Many more amenities are planned, including business start-up space. Homes England as master developer ensures green space, facilities and social infrastructure are provided at the right time and works with house builders to make sure they deliver good homes in great neighbourhoods.
Detailed proposals for a town centre will develop over time, with input and guidance sought from residents into what should be included. Places to shop, eat and drink, cafes, space for ‘pop ups’ and a town hub, including a library, health and community space, are planned as early destinations within the town centre.
A NEW TOWN WITH A LONG HISTORY
Although Northstowe is a new town, there is evidence of human occupation in this area over thousands of years.
The site’s past, present, and future are celebrated in a striking piece of public art entitled ‘A symbol for Northstowe’ created by local artist Chloe Leaper. Her striking mosaic piece, designed with the community, takes inspiration from fragments of the site’s history unearthed during development. Drawing inspiration from remnants of Roman buildings unearthed in Northstowe, medieval field furrows, the historic RAF Oakington runways, and the networking of archaeological trenches preceding Northstowe’s development, Chloe’s sculpture echoes the essence of Northstowe’s rich heritage.
Did you know…
Tonnes of animal bones and countless pieces of pottery and metal objects were found here during archaeological digs.
Did you know…
‘The Hundred of Stowe’ was noted in the Doomsday Book.
Did you know…
RAF Oakington was home to Seven Squadron and became an Advanced Flying Training School which counted King Charles III among its pupils.
RUN BY THE COMMUNITY, FOR THE COMMUNITY
While Northstowe is part of the wider Cambridge and Cambridgeshire story, it has its own evolving identity and sense of place. It has attracted a fantastic multi-cultural community striving to build a life that works for them and create a great place to live.
Northstowe Town Council is run by residents and gives you the opportunity to have a say in the town’s development with an elected Town Mayor. The Town Council is consulted on planning applications, and supports local groups and activities. These include the Community Lounge, Park Play outdoor play for children, a regular market that comes to The Green once a month and indoors at The Cabin. It also supports an established programme of local seasonal and cultural events. Northstowe Foodies, a pop-up food van service with a range of tasty treats serves the whole community. You can see the diverse range of local and cultural activities at The Cabin on the Northstowe Hub website.