Preview: Planning Approved for Innovative Cohousing Neighbourhood at Northstowe

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MED LRG

27 Mar 2026

Planning Approved for Innovative Cohousing Neighbourhood at Northstowe

Planning permission has been granted by South Cambridgeshire District Council for a distinctive new neighbourhood at Northstowe that will bring two cohousing communities together within a mixed-tenure development.

The project is the first major development from a joint venture between TOWN and award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group, working in partnership with Homes England as master developer for phases two and three of the new town.

The partnership was established to scale the delivery of cohousing and other community-focused neighbourhoods across the south of England, combining Hill's delivery capability with TOWN's expertise in resident-led development. Northstowe marks the first project in this pioneering programme.

Designed by Mole Architects, the development will deliver 145 homes across four compact urban buildings adjacent to the emerging town centre. 40% of homes will be affordable, comprising Affordable Rent and Discount Market Sale.

The development includes a national first: two cohousing communities delivered side-by-side as part of a strategic new town expansion. The neighbourhood will accommodate Suvana Cohousing, a community grounded in Buddhist principles, alongside Northstowe Cohousing, a multi-generational group modelled on Marmalade Lane.

Future residents have played a direct role in shaping the proposals through an extended codesign process, influencing home layouts, shared facilities and landscape design. The housing mix includes terrace houses, maisonettes and apartments ranging from one to four bedrooms.

The masterplan is organised around a car-free play street linking directly to the Greenway park. Shared gardens, play spaces and two common houses provide the social infrastructure for communal meals, gatherings and everyday interaction.

All houses will be timber-framed and all homes are designed to achieve high energy performance, incorporating air-source heat pumps and low-carbon materials. The landscape strategy, developed by Guarda Landscape, integrates sustainable drainage, edible planting and natural play environments. Streets prioritise walking, cycling and play in line with Building for a Healthy Life principles.

Planning approval marks an important milestone for the TOWN-Hill joint venture.

Jonny Anstead, Director at TOWN, said:

“Projects like this are still very rare in the UK. Opportunities to deliver cohousing at scale don't come along often. What makes Northstowe particularly unusual is that we're creating two cohousing communities side by side within a single neighbourhood.

It's also an important moment for our partnership with Hill. This is the first project from the joint venture to reach planning, and it shows how community-focused housing can be delivered as part of mainstream development.”

Tom Hill, Managing Director at The Hill Group, said:

"We're pleased to reach this exciting milestone with planning granted for this unique development. Partnership working has been central to bringing these two cohousing communities to life, and we look forward to starting on site and delivering high-quality homes that foster community, sustainability and intergenerational living."

Matthew Brown, Head of Large Sites at Homes England, said:

“Diversifying the housing offer at Northstowe is essential to accelerating delivery and creating a resilient new town. This scheme demonstrates how cohousing, affordable housing and high-quality design can be brought together within a commercially viable development.”

Construction is expected to begin in summer 2026.

People interested in joining either of the cohousing communities can find more information at www.wearetown.co.uk/cohousing

About TOWN

TOWN is a profit-with-purpose developer on a mission to make development a force for good—creating homes and neighbourhoods that improve lives, support more sustainable ways of living and enhance the wider places they are part of.

Founded in 2014, TOWN has earned national and international recognition for its design-led, community-focused approach to development. It works with local authorities, landowners, investors and future residents to deliver social, environmental and commercial value through projects at a range of scales.

TOWN is best known for Marmalade Lane, a 42-home cohousing community in Cambridge, completed in 2019. It has won more than ten major awards for design, placemaking and social value, and is widely featured in national policy and best practice guidance. TOWN's current portfolio includes urban regeneration, strategic masterplanning and resident-led housing schemes ranging from 14 to 5,500 homes.

About Northstowe

Northstowe is a pioneering community with a rich past and an exciting future, less than 30 minutes from Cambridge city centre on the guided busway. It is being developed as a green community in every sense. A third of the site will be public open space, including lakes and parks, providing people with easy access to green spaces, walking and cycling opportunities, making the most of Northstowe's countryside location. At the same time, it has a dedicated public transport system, taking residents into the heart of Cambridge and beyond via sustainable transport, and minimising car usage.

The town has been designed so facilities are easily accessible for all, with excellent schools, outstanding sports facilities, and plans for business start-up space, shops, a library, health and community space, on people's doorsteps.

The first outline planning permission for homes at Northstowe was granted in 2014, and the town is being delivered in phases. Phase one, led by Urban and Civic, commenced shortly after permission was given, with the construction of the town's first primary school. Northstowe welcomed its first residents in early 2017. Phase one is almost complete and includes a second primary school, a secondary school, a sixth form college, and a special school. Many community groups have been set up and are thriving.

Northstowe also has its own town council with an elected mayor.

Homes England, the Government's housing and regeneration agency, is responsible for phases two and three, which have commenced. Phase two includes 3,500 homes and permission to provide shops, cafes, and various facilities. Once complete, Northstowe will have around 10,000 homes in an area of 540 hectares. One of the most significant new communities in the UK, Northstowe has a vital role supporting growth in Cambridge and the wider region while having its own facilities and independent spirit.

About Homes England:

Homes England is the government's housing and regeneration Agency. Together with their partners, they drive the creation of more affordable, quality homes and thriving places so that everyone has a place to live and grow.

They make this happen by working with thousands of organisations of all sizes, using their powers, expertise, land, capital and influence to bring investment to communities and get more quality homes built.

Learn more about them: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/homes-england/about

About The Hill Group

The Hill Group is a top 10 housebuilder and one of the leading developers in London, the home counties, and the South. The company is renowned for its partnership ethos, specialising in the building of distinctive new places and communities where people want to live, work, and socialise.

In its 26th year, this family run company has grown to establish itself as the UK's second-largest privately-owned housebuilder, with an impressive and diverse portfolio of projects ranging from landmark, mixed-use regenerations, and inner-city apartment developments to homes in rural communities.

Employing nearly 1,000 people, the company operates from five strategically located regional offices including Bristol and Abingdon to help facilitate growth in the South West and the Midlands, with its head office based in Waltham Abbey, Essex.

Hill completed more than 2,800 homes in the last financial year and has a development pipeline of over 32,000 homes, including 10,200 with planning consent. Around half of its portfolio is in joint ventures to deliver a range of mixed-tenure developments, reflecting Hill's commitment to partnerships with government, local authorities, housing associations, and private clients.

Since the company was founded in 1999, Hill has won over 500 industry awards, including the esteemed title of WhatHouse? Housebuilder of the Year in 2015, 2020 and 2023. Most recently, Canalside Quarter won Gold for Best House, and Hollymead Square won Gold for Best Sustainable Development at the 2025 WhatHouse? Awards.

Hill's dedication to delivering the highest quality homes and exceptional customer service has earned the housebuilder its 5-star status in the Home Builders Federation's annual Customer Satisfaction Survey for the past eight years. Hill is a registered developer with the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) and follows the New Homes Quality Code (NHQC), a new industry standard to ensure high-quality homes and an exceptional customer experience. With a score of 4.8 out of 5, Hill is also ranked as the number one housebuilder on Trustpilot.

In addition, Hill is donating 200 fully equipped modular homes to local authorities and homeless charities as part of a £15 million pledge through its Foundation 200 programme, launched in 2019 to mark Hill's 20th anniversary.

For more information, contact The Oracle Group PR Agency on Tel: 020 8394 2821 or hill@oraclepr.co.uk