Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook Visits Eddington

On Thursday 23^rd October, the Minister of State for Housing & Planning, Matthew Pennycook MP visited Eddington as part of a wider trip to Cambridge, which culminated in his attendance at the Innovate Cambridge Summit.

Hosted by the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah Prentice, and Head of North West Cambridge development, Matt Johnson, the Minister saw progress that had occurred at Eddington over the last thirteen months, having previously visited in September 2024.

Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, said:

“It was a pleasure to welcome back the Housing Minister to Eddington to see first-hand the progress we have made since his last visit. Eddington is central to our wider plans for supporting innovation and attracting and retaining global talent. The work that has gone into creating this vibrant new community has set the foundations for continued sustainable growth in the city.”

During his visit, Mr Pennycook saw first-hand the Storey’s Field Centre which is the community and cultural heart of Eddington, as well as the transformation of Eddington Square which is now a vibrant local centre supporting small businesses. His tour included a walk through the neighbourhood seeing the range of homes delivered in the first phase including student accommodation, affordable and market housing. The Minister also visited the site for the future phases of development.

Following a year of consultation with over 1,500 members of the local community, the University recently submitted the outline planning application to the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service for the next phases of Eddington, which will bring the total number of homes to 5,650 with up to 50% affordable housing for University key workers.

The visit comes on the day when the Government announced a £500m investment in the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, including a £15m investment into the University of Cambridge’s Innovation Hub in the city centre.

The Minister walked through the Eddington neighbourhood from the Storey’s Field Centre to the site where the Future Phases will be located. The tour ended at Apache Capital’s newly completed Present Made development, the UK’s first purpose-built single-family housing scheme, where 373 high quality Build-to-Rent homes have been delivered in the last two years, demonstrating the rapid delivery that is ongoing in Eddington.

Head of Development for North West Cambridge, Matt Johnson, said:

“We were delighted to welcome the Minister back to Eddington to show him the progress that has been made in the last year. We are proud to be developing a high quality neighbourhood, with one third of the site being green and open spaces meeting high sustainability standards. Hundreds of homes are currently under construction as part of our first phase, meaning the University is continuing its efforts to ease housing pressures in Cambridge.

“We also discussed our plans for the Future Phases of Eddington, highlighting the extent of the site and what we intend to build in the years to come. By increasing the number of homes for University key workers, students and the wider community, we are delivering substantial benefits for Cambridge and the UK, including contributing to the Government’s goal of building 1.5m new homes this parliament.”

The University of Cambridge’s outline planning application has now been submitted to the local authorities for determination.