New permanent community centre completed in town

A community centre built to "high environmental standards" in a new town has been completed, a district council said.

South Cambridgeshire District Council said the Unity Centre in Northstowe, Cambridgeshire, would be open to the public from 30 March.

The new building, which included a main hall, cafe, library and offices for Northstowe Town Council, was powered by a ground source heat pump in its garden.

Carla Bros Sabrià, the town's mayor, said the handing over of the keys "marks a turning page in the story of Northstowe".

A temporary community centre has been used since 2023 in the town, which will eventually have 11,000 homes and about 26,000 residents.

"The Unity Centre will become a true focal point for Northstowe," said Henry Batchelor, Liberal Democrat cabinet member for communities.

He added it would give residents "a welcoming place to connect, collaborate, and celebrate".

Tom Bygott, a Conservative councillor for Northstowe, welcomed the opening, adding: "This will be the headquarters for the town council as well as a building that hosts lots of great community groups – it's fantastic that the building is now finished and ready to be used by the community."

Sabrià added: "[The community centre] will open up new opportunities for residents, community groups, local organisations and businesses - both here in Northstowe and in our neighbouring villages.

"The timing of this transfer feels particularly fitting as we approach the end of the council's first full term.

"I am very pleased that the new town council, to be formed in May, will begin its work with such a strong foundation: a dedicated civic space for meetings, collaboration, and for establishing the Unity Centre as the symbolic heart of Northstowe."

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