Greater Cambridgeshire Housing Strategy 2019 to 2023
A new strategy (adopted April 2019) to tackle South Cambridgeshire’s housing challenges has been approved by the District Council – with an emphasis on providing homes that are affordable for local workers to live in.
The Strategy has been developed jointly with Cambridge City Council and covers both our areas. It acknowledges challenges facing both Councils in terms of economic growth and affordability issues facing residents trying to buy a home here.
The average house price in South Cambridgeshire is more than £441,500, almost 11 times the average income for a resident. Whilst the Greater Cambridge Housing Strategy looks to prioritise affordable rented homes on new developments, it also recognises there’s a growing affordability gap that sees middle income households squeezed out of the market. We therefore want to work with developers to provide a range of homes that meet people’s differing needs and incomes, such as more shared ownership and new tenure models to help people get a foot on the property ladder.
One of our main goals is to support local economic growth by ensuring there are enough homes that are affordable to live in for local workers. This means properties should be energy efficient, affordable to run and close to where people work, with good public transport to cut down on commuting times.
Through the new housing strategy, both Councils are also committed to bringing forward the right homes for the area’s ageing population. We will therefore explore the potential for age specific housing, such as retirement villages, etc.
As well as setting out a vision for new homes, the strategy also focuses on existing homes and how we can support residents to make them more energy efficient.
Greater Cambridgeshire Housing Strategy (2019 to 2023) [PDF, 5.5MB]
Greater Cambridgeshire Housing Strategy Annexes (2019 to 2023) [PDF, 0.4MB] [PDF, 0.4MB]