Darwin Green 2 and 3
Darwin Green 2 and 3 is an Outline application for up to 1,000 new homes, a country park, secondary school, primary school and sports pitches. This is part of the sustainable urban housing-led expansion of Cambridge. The is allocated in South Cambridgeshire District Council 2018 Local Plan.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the submission of a planning application was delayed. The first round of public consultation took place in 2019 with the second round taking place in early 2022. Comments submitted during both rounds of engagement have been taken into consideration wherever possible to help evolve the designs.
The application has now been submitted to South Cambridgeshire District Council.
Benefits of the proposal include:
Up to 1,000 new homes
40% affordable housing to meet Cambridge’s housing need and to allow first time buyers to get onto the housing ladder
A country park
A Secondary and Primary School
Sports pitches
Enhanced walking and cycling routes connecting to the wider site of Darwin Green 1 and elsewhere in the local community
Proposals
The Outline application will deliver up to 1,000 new homes of which 40% will be affordable to enable first time buyers to get onto the housing ladder. This will be provided in a variety of house types and tenures to provide maximum opportunities for residents. A secondary school and primary school are included in the proposals and will be open to new and existing residents.
The secondary school will be built once the 450th home is occupied on Darwin Green 1 – this is a legal agreement that was secured through the Outline permission in 2013.
The central element of the development will be the provision of a country park. This will be accessible for new and existing residents which will feature a children’s play area, walking and cycling routes for all to enjoy.
The masterplan has been designed with destrian and cyclist safety and ease of movement as the highest priority, building on the cycling culture that already exists in Cambridge. Extensive purpose-built cycle connections, including an orbital cycle route along the northern edge of the development area, will provide for journeys to all destinations and for cyclists of all abilities.
Houses will be sensitively designed to reflect the heritage of Cambridge across the range of diverse house and apartment types. This will include a mixture of 2, 2.5 and 3 storey buildings. In carefully selected locations building will be 3 or 4 storeys in height to provide focal points to assist in creating a diverse community.
Access to the development will be provided via a new priority junction on the Darwin Green 1 access road connecting with Histon Road. A primary road will then provide access to all areas of the site, which has been designed to keep traffic speeds low.
A public bus services connecting Darwin Green with the City centre will be provided with bus stops within 400 metres (5-minute walk) of every home. Discussions are currently underway with Stagecoach as to how best to provide this service.
Images of homes already built on BDW1
