The market square will be located in the new local centre, called Eddington, on the North West Cambridge Development and will be an important focal point for the new community. The square was designed by landscape architects, Townshends, and is intended to accommodate a range of events and markets, and provide a lively and inviting environment for the new community and existing Cambridge residents. Around the square there will be shops and social spaces as well as 264 affordable key worker housing units, which have been designed by Stanton Williams Architects. These designs will sit beside previously approved proposals for a Sainsbury’s supermarket, energy centre, primary school, community centre and additional key worker housing.
Heather Topel, Deputy Project Director for the North West Cambridge Development said: “The market square is a critical ingredient to creating the urban grain for this new district. We envisage that this space will be a natural meeting point for the future residents, neighbours and visitors to enjoy the local facilities and events that will be hosted in the area when the square opens.”
The Stanton Williams designs include one, two and four-bedroomed apartments that will meet the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 5. The retail units and non-residential spaces will be built to BREEAM Excellent. Stanton Williams designed the Sainsbury Laboratory in Cambridge which was the RIBA Stirling prize winner in 2012.
All of the planning applications for the University-delivered parcels for the first phase of the North West Cambridge Development have now been approved. The University will now be working with the selected residential developers to seek planning permission for the market housing that will be delivered in the first phase.
There will be phased completions of the first phase of the development from Autumn 2015 with the opening of the Primary School through to the local centre opening in Spring 2017.