Waterbeach New Town was allocated for development in the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan in 2018.
To support this, a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) was created and approved by the District Council in 2019. The SPD sets out guidance on how the new town should be designed, developed, and delivered in line with the Local Plan. It encourages a joined-up approach to building the town and providing the necessary infrastructure across the whole site.

The New Town
The new town is being developed in 2 main parts:
- Western half: this includes the site of the former army barracks, which is owned by the Ministry of Defence. Their development partner is Urban&Civic (U&C).
- Eastern half: this is being promoted by RLW Estates on behalf of the landowners. It covers the area to the east of the former barracks.

Planning progress
Find out more about the eastern and western parts of the new town.
How to View the Waterbeach planning applications
The easiest way to see the plans is to use our planning portal and search using the reference numbers below:
Western Parcel (Urban & Civic)
- Outline Planning Permission for up to 6,500 homes, plus other uses and infrastructure Approved: September 2019 (Ref: S/0559/17/OL)
- Reserved Matters for 89 homes at Northern Woods Approved: July 2021 (Ref: 21/02400/REM)
- Reserved Matters for 111 homes at Parcel 2.1, Eastern Woods Approved: December 2021 (Ref: 21/03866/REM)
Eastern Parcel (RLW Estates)
- Outline Planning Permission for up to 4,500 homes, plus other uses and infrastructure Status: Pending decision (Ref: S/2075/18/OL)
If you don’t have internet access, you can view the plans in person at our office during normal opening hours (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday)