How Will the North Cambridge Framework Change Arbury Housing Forever?

The North Cambridge Framework for Change is uk/local/cambridge-city-council/">Cambridge City Council’s corporate long-term plan to guide coordinated investment across Arbury, King’s Hedges, and Chesterton. It was developed in 2025 through community consultation and covers housing, green spaces, streets, and community facilities.

The Framework for Change is a long-term plan to guide investment in the area, looking at older council housing estates, green spaces, streets, shops, and community facilities in Arbury, King’s Hedges, and Chesterton. The framework defines both the strategic objectives and the physical boundaries of planned regeneration across North Cambridge. It is distinct from a planning permission: it functions as a policy vision that then informs specific planning applications submitted under it. The Framework for Change builds on previous work, including the North Cambridge Neighbourhoods Design Code, which was introduced in 2024 as a Supplementary Planning Document developed with input from the local community. The Design Code sets the design principles within which any new development in the area must operate.

The Framework goes further by identifying specific sites, investment priorities, and the sequencing of change. The engagement process began formally in May 2025 and concluded with a public consultation period running through to January 2026, during which hundreds of residents, traders, and community members submitted feedback. Cambridge City CouncilCambridge City Council

Why Was a Framework for Change Needed in North Cambridge?

North Cambridge was identified by Cambridge City Council as one of the most deprived parts of the city, with ageing council housing stock carrying structural deficiencies, fire and safety risks, widespread damp, and mould, making ongoing repair economically unviable and unsafe for residents.

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 that tenants deserve. The estates targeted by the framework, including Arbury Court, Kingsway, and Brackley Close, were built during an era of construction standards that no longer meet current safety, thermal performance, or accessibility requirements. The council also identified a wider underinvestment pattern in the north of the city across parks, road crossings, and community facilities.

The council has an opportunity to invest in a part of the city that has not seen a fair share of investment in recent years. The framework emerged from recognition that piecemeal repairs cannot address the systemic deterioration across these estates. A coordinated place-making approach was deemed necessary to simultaneously address housing quality, public space, commercial vitality, and transport connectivity across the entire north Cambridge area.

How Many New Homes Will Be Built in Arbury Under the Framework?

Cambridge City Council plans to build over 400 new homes in total across the north Cambridge area. This includes 200+ new council homes and 200+ new market-rate private homes across the Arbury Court site and the Kingsway council estate, delivering a net increase in affordable housing supply.

The plans would see Arbury Court regenerated, replacing poor-quality council homes and commercial premises with 107 new council homes and 106 new private homes, a new library space, a new park and play area, and new commercial units for existing traders to move into. At the Kingsway estate, the plan involves a separate but connected phase of construction. The Kingsway council estate would be regenerated, replacing largely unfit council homes with 99 new council homes and 98 new private homes, with a new park to replace the existing open space.

Additionally, there is potential for a further 200 homes, including 100 council homes, on part of the neighbouring North Cambridge Academy site. The total indicative capital budget approved by Cambridge City Council’s Cabinet in October 2025 stands at £81.2 million, subject to Homes England funding contributions as part of a Strategic Partnership bid. All new homes are designed to meet modern space standards and deliver lower energy bills compared to the existing inefficient council stock.

Which Properties Face Demolition at Arbury Court and Kingsway?

A total of 149 existing council flats at Arbury Court, Kingsway, and Brackley Close face demolition under the framework’s first delivery phase. An additional 46 privately owned flats and five private houses adjacent to Kingsway are also required for acquisition and clearance.

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. The demolition scope extends beyond purely council-owned properties. The council says it would also need to purchase 46 flats which are privately owned but face many of the same structural issues, along with five privately-owned houses next to the Kingsway estate. Seven council houses would also need to be demolished under the proposals. Cambridge City Council’s Cabinet decision of 21 October 2025 delegated authority to the Assistant Director of Development to issue initial Demolition Notices under the Housing Act 1985. The decision also granted authority to pursue Compulsory Purchase Orders where properties cannot be acquired through private negotiation within a reasonable timescale and at a reasonable cost, providing the Director of Place certifies a compelling public interest case exists.

What Is the Timeline for Arbury Housing Redevelopment?

The phased redevelopment timeline runs from 2026 to at least 2030. A planning application for Arbury Court is expected in 2026, no residents are required to move before 2027, and Arbury Court commercial tenants will not be required to relocate until the new premises are ready, which is projected for 2030.

In 2026, when a planning application is submitted for Arbury Court, council tenants would be granted highest priority on Home-Link and could start bidding for new council properties. Homeowners can also begin discussions with the council about next steps. In 2027, no residents will need to move before 2027, with many households not needing to move until a later date. In 2030, Arbury Court commercial tenants would only move once the new Arbury Court has been built. This phasing strategy is designed to avoid displacement without a clear destination.

