A planning application has been submitted for a distinctive new neighbourhood at Northstowe that is set to become a national first: two cohousing communities delivered side-by-side as part of a planned new town.

The unique development, designed by Mole Architects, is a project by the new joint venture between TOWN and The Hill Group, in partnership with Homes England (masterdeveloper for phases two and three of Northstowe). The neighbourhood will deliver 145 homes across four compact urban buildings. Crucially, 40% of the homes will be affordable, including Affordable Rent and Discount Market Sale.

The new joint venture aims to scale the delivery of cohousing across the south of England, building on the success of the multi-award-winning Marmalade Lane cohousing neighbourhood in Orchard Park, also delivered by TOWN and Mole Architects.

The Northstowe neighbourhood, situated near the emerging town centre, will include two distinct groups that have been deeply involved in a year-long codesign process:

• Suvana Cohousing: A community grounded in Buddhist values.
• Northstowe Cohousing: A multi-generational community modelled on Marmalade Lane.

The design is centred around a car-free play street linking directly to the Greenway park. It is framed by shared gardens, play spaces, and two ‘common houses’—shared spaces where residents can cook, eat, and spend time together.

The homes, which range from one to four bedrooms, are designed to be highly energy-efficient:

• All houses are timber-framed and feature air source heat pumps.
• Materials favour low embodied carbon.
• The landscape, designed by Guarda Landscape, integrates sustainable drainage, edible planting, and natural play.

The Cambridge Quality Panel praised the development as “a high-quality, innovative proposal that brings diversity and social richness to Northstowe.”

Subject to consent, construction is expected to begin in summer 2026.

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