Countryside makes plan for 3,500-home village greener

Housebuilder Countryside has amended its plans for a 3,500-home village on a former WWII airfield near Cambridge following a request from the local authority to deliver more public transport and greater biodiversity.

Countryside said it had amended its planning application for the 210-hectare Bourn Airfield scheme, initially submitted in September 2018, to allow for dedicated bus ways into the village, a reorientation of the village centre and expansion of the country park to ensure an 11% net gain in biodiversity following build out of the scheme.

The firm said the proposal now reflects the vision contained in a supplementary planning document published by South Cambridgeshire District Council in October, following a six-week consultation last summer.

The scheme will still deliver around 3,500 homes, a village centre with shops and other services, green spaces and two primary schools and a secondary school.

Andrew Taylor, planning director at Countryside Properties said the firm was developing the scheme in cooperation with the council. “The changes undertaken as a result of the supplementary planning document reflect this shared desire for placemaking,” he said.

”From the provision of open space and recreation to a sustainable transport strategy, we want to focus on making a community for local residents.”