Housing minister says Cambridge 2040 will help UK ‘punch much …

The housing and planning minister has said problems with water supply in Cambridge need to be addressed before a new 'urban quarter' can be built in the city. Rachel Maclean visited Cambridge on Thursday (October 26) to visit staff accommodation at Eddington.

In July, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove outlined plans to develop an 'urban quarter' in Cambridge to make the city 'Europe's science capital'. The project, known as 'Cambridge 2040'^[1], forms part of Government plans to address housing shortages across the country. The development could include up to 250,000 homes, as reported by The Sunday Times.

This week the Environment Agency objected to plans to build up to 1,000 new homes ^[2] on the outskirts of Cambridge due to water supply concerns. The organisation said it had not seen enough evidence to show the new homes at Darwin Green could be supplied with water sustainably.

Mrs Maclean said: "If we are going to build these homes we need to fix the water problem. It is right the Government gets involved and works with local partners as well. We need to solve this water problem if we are to build the right number of homes."

The minister did not specify how the 'water problem' would be solved. She said: "This has all been worked on by people who have a lot more skills than me in terms of how do we get the water. So there are solutions out there, it just requires coordination."

The minister was asked about Northstowe, Cambridgeshire's new town that still has no shops, cafés, or GP surgery ^[3] six years after the first families moved in. She described developing new towns as a 'chicken and egg' situation, saying: "Some of these facilities do need to have the population there in order for them to be viable. But the Government is very clear that the infrastructure needs to come with new development."

Mrs Maclean said Cambridge 2040 would help the UK 'punch much higher' and compete on the international stage. "That's why it's right for us to get involved with a long-term plan for housing and set out these visions," she said. "These are going to take place over a number of decades. But if we don't start now, when will we start?"

References

^{^} known as 'Cambridge 2040' (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
^{^} Environment Agency objected to plans to build up to 1,000 new homes (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
^{^} Northstowe, Cambridgeshire's new town that still has no shops, cafés, or GP surgery (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)