We are taking a new approach to finding out what people think of their neighbourhoods. It will help us work together to develop plans that work for local people.
£80 million investment in north Cambridge: 400+ new homes, shops, community facilities and public spaces
We announced in October 2025 our plans for an £80 million investment in north Cambridge, including building more than 200 new council homes and 200 new market homes across the Arbury Court site and the nearby Kingsway council estate.
We will knock down the current Arbury Court, replacing poor quality homes and commercial premises with 107 new council homes, 106 new private homes, new community facilities including the library and Sikh temple, and a new park and play area. New commercial units will be built for existing Arbury Court traders to move into.
Traders will only have to move out of the current Arbury Court premises once the new Arbury Court has been built and the new commercial units are ready to move into. Similarly, the development team will ensure that park and play areas will be available throughout the redevelopment period.
The plans would also see the Kingsway council estate regenerated, replacing largely unfit council homes with 99 new council homes and 98 new private homes, with a better arrangement of open and green spaces.
To achieve the plans the council would need to demolish 149 existing council flats at Arbury Court, Kingsway and Brackley Close. Many of the homes are in poor condition, with structural issues creating fire and safety risks, and widespread damp and mould issues. These issues mean that it is unaffordable for the council to continually repair and refurbish the homes to meet the standard tenants deserve.
46 flats which are privately owned but face many of the same structural issues would also need to be bought by the council, along with five privately owned houses next to the Kingsway estate. Seven council houses would also need to be demolished under the proposals.
Map of proposed development at Arbury Court
Map of proposed development at Kingsway
Support for residents being asked to move
Moving people out of their homes is never an easy decision, but it is often the only way the council can afford to address poor housing conditions council tenants living in ageing properties face.
As with all other council regeneration projects in Cambridge, anyone required to move out of their home – whether council tenants or home owners – would be supported with financial compensation and logistical and financial help to move.
Everyone affected is encouraged to talk to the team at upcoming events or by arranging a one-to-one appointment. The team will support each and every household on a one-to-one basis to find a suitable new home.
Support for council tenants
We have a strong track record of supporting tenants through the process of moving out of homes that are no longer fit for purpose, often into new build council homes. Feedback from tenants is that they have been well supported, and that their new homes are more spacious, warmer, free of damp and mould, and with lower energy bills than current inefficient council homes.
Support for council tenants includes:
- Priority choice on a suitable, like-for-like council home using the council’s choice-based lettings system (Home-Link) – including brand new council homes
- One-to-one support based on individual needs and circumstances – such as where you work, where your children go to school, if you want to remain living close to particular neighbours, if you need to be within walking distance of particular services, any practical help you might need to move, as well as any support you might need to bid on or buy a new homeA home-loss payment, currently £8,100, plus an initial £1,250 payment to cover moving expenses
- The right of return to the new development after work is completed, where desired
Support for home owners
Support for home owners includes:
- Being offered market rate for your home based on a property valuation by a RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) valuer
- An additional statutory compensation payment of 10% of the property value (if you live in the property) or 7.5% (if you do not live in the property) alongside reasonable disturbance costs
- Assistance with moving costs, including legal fees and stamp duty land tax
- A right of return to a new build home in the development area where desired. We recognise that sale prices of new-build properties may be beyond the means of some current owners, so consideration will be given to a shared equity option
- One-to-one support based on individual needs and circumstances throughout the moving process, from initial property searches through to organising the practical aspects of the move
Support for Arbury Court businesses
There will be a support for current Arbury Court businesses throughout the development. Please be reassured that:
- There will be no need for current businesses to move into temporary portakabins. Current businesses will be able to continue to trade right up until the new Arbury Court is built and new permanent premises are ready to move into. We anticipate this being no earlier than 2029
- The same amount of commercial space will be available in the new Arbury Court and current businesses will have the right to lease the new commercial units
- Each current business will be offered bespoke one-to-one practical support to manage the move
- We will provide a support package for current businesses which we will develop in consultation with current businesses, including the option of an initial rent reduction for the new premises or similar measures. We will contact all current businesses with some initial proposals and to seek feedback during the public consultation about the wider plans, which will run from 11 November
Timeline
- 2026: When a planning application is submitted for Arbury Court, council tenants would be granted highest priority on HomeLink and could start bidding for new council properties. Homeowners can also begin discussions with the council about next steps
- 2027: No residents will need to move before 2027, with many households not needing to move until a later date
- 2030: Arbury Court commercial tenants would only move once the new Arbury Court has been built
Consultation
We want to hear what local people think about these plans, and will be running a formal consultation in November and December.
We’ll be sharing more details about the planned redevelopment, and providing an opportunity to help shape the proposals before a planning application is submitted in 2026.
Why we are considering redevelopment in north Cambridge
In spring 2025 the council's housing development team ran the North Cambridge Framework for Change consultation, asking what local people would like to see happen in north Cambridge.
This was to help us develop our corporate vision for north Cambridge – the Framework for Change – which sets out our long-term plan for investment in Arbury, King’s Hedges and Chesterton.
An engagement report was published in October 2025 [PDF, 6MB] setting out what we heard - or you can read this summary.
We heard:
- Open spaces are poorly laid out and under-used
- Many older estates suffer from poor insulation and damp, and residents need better support for improvements to make their homes more energy-efficient
- Residents value the services offered at Arbury Court, but would like to see a more affordable and diverse range of shops
- Residents would like modernised facilities, for the library to be better used, and social venues such as cafés and pubs to create an evening economy
- There are concerns about antisocial behaviour and a lack of maintenance and accessibility, alongside a lack of provision for young people and families
- Residents support regeneration, but don’t want Arbury Court to be lost, and express strong support for existing traders who should be supported through any change
- Residents were also concerned about the condition of the existing estate
A subsequent engagement programme will be run during November and December 2025, when people will be able to feed back on the priorities and investment recommendations set out in the Framework for Change.
If the Framework is adopted, planning permission would still be required for any of the proposals set out in the Framework.
Focus on north Cambridge
Our housing development team will not be able to address every concern or suggestion raised by the community through the emerging Framework for Change.
However, other teams in the council are also reviewing the consultation feedback and using the insights to help shape improvement plans and guide small-scale investments in the north of the city.
The communities team will be coordinating some of this wider work, bringing local partners together to work strategically as well as working to secure additional funding to support the community’s priorities.
This includes a programme launched in June 2025 using government's Shared Prosperity Funding, which supports local community and voluntary sector organisations to build capacity, and provide support services and projects that enhance the local community.
Following a number of collaborative workshops and conversations with local community and voluntary sector organisations in north Cambridge, eight local projects have been awarded £3,000 to £20,000, totalling £115,000. More information on these projects will be available soon.
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