About us
The Future of Eddington - Second Consultation
Welcome to our second exhibition on the University of Cambridge’s proposals for the future phases of Eddington, the North West Cambridge development.
In September we held our first round of public consultation, introducing our guiding principles for future phases to expand our thriving neighbourhood in Eddington.
We’re now sharing our emerging masterplan for the future phases of North West Cambridge.
Drawing showing our emerging masterplan
Our Conversations So Far
In late September and early October, over 500 people from across Cambridge – including Eddington residents, university students and staff, families, and community members – took part in our first round of consultation on the future phases of North West Cambridge.
We would like to thank everyone that took the time to attend an event and provide feedback to the project team.
Your Feedback
From the numerous feedback forms and hundreds of
conversations we learned a lot about what matters most
to you.
- It’s clear that affordable key worker housing is a top priority — ensuring there are homes for university staff, as well as postgraduates
- There’s a lot of excitement about how the future phases could bring more much-needed housing to Cambridge
- People love the green spaces and sustainable design elements already in Eddington, and many want to see these features expanded and developed upon
But it’s also clear that Eddington is not without its challenges, which we’ll seek to address as we design the future phases.
- Lots of you love what we’ve achieved in Eddington and enjoy spending time there, but there are concerns about the future phases impacting neighbouring areas
- There are some environmental concerns, such as noise pollution from the nearby M11 and the need for robust water management.
- The management of traffic around Eddington and its future phases
- We also heard your concerns around the supporting infrastructure for the development, such as healthcare provision and retail opportunities in Eddington Square
As our proposals develop we will integrate design responses and mitigations to address these challenges.
Our Design Approach: New Homes
Our proposals reaffirm our commitment to creating a sustainable, ambitious, and long-lasting place that addresses the critical need for affordable housing for University staff and accommodation for post-graduate students. In September, we introduced our Guiding Principles for the future phases:
- Integrate sustainable design principles
- Create an exemplar in community placemaking
- Secure the University’s long-term future
- Support the wider Cambridge ecosystem
Driven by our desire to the create a genuinely diverse and vibrant community that reflects the existing Eddington community and Cambridge as a whole, future phases of Eddington will include a range of tenures for people at all stages of life. While we haven’t committed to alternative tenures yet, some of the options we’re considering may include a mix of:
- Market housing
- Key worker housing
- Student housing
- Later living
- Co-living
- University faculty buildings
- Office uses
- Mid-tech units
As part of our commitment to world class placemaking, our proposals include a mix of housing types and communal garden spaces to meet neighbours, play and grow.
A network of diverse play areas will be created across the future developments in Eddington, encouraging both children and adults to enjoy outdoor activities.
Key-worker and post-graduate accommodation will enjoy shared social spaces to help foster a greater sense of community. The emerging masterplan will promote a harmonious, inclusive environment.
HOUSING DENSITY
The new homes in Eddington directly respond to Cambridge’s strategic housing needs, providing for both University staff and market homes.
In September we introduced our intention to enhance the delivery of new housing in Eddington to between 5,000 and 6,000 homes within the existing development footprint through community-sensitive densification.
BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
To make this happen, we’re looking at different ways to add more homes on existing plots—something we’ve already accomplished in Phase 1 through detailed planning applications. For example, on plots S1/S2 and S3 in Phase 1, our development partners were able to increase the number of homes in a thoughtful way without expanding building footprints.
A majority of buildings across the site will be between four and six stories, with taller buildings to be located at landmark points across the site. We’re currently looking to focus height in the locations marked by stars on the massing map.
WESTERN EDGE
At the first public consultation, you told us that homes facing Brook Leys along the Western Edge may be impacted by noise pollution from the M11.
As part of the ongoing design process, we’ve carried out noise impact assessments for homes facing the Western Edge to understand the current levels and looked at design options to mitigate against noise pollution from the M11. Through the use of building massing and orientation, together with the use of dual-aspect units, all homes will be delivered within acceptable noise ranges.
Our Design Approach: Academic, Research & Commercial Spaces
At the north end of the site, we’ve allocated land for commercial building uses. The placement of the commercial space has been chosen to ensure it does not affect the quieter quality of the residential areas elsewhere in North West Cambridge.
Some of the commercial uses we’re looking to include are office space, spaces to support research and development or laboratories (known as mid-tech units), and University faculty buildings.
