FAQs

A lake and education buildings in Northstowe

  • For GP appointments, Northstowe residents register with Willingham and Longstanton Medical Practice, with 2,750 patients already enrolled and more capacity available. 

    An NHS room in The Unity Centre offers health visiting and midwifery, and residents have access to enhanced access services 5 days per week.

    A range of future health services is planned for Northstowe. Homes England has provided the land and £16.4 million in funding for a health facility, library, and Town Hub in Phase Two. 

    This will be a 1,740 sqm health facility including health space for General Medical Services, Community Trusts, a pharmacy, and dentistry. South Cambridgeshire District Council will build and manage these facilities, while the NHS, through the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board, will oversee health service service provision.

    Latest updates from the NHS can be found via the Northstowe Community Forum webpage.

    The Community Resources page lists all local services, including the aforementioned GP surgeries.

  • Northstowe is being built by a number of developers and contractors in three main phases. Urban & Civic, previously L&Q Estates, is leading Phase One, while Homes England is leading Phases Two and Three. Homes England works closely with contractors, private housebuilders, and the South Cambridgeshire District Council to create a high-quality, sustainable new town.

    Read more about this and how long Northstowe will take to develop on About Northstowe.

  • The first outline planning permission for homes at Northstowe was granted in 2014 to Gallagher Estates (L&Q’s predecessor). Phase one commenced construction shortly after this, with the remainder of Northstowe dependent on the major upgrade to the A14. The town welcomed its first residents in early 2017.

  • Public spaces in Northstowe are initially managed by the developer of each phase. Over time, management is handed over to third parties or other organisations who will look after them in the long term.

    In Phase One, Greenbelt manages green spaces, and Anglian Water manages Bug Hunter Waters lake. Northstowe Town Council is not currently responsible for managing all public spaces, but it is involved in conversations about how some spaces and community facilities could be looked after in the future as the town grows.

    Northstowe Town Council is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Unity Centre, Northstowe’s community centre. It includes a main hall, foyer/café, kitchens, meeting rooms, co-working space, micro-library, activity space, Northstowe Town Council offices, toilets including a Changing Places facility, outdoor space and bicycle parking.

    Homes England’s Estates team manages open space within Phase Two and Three while long-term arrangements are put in place. To report issues on Homes England land, please dial 01925 844057. See map of phases and developers.

  • Northstowe has an extensive mix of homes on offer, available to buy - including Discount Market Homes - for rent, and part-buy part-rent through shared ownership schemes and even unique co-housing opportunities. Read more here.

  • Homes England is the government’s housing and regeneration agency. The government stepped in to build Northstowe when the new town market became less attractive to commercial developers, and in order to enable much-needed and affordable homes to support the growing local and world-leading tech, medicine and science economy.

    They are responsible for leading the planning permissions and facilitating the construction of Northstowe Phases Two and Three, including the land and funding for schools, community buildings, roads, and green spaces. 

    Homes England sells land plots to developers to build homes on, and other amenities such as parks and commercial buildings, like the town centre shops, reinvesting any proceeds from land sales into the public purse, via the Treasury.  Read more here.

  • There is already a wide range of community facilities available at Northstowe, which will continue to expand as the town grows. These can be found on the Community Directory.

    For more information about the Northstowe community, contact the Northstowe Community Development Officers at northstowe.community@scambs.gov.uk.

    For more information on local services and governance, there is a Northstowe Town Council and a Mayor.

  • Currently, there is no dedicated shop within Northstowe, but plans are underway for various facilities as the community develops over time into a much larger town.  

    Homes England has land and outline planning for shops and cafes as part of the future town centre and is currently seeking a commercial developer partner

    Opposite the secondary school, the creation of a temporary commercial space is underway, creating an early destination at the site of the future town hub.

    There is also a commercial unit being constructed under the apartments at Stirling Fields.  South Cambridgeshire District Council will take on the lease for this building initially, before it is let to a suitable operator.

    Read more about the temporary commercial space and other progress: https://www.northstowe.com/meanwhile-application and https://www.northstowe.com/winter-2026-construction-blog

    A full list of local facilities can be found on the community page: https://www.northstowe.com/community-resources

  • There is a footpath and cycle path along the dedicated access road from the B1050 near the A14 junction, all the way through Northstowe to the secondary school. There are also footpaths and cycleways around the current development, linking it to the wider area. It would take around one hour on foot, and about 20 minutes to cycle across this distance along the access road.

  • Northstowe offers around 5 km of footpaths, cycleways, and the main spine road, Stirling Road, which hosts the popular Northstowe Running Festival.

    The emerging town is also served by the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, accessible from Longstanton Park and Ride.  Find out more on the Travel page.

    According to The Guardian, the busway is not only the world’s longest but one of the UK’s most scenic routes. Read more here.

  • The Unity Centre, Northstowe’s main community building, and the Western Park Sports Pavilion have been delivered by South Cambridgeshire District Council.

    The new Northstowe Sports Centre Gym, managed by P&E Sports, opened in January 2026, located at Northstowe Secondary College along with other community sports facilities.

    South Cambridgeshire District Council’s New Build Team is responsible for the design and build of some of the future community buildings including the Town Hub and Eastern Sports Pavilion. You can read more on their website, including more information about the opening of the Unity Centre: https://www.scambs.gov.uk/community-safety-and-health/northstowe/your-common-northstowe-questions-answered/

  • All Northstowe children are offered school places within the community, within walking distance from early years through sixth form.

    Northstowe Learning Community also has a secondary school, Northstowe Secondary College, and the Martin Bacon Academy, a Special Educational Needs school, a Sixth Form, additional Primary School and early years provision. 

    In total, Northstowe plans to have eight schools upon completion. Find out more at Northstowe Education.

  • Northstowe Nursery is a purpose-built 96-place nursery located at the Northstowe Learning Community. 

    Read more here.

  • Phase Two homes incorporate energy-saving materials, low-carbon heating, and renewable energy sources, the goal is to create homes that significantly reduce their carbon footprint.  Homes at Lockhart Way and Stirling Fields benefit from these features.

    Find out more on the Buy and Home page: https://www.northstowe.com/buying-a-home 

    In addition, all phases of Northstowe have undergone a thorough Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to ensure the protection of the environment and the local habitat. 

    Find out more about what is happening, on the Sustainability page.

  • The landscape and green infrastructure of the natural land in and around Northstowe have helped to inform the layout of the town, integrating both green spaces and waterways for the community to enjoy.

    You can read more about drainage, water, and flood management on phases two and three in Homes England’s blog and detailed booklet on the website.

  • Northstowe has a huge amount of history. The site itself dates back to the time of the Romans and earlier. Oakington Airfield was a premier RAF station for 35 years. It was the original home of the Short Stirling, the first four-engined heavy bomber to enter service, as well as other aircraft such as Blenheims, Wellingtons, Stirlings, Lancasters, and Mosquitoes. 

    Moreover, community settlements have been dated back thousands of years.  You can read more on the history pages of the Northstowe website.

    Plans for a dedicated Heritage Centre unfortunately stopped mid-build, following the County Council’s contractor going into administration. The County Council intends to display archaeological finds from across both Northstowe and the major upgrade to the A14 in a different way.

    You can read more here.