Significant new neighbourhood and medical centre to be built in Soham

East Cambridgeshire Planning Committee recently granted planning approval for a new neighbourhood to support the revitalised town centre of Soham. The plans were submitted by real estate developer This Land. There was also a joint application by This Land and Mereside Medical for a state-of-the-art medical centre.

The neighbourhood, known as Soham Eastern Gateway, comprises 540 homes, the medical centre and a purpose-built neighbourhood centre featuring a pre-school nursery. The environment and long-term sustainability have been put at the core of the development proposals, which will see existing hedgerows maintained, new road networks built to decrease congestion in the town centre, and more than 130 new trees planted across the site to enhance nearby habitats and ecosystems. The site will add more than 2.3km of improved public rights of way, cycleways and pathways. It will also provide access to approximately 15 acres of public open spaces, including dedicated play areas and natural green areas.

Soham is one of the largest and fastest growing market towns in Cambridgeshire and the Eastern Gateway is an allocated site under Policy SOH 3 within the East Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2015. With planning permission now granted, the site can begin to deliver on this allocation and provide significant services and infrastructure to the area. Construction work is due to begin in Spring 2025 and will last for 6 years with the first homes becoming ready to buy at some point in 2027.

We were appointed to cover Sustainability and Energy, working as part of a wider project team made up of Brookbanks, Carter Jonas, Cundall, Farrer Huxley, Pegasus Group, Hushwing, Stansted Environmental Services, Educational Facilities Management, Birketts LLP, Quod, Oxford Archaeology, EPS, and SLR Consulting.

By working collaboratively together for over five years, we have completed a variety of technical services to support the compilation of a robust planning application which showcased a well-designed, sustainable neighbourhood with place-making, local enhancement and high-quality homes at its core. As evidenced by a 7 to 2 approval from East Cambridgeshire’s councillors.

We would like to say congratulations to everyone involved, all of us at Create are excited to see this landmark development go ahead.

For more on Soham Eastern Gateway – www.this-land.co.uk/new-neighbourhood-and-medical-centre-for-soham-approved-by-east-cambridgeshire-district-council/