SUPPORTING THE CAMBRIDGE ECOSYSTEM
We’re also working with our colleagues on Cambridge West to create a dynamic innovation district that combines academic research, entrepreneurial innovation and commercial activity that will add to and strengthen the Cambridge eco-system. The area will foster collaboration between academia and industry, while being an open part of the city. This carefully planned area integrates spaces for research and development, entrepreneurial ventures and University facilities, alongside the new proposal of mid-tech industries at Eddington, fostering collaboration between academia and industry.
By combining the cutting-edge research environment of Cambridge West with the vibrant, mixed-use character of Eddington, we are creating an innovation district that supports knowledge exchange, commercialisation, and sustainable growth, reinforcing Cambridge’s position as a global leader in research and innovation.
Our Design Approach: Landscaping & Shared Gardens
At the first consultation, you told us you love what we’ve achieved in creating new green open spaces in Eddington.
We’re committed to expanding and improving on the open spaces we created in the first phase.
Our focus for the future phases is on safe, green, and accessible public areas, that will integrate the site’s topography, ecology, and hydrology. This will form interconnected natural systems that support people and the environment, blending open spaces, new plantings, and areas for sports and play.
SHARED GARDENS
The concept of these gardens is to create larger green spaces within Eddington for neighbours to come together, enjoy nature at their doorsteps and to foster community spirit. We see them as spaces where you can grow vegetables in the spring, relax with neighbours over a cup of tea or watch your children play from a nearby home.
We want the shared gardens to be full of life and used in many different ways by all the residents of Eddington. They will include a variety of spaces and uses to facilitate this:
SHARED GARDENS
The shared gardens are important spaces for sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDs)
PRODUCTIVE
Growing in the gardens will be encouraged through the creation of doorstep growing spaces alongside places to sit and gather
PLAY
New play spaces for a range of age groups
NATURE
Diverse planting and foraging routes will emphasise the connection between nature and liveable spaces
Our Design Approach: Active Travel Routes
At the first public consultation you told us you have concerns about traffic management, such as how the future phases will be accessed by vehicle and the availability of parking. You also mentioned road safety along Turing Way.
ACTIVE TRAVEL ROUTES
Key to our sustainability objectives for the future phases is the integration of active travel routes throughout the site. The cycling and pedestrian network has been significantly enhanced from the consented 2013 masterplan, with a denser network of cycle and pedestrian routes providing access to every home and every open space across Eddington. In addition, the new active travel network will be linked to existing routes to the city centre and Girton.
We’ve removed vehicle access to the shared gardens in our proposed travel routes. This means we can devote more of the space to landscaping and places to enjoy, while facilitating safer and more sustainable means of active travel.
PARKING AND ROADS
The road network in the future phases will be served by Cartwright Avenue, which will meet Huntingdon Road at the northern end of the site. The junction will incorporate two Toucan crossings on Huntingdon Road.
Cartwright Avenue will form a new connection between Huntingdon Road and Turing Way. The road will be designed as a low-speed environment with multiple north to south crossing points for pedestrians and cyclists. Segregated pedestrian and cycle facilities will be provided.
The residential areas either side of Cartwright Avenue will prioritise active travel, socialising and play.
We’re also currently looking at a range of parking solutions to find the right balance between landscape, placemaking, development needs, and prioritising pedestrians and cyclists. Among the options we’re currently considering are on-street parking, podiums, in parking ‘pools’, and on plot outside individual homes.
Our Design Approach: Sustainability
We aim to build on the high sustainability standards of Phase 1, creating a community that promotes sustainable living and working according to the following principles and design approaches:
OUR CORE SUSTAINABILITY PRINCIPLES
- Promoting healthy living
- Lowering the carbon footprint of the future phases
- Designing for both current and future needs
Sports & Amenity Consultation
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
We want to hear from you on the types of outdoor open spaces and recreational areas we include in our plans for the future phases. Please refer to the image below and fill in question six on the feedback form.
Next Steps
Thank you for taking the time to attend our public exhibition on our early ideas for the future phases of Eddington.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
We encourage you to complete a short survey on the emerging masterplan we’ve presented today, as your feedback will fundamentally shape our masterplan for North West Cambridge.
GET IN TOUCH
If you have any questions, or would like the information displayed in an alternative format, please get in touch with the project team using the details below:
- consultation@eddington-cambridge.co.uk
- 0207 096 7733
- www.eddington-cambridge.co.uk