The Home-Link system is Cambridge’s housing register platform through which social housing tenants bid for available properties. Priority status on this system gives Arbury Court residents first access to newly built council homes within the scheme itself. The planning application submission in 2026 triggers formal protections and compensation entitlements for qualifying occupiers. The council’s approach mirrors its track record on previous regeneration projects, having supported over 300 households through similar processes in earlier Cambridge estate regeneration schemes.

How Will Arbury Court Shopping and Community Facilities Be Affected?

Arbury Court shopping facilities will be rebuilt rather than lost. The redevelopment plan provides new commercial units for all existing traders, guarantees continuity of trade throughout the construction period, and includes a proposed £500,000 business support package to assist traders through the transition.

The council will support all current Arbury Court businesses to trade throughout the development process and is inviting feedback on a proposed support package. Current businesses will be able to continue to trade in their current premises right up until the new Arbury Court is built and ready to move into, and will have the right to return to the new permanent premises when they are built. Community facilities are also incorporated into the new design.

The redevelopment will include new commercial units for existing Arbury Court traders to move into and new community facilities, including the library. The council is also in discussions with the Gurdwara, which has a freehold on the site, about being part of the proposals. The rebuilt Arbury Court is designed as a thriving local centre with the new park placed at the heart of the development, surrounded by shops and community facilities to maximize footfall and reduce antisocial behaviour risks. All Category A trees on the site are confirmed for retention, and the majority of other mature trees will also be preserved within the redesigned layout.

What Support Is Available for Residents Required to Move?

Residents displaced by the Arbury redevelopment receive a structured support package including financial compensation, logistical assistance, and priority housing access. Council tenants receive £8,100 in compensation. Private homeowners receive at least 10% above market value. Non-resident owners receive 7.5% above market value.

Any residents required to move out of their home will be supported with financial compensation (£8,100 for council tenants, 10%+ of market value for home owners and 7.5% for non-resident owners), logistical and financial help to move, and for council tenants, high-priority access to find the right council home in Cambridge for them, including brand new homes. The council’s support model is individualized. The council has a strong track record of supporting tenants and home owners through the process of moving out of homes that are no longer fit for purpose, often into new build council homes, recently marking the 300th household supported through this process.

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. Each household receives case-by-case assistance, factoring in employment location, school catchment, proximity to essential services, and any accessibility or support needs. The council committed publicly that no resident would be required to move without an appropriate alternative in place.

The framework includes enhancements to parks, green spaces, cycling infrastructure, and pedestrian crossings across north Cambridge. Priority improvements are planned for Arbury Park, Nuns Way Recreation Ground, Pulley Park, and road safety at Campkin Road, Carlton Way, and Mere Way.

The framework includes enhancing parks and green spaces across the north of the city to make them safer and more accessible, increasing biodiversity, and planting trees and shrubs, initially at Arbury Park and the open space Kingsway, with a longer-term focus on Pulley Park, Nun’s Way Rec, and Arbury Town Park. Working with the Highways Authority for safer streets, better crossings and improved travel connections, including the Arbury Court and Kingsway link. The engagement report produced during the May to June 2025 consultation identified multiple specific road locations raised by residents as unsafe. Pedestrian safety concerns were raised at Campkin Road, Garry Drive, Carlton Way, Mere Way, and Roseford Road as being difficult to cross.

The framework also addresses cycling infrastructure improvements and access routes between Cambridge North station and Arbury Court. Biodiversity net gain requirements embedded in the current national planning policy apply to all new development phases within the framework boundary. Tree planting, shrub installation, and improved park management are all confirmed as early-phase actions before major construction begins.

What Role Does Cambridge Investment Partnership Play in the Arbury Redevelopment?

Cambridge Investment Partnership, known as CIP, is the joint development vehicle between Cambridge City Council and Hill Residential. The council’s Cabinet decision of October 2025 delegated authority to develop the Arbury Court and Kingsway sites through CIP, subject to a value-for-money assessment, or through an alternative procurement route.

Delegating authority was given to the Cabinet Member for Housing in conjunction with the Assistant Director, Development, to enable the sites at Arbury Court, Kingsway, parts of Brackley Close, Rutland Close, and Verulam Way to be developed through Cambridge Investment Partnership or through an alternative procurement route, subject to a value for money assessment to be carried out on behalf of the Council. CIP has previously delivered council housing schemes in Cambridge and brings established construction capacity to the north Cambridge programme.

The indicative capital budget of £81.2 million approved by Cabinet is drawn from the council’s existing new build housing budget and is not yet fully allocated. Homes England funding through a Strategic Partnership arrangement is a condition of the full financial model. The scheme is structured as a mixed tenure housing development, meaning it includes both affordable council homes and market-rate private homes within the same development, with the cross-subsidy from private sales financing the affordable element. Planning permission is still required for each phase regardless of the framework’s adoption.