Homes England to invest £120,000 into Northstowe community initiatives
Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency, has announced £120,000 of grant funding to help organisations promote community cohesion and enhance the vibrancy of life in Northstowe, a new town under development north of Cambridge.
The master developer for the remaining phases of the new community, Homes England, will provide up to £20,000 of grant funding each year through this newly created fund, spanning from 2024 to 2029. South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) will administer the fund on behalf of Homes England.
The funding will support projects that will directly benefit Northstowe residents, contribute to community vibrancy, and enable opportunities for resident participation. Successful applications could include initiatives that promote access to arts and cultural activities, support environmental sustainability, and promote the use of community facilities in Northstowe.
The call for applications is now open and full details of the submission criteria can be found at Apply for the Northstowe Community Activation Grant Fund (scambs.gov.uk). Applicants must be a non-profit group or organisation that is based in Northstowe or benefits Northstowe residents, a public sector body with a demonstrable community focus, or a Parish or Town Council.
Matthew Brown, head of large sites at Homes England, commented:
Supporting people to form connections and build a sense of belonging is critical when it comes to creating new places – particularly when it comes to significant new developments like Northstowe.
We’ve been investing in the growing the Northstowe community for some time now, and it’s been brilliant to see the creative ways in which our support has helped to enhance vibrancy in the emerging town, from enabling a major art project to funding youth support and festive activities.
It’s great to now be opening up the Community Activation Fund for submissions and we’re looking forward to seeing the applications come in. Through this investment, we’ll be working with SCDC to support projects that enhance community cohesion and quality of life as Northstowe continues to develop and flourish over the coming years.
Even though the emerging town is still in its infancy – Northstowe is set to be transformed into a thriving new community of around 25,000 people over the next two decades – a diverse community is already shaping its unique identity. Over 3,000 people currently call Northstowe home, and there are a series of thriving community and faith groups, along with a dedicated Town Council, in place.
Many residents are already making use of the Western Park Sports Pavilion and The Cabin, a temporary community centre on The Green. The community also benefits from a community orchard and allotments, delivered by SCDC, and managed by Northstowe Horticultural Association, as well as a weekly market.
South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Lead Cabinet Member for Communities, Cllr Bill Handley, said:
Northstowe is already a super place to live with some fantastic facilities – including the impressive brand-new sports pavilion and pitches, schools, allotments, a beautiful waterpark, walking and cycling trails, arts, and horticulture groups, and so much more. We are now looking forward to this grant being used to support larger scale community initiatives.
The idea is to really help showcase what Northstowe can offer, raising awareness of what a brilliant place it is to call home. We would love to see this money used to fund big events that help build Northstowe’s already wonderful sense of community – such as local celebrations, sports festivals or events that further improve health and wellbeing.
The application portal is now accepting submissions and will be open year-round. More information can be found here: Apply for the Northstowe Community Activation Grant Fund (scambs.gov.uk)
Notes to editors
About Northstowe
Northstowe is a major residential-led development eight miles northwest of Cambridge City. Phases 2 and 3, the final phases of development, are by Homes England. Over the next 20 years, the former RAF airfield site and surrounding land will be transformed into a thriving new town community of around 25,000 people, featuring 10,000 new homes, multiple high-quality community facilities, all carefully knitted together with natural assets and a new town centre.
L&Q Estates has delivered phase one, which features 1,500 homes, new primary school sports facilities, connections to the emerging town via road, cycle and walking and an amenity lake. It is almost complete – thousands of people already call Northstowe home, with schools in use, a thriving level of grassroots community activity, and a new Town Council.
Homes England is responsible for Phases 2 and 3 and has secured planning permission for the town centre phase (Phase Two), which includes 3,500 homes and permission to provide shops, cafes, and various facilities. Additionally, Homes England has prepared the former brownfield MoD land, involving extensive clearing and remediation efforts to ready it for development, and provided essential infrastructure to support homes and facilities in Phases Two and Three. This includes access roads, drainage provision (including amenity waterparks), cycleways and walkways, plus land and funding for the Education Campus, catering to students for nursery through to sixth form, along with adjoining sports facilities like cricket, rugby, and football pitches.
Moreover, Homes England’s contributions extend to the development of the future town centre area, as well as actively engaging in preparing and selling development land for homes.
About Homes England
As the government’s housing and regeneration agency we believe that affordable, quality homes in well-designed places are key to improving people’s lives. We make this happen by using our powers, expertise, land, capital and influence to both bring investment to communities and get more quality homes built.
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