Cambridgeshire couple ‘finds sense of belonging’ in UK’s newest town

For centuries, the land north of Cambridge has been called ‘home’ - home to a Roman settlement in the fourth century, home to an RAF base from 1940, and now home to the UK’s newest emerging town.

Set to be one of the most significant new towns in England, Northstowe has seen runways and barracks replaced with schools, cycleways and energy-efficient homes.

The former Roman settlement now creates the foundations for one of the UK’s most ambitious housing projects, particularly poignant as the country needs 300,000 more homes each year to meet demand.

Once complete, Northstowe will become a 10,000-home new town from multiple developers led by Homes England, the Government’s housing and regeneration agency.

Having built 300 homes already, top 10 housebuilder Keepmoat is finalising the creation of its Stirling Fields development in Northstowe - working to deliver phase two of the thriving community.

Viswa Vijayakumar, 30, and her partner, Sankeerth, 29, bought their two-bedroom house at Stirling Fields for £360,000 in 2024. Their previous rented properties, all older housing stock, were “absolutely riddled with issues, mould and cracks.

Tired of the challenges of renting, the couple, both System Engineers, set their sights on buying a new build. A visit to Stirling Fields sealed the deal, and the couple now pay £300 a month less for a mortgage compared to their most recent rented property.

After settling in quickly, making new friends and enjoying being part of a new community - the couple were excited to have a fully modern, kitted out property with no snags or wear and tear problems.

Twelve months on, Viswa and Sankeerth have exciting news - they’ve chosen Northstowe as the perfect place to start their family. “When we bought this home, we knew it was where we wanted to put down roots, and now we’re preparing to welcome our first child in February 2026,” says Viswa.

“After years of renting older properties and dealing with issues, moving to a new-build felt like the natural next step,” she continues. “We purchased our home for 30 percent less than the average price in Cambridge, and the process was incredibly smooth.

“Sankeerth and I wanted to live somewhere with a genuine sense of community, and we’re delighted to have moved to an area where people are at similar life stages and share similar lifestyles.”

Like all 300 homes at Stirling Fields, Viswa and Sankeerth’s property includes integrated solar panels and an EV charger. The development features landscaped green spaces and connected transport links to Cambridge, making the couple’s commute quick and straightforward.

“Saving for a first home isn’t easy,” Viswa admits. “It took us four years of careful saving, including utilising investments, to secure a 20 percent deposit, so it’s important to be sure that the place you’re moving to is the one.”

Matthew Brown, head of large sites at Homes England, added: “Stirling Field is really taking shape as a well-designed neighbourhood, now halfway through, with a new commercial unit and playground due to be completed in 2026. Our focus now turns to maintaining momentum as we move into progressing planning and enabling the infrastructure that supports further sustainable growth as part of the Government’s New Homes Accelerator. That’s exactly what our strategic partnership with Keepmoat is designed to do.”

Over the next decade at Northstowe, a collaboration of developers will continue to create homes, amenities and a brand-new town centre. The landscape will change, and extra provisions will be created, adding to existing features which already include a park and ride facility, a sports centre, excellent schools, water parks, miles of cycle lanes, bridleways and other facilities such as a community centre, playgrounds and allotments.

To find out more, please visit: https://www.keepmoat.com/stirling-fields-northstowe