Plans progress for next phase of Alconbury Weald: 1,500 homes approved at Grange Farm
- 24.04.2024
Plans have been approved for up to 1,500 new homes, open space, play areas and a local centre with retail/café and community spaces at Grange Farm, Alconbury Weald. The approval – made unanimously by Huntingdonshire District Council’s Development Management Committee on Monday night (22 April) - provides a Resolution to Grant, subject to finalising the S106 agreement for this next phase of development.
The new homes - alongside the delivery of a new 60 hectare Country Park, which was approved by the Development Management Committee in November 2023 - form the next phase of the 6,500 home development. The homes, play spaces, parks and other amenities within Grange Farm will be delivered in two stages: with the first 750 homes coming forward to the north of the site. The south section – also 750 homes – will continue once the plans for the A141 (Huntingdon’s outer ring road) are finalised, and include land set aside to support any realignment of this road that might come forward. The project to assess the possible realignment and improvements to the A141 is being led by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
The new homes will nestle between the Country Park and a new Link Route being created to run as a central spine through the development for buses, bikes, pedestrians and cars: from the A141 to connect to the future rail station planned for Alconbury Weald, through the central hub and linking with the Boulevard entrance at the current Alconbury Weald gateway, just off the A1307. With approval for the homes now secured, work on the Link Route will start later this year.
This next phase of Alconbury Weald will also include a range of green spaces which are designed to run through the residential areas and connect to the Country Park, providing green connections for people and nature, as well as a number of pocket parks. The plans also include sustainable water connections, providing ponds and rills which hold back water at wetter times of the year, to support water management across the wider area.
The local centre planned for this part of the Alconbury Weald development will centre on the inherited Grange Farm House complex of buildings and outhouses, which will come forward after detailed design work carried out by the team and further engagement with stakeholders, local businesses and local communities. The 1,500 homes at Grange Farm – which will include 300 Affordable Homes for local families - were brought forward under a separate outline application to the wider Alconbury Weald development, but the additional homes will see additional investment of over £32m in facilities, including scaling up the next planned Primary School at Alconbury Weald, the Secondary School and Special Needs School and the health centre and other retail provision in the development’s central Hub.
Plans for the Hub are currently in design and will see phased delivery with work starting in early 2026.
"We are delighted to see this big step forward for the next phase of Alconbury Weald: which not only enables us to deliver new homes, and supporting amenities, but also enables us to start the planned investment in the Southern Link Road and the Country Park. Together these aspects not only bring forward the second phase of the development but provide a new gateway to the development from Huntingdon and the A141."
“This phase is transformational for how Alconbury Weald and Huntingdon connect: providing both new connections for existing Alconbury Weald residents; safeguarding green space and local roads for our neighbouring communities in the Stukeleys; and providing a great place to live – with the town on your doorstep and a Park in your back garden."
“We will continue to work with the District Council and other planning authorities to finalise the planning framework for this next phase, so that we can turn the plans into delivery starting later this year.”
