Northstowe: Plans revealed for permanent community centre

Plans for a new town's eco-friendly permanent community centre have been revealed, six years after the first residents moved in.

Northstowe is planned to be the UK's biggest new settlement since the development of Milton Keynes.

South Cambridgeshire District Council has submitted the application and hopes to build it on land it owns.

Bill Handley, lead cabinet member for communities, said residents had "really helped us shape the design".

Mr Handley said: "We are aiming for a warm and welcoming building that will serve the community and its activities and groups for decades to come and nature and the environment are at the heart of the plans."

Northstowe will eventually see 10,000 new homes, creating a town of about 26,000 people. The first "pioneer" residents moved in during April 2017.

More than 1,200 homes are now occupied, but the settlement has no shops.

There are three schools, sports facilities, allotments, a town council and a recently opened temporary community centre.

The application proposes that the centre will be built using Passivhaus principles, which means it will have high standards of insulation and air tightness, reducing energy demand.

It will also have solar panels, ground source heat pumps, while bird and bat boxes will be integrated into the building which will feature green roofs, plants and hedges.

The town's district councillor, Natalie Warren-Green, said: "I'm pleased that Northstowe is getting closer to having a permanent hub for residents to use for a wide range of activities, a cafe, and as a base for the community team and health workers too."

The community centre is one of several permanent community buildings being delivered by the council. A sports pavilion is due to be completed in September.

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