Homes England goes to TOWN for Northstowe co-housing project Marmalade Lane developer to put people and planet at heart of new neighbourhood

Homes England has appointed profit-with-purpose developer, TOWN, to deliver a new cohousing community in Northstowe. Located eight miles northwest of Cambridge city, Northstowe is one of Britain’s most significant new towns under development.

Following the success of its cohousing community – Marmalade Lane – in Cambridge, TOWN’s vision will bring together high-quality design, good placemaking principles, and a commitment to creating a close, connected community in Northstowe. The development parcel – plot 2D1 in the Northstowe masterplan – lies directly to the south of Northstowe’s future town centre.

Earlier in 2024, TOWN undertook a successful market testing exercise, which highlighted a high level of interest in cohousing within the Greater Cambridge area. TOWN is now in the process of building a group of future residents, who, through a codesign process, will help to shape the new cohousing community. The scheme will include 40% affordable housing, together with a range of communal spaces and facilities.

Jonny Anstead, Founding Director at TOWN, said:

“At Northstowe, we want to create a place where residents know and support their neighbours, and share spaces and resources to live more sustainably. The benefits of cohousing are clear: it allows people to live happier, less isolated lives, fosters a real sense of community and enables residents to share resources and reduce their environmental impact. And in delivering a new cohousing community here at Northstowe, our aim is to support Homes England in shaping a unique, thriving and diverse community with more sustainable ways of living at its heart.”

The project once more sees TOWN collaborating with Mole Architects and builds on the success and learnings from Marmalade Lane, a 42-home cohousing development in Orchard Park, Cambridge, delivered by TOWN and completed in 2019. Celebrated as an exemplar for new housing in the UK, that project currently has a waiting list of over 400 households – enough to fill the development another nine times over.

TOWN has recently published Insights from Marmalade Lane, a post-occupancy report that highlights the impact that the development has had on the lives of its residents and the social value it continues to generate for them and the wider community. This aligns with Northstowe’s ethos of being a place centred around wellbeing and sustainability. A key finding of the report is that the environmental, social, and economic benefits of Marmalade Lane collectively generate over a million pounds in social value.

Matthew Brown, Head of Development at Homes England, also commented:

“Homes England is committed to making Northstowe a vibrant and successful place. A key component of this will be to provide a diverse range of housing types and tenures. Building on our existing Market and Affordable Homes – including Northstowe Discount Market Sale Homes for first-time buyers – cohousing will make a valuable contribution to this mix.

“Appointing TOWN is a great next step in Northstowe’s journey, and we’ll be working to support the developer in bringing forward proposals for an exciting housing development which champions community at its core.”

Homes England is master developer for phases 2 and 3, the final phases of Northstowe. Over the next 20 years, Northstowe will be transformed into a thriving community of around 10,000 new homes and approximately 25,000 people. TOWN is committed to supporting Homes England and its local partners in realising this long-term vision for the new town.

For updates on the proposals, or to enquire about potential future homes, visit: https://www.wearetown.co.uk/projects/northstowe/