Cambridge Investment Partnership (CIP) and Councillors celebrated another successful start on site at Cromwell Road, Cambridge, in the heart of the city. This is the 11th start on site for the partnership since it was established in 2017, which shows its total commitment to deliver on its promise to address the housing shortage across Cambridge.
Cromwell Road is CIP’s largest scheme in its pipeline and will deliver 295 new homes, with 40% (118 homes) being new council rented homes.
The former merchant’s site will be transformed into a vibrant community that will see much needed quality homes provided; with bicycle parking, parking for cars — including a basement car park and electric vehicle charging spaces for every house. Creating a cohesive community is at the heart of the development and this scheme will also see the development of a new community centre and nursery along with open spaces and play equipment to enjoy.
All of the council rented homes will be wheelchair accessible, with six specially adapted for wheelchair users. Three of the homes will also be designated as ‘Housing First’ homes for people who had previously been vulnerably housed or homeless.
These homes will all be built in line with the Cambridge Sustainable Housing Design Guide which exceeds national policy guidelines and will incorporate a number of sustainable features including; green roofs on apartment blocks, photovoltaic panels on the roofs of houses and apartments, a sustainable urban drainage system incorporated into the landscape and denser insulation and wall thickness to minimise heat loss and reduce energy bills for residents.
All private for sale houses on the development will be constructed to the same high efficiency levels and the whole project will be tenure blind.
Cllr Richard Johnson, Executive Councillor for Housing said: “I’m really pleased to see the progress made in getting the Cromwell Road site ready for construction. This site will regenerate a part of Romsey delivering over 100 new low-carbon council homes of a high quality, exceeding national standards of sustainability and comfort.
“With nearly 300 new homes in total on the site, this development will make an important contribution to our commitment to tackling Cambridge’s affordable housing crisis.”
Tom Hill, Director at Hill said: “Cromwell Road is going to be an attractive development of 295 new homes, that will also have a park, children’s nursery and community centre. This is an exciting project for Cambridge Investment Partnership and we’re confident the end result will be an excellent addition to Cambridge and its inhabitants. As a growing city, Cambridge needs more quality housing and our partnership is committed to delivering just that by utilising land where we can. At Cromwell Road, we’re building on land which was previously occupied by the well-known builders merchant, Ridgeons, and it’s great to see the project finally taking shape and coming to life.”
Header image shows Cllr Anna Smith, Tom Hill, Director of Hill and CIP Investment Team member, Cllr Richard Johnson, Claire Flowers, Head of Housing Development Agency for Cambridge City Council and CIP Investment Team member, and Cllr Dave Baigent at Cromwell Road, Cambridge.
