Blocwork appointed by Chesterton Partnership for residential phase of new life sciences district
A Network Rail joint venture has been selected to deliver a 425-home residential quarter at Cambridge North.
The new life sciences and research district of Cambridge North, designed by ACME and Make, will be one of the first schemes to be delivered by Blocwork, the public sector body’s newly established partnership with developer Bloc.
Blocwork was chosen by the Chesterton Partnership, a joint venture comprising Network Rail and freight firm DB Cargo led by developer Brookgate.
The JV’s plans involve the regeneration of the former freight sidings, with a Novotel hotel and the One Cambridge Square office building already completed. A new green space and biodiverse ‘wild park’ also feature in the proposals.
Masterplan consent was granted last year for the scheme’s residential phase, alongside 53,700 sq m of science and technology space and offices in the area around the Cambridge North Railway Station. The transport hub opened in 2017 with the help of £50m in government funding.
>> See also: ’This is a growth story’… How Network Rail plans to become one of the UK’s biggest housebuilders
>> See also: Plans submitted for 425 homes in North Cambridge
Robin Dobson, group property director at Network Rail said: “As the largest owner of brownfield land in Great Britain, we are able to unlock strategically important sites such as this as we continue to play a central role in delivering sustainable housing to drive future growth.
“We look forward to working with all neighbours and key stakeholders such as The Crown Estate to deliver a new neighbourhood which acts as a catalyst to adjacent sites.”
Meanwhile, a new city district in North East Cambridge could deliver a further 8,300 homes on brownfield land after the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs yesterday approved the relocation of the city’s existing waste water treatment facility.
Anglian Water’s relocation project will unlock the disused site at Hartree by building the new sewage works on land north of the A14 between Horningsea and Fen Ditton, known as Honey Hill.
The plan was originally due for consent last year but was reviewed in light of changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, which were formalised in December 2024.
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