OVERVIEW
The project is a joint venture between our long-term clients, Cambridge Investment Partnership (CIP) and award-winning housebuilders, The Hill Group. The former ATS workshop and Murketts car dealership site will be replaced with high-quality, sustainable homes as part of the council’s ongoing efforts to enhance living standards for council tenants and those needing larger places to raise families. It will feature a mixture of two, three and four-bedroom terraced and semi-detached homes, as well as one, two and three-bedroom flats. 28 of the homes will be allocated to the council’s stock with the remaining 42 properties to be available as outright sale. The scheme is part of an integrated urban regeneration strategy.
CREATE’S ROLE
Create were commissioned in 2023 to provide multidisciplinary services (Acoustics, Air Quality, Geo-environmental, Structures, Sustainability, Water & Flood Risk) in support of the planning application before providing further services to discharge various planning conditions.
Our roles, technical services and outputs included:
- Acoustic Assessment
- Plant Noise Assessment
- Air Quality Assessment (AQA)
- Air Quality Modelling Addendum
- Overheating Assessment and Dynamic Thermal Modelling to TM59
- Energy Statement
- Infiltration Testing
- Sustainability Statement
- Lighting Impact Assessment
- Site-specific Flood Risk Assessment (FRA)
- Sustainable Surface Water Drainage Strategy
- Drainage Design
- Energy Strategy
- Overheating Strategies
- Detailed Glazing Specification
- Technical Note: Residential Risk Surface Water Pump Failure Modelling
- Discharge of Planning Conditions
CHALLENGES
The core challenge was balancing community concerns surrounding access to Histon Road Recreation Ground, whilst designing a sustainable, low-carbon development that exceeded local plan carbon targets.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND BENEFITS
Following extensive site-specific consultation, design changes were made in response to feedback from council officers and the public. Adjustments were made to better protect the adjacent Histon Road Recreation Ground by removing one proposed access, enhancing the eastern pedestrian link, and improving safety measures. Our Sustainability team also delivered an Energy Strategy that achieved a 74% improvement over Part L 2021. The design emphasises reducing carbon emissions, lowering energy bills, and minimising annual maintenance costs.
Our work played a crucial role early in the project’s development, resulting in Cambridge City Council unanimously granting planning approval in September 2024, paving the way for a high-quality, community-led residential development.
