Homes England forms strategic partnership with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority

The SPP aims to deliver affordable housing across Peterborough, one of the fastest growing cities in the country, and for Cambridge, which has some of the highest land prices.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced last week that objections raised by the Environment Agency to building thousands of new homes around Cambridge have been lifted.

The development could see 4,500 homes built in Waterbeach, in addition to new schools, leisure facilities and office space, Ms Reeves said.

The move is part of fresh plans to deliver the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, which the government hopes will boost the UK economy by up to £78bn by 2035.

Eamonn Boylan, chief executive of Homes England, said: “Through our SPP model, we work hand in hand with local leaders to help them accomplish their ambitious housing and regeneration aims.

“This SPP marks the agency’s commitment to working with the CPCA, to help realise the aspirations set out in the Shared Ambition for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough 2050.

“We already have a strong track record of delivering transformative projects across the region, and through this new partnership we will build on our existing relationships and achieve even more for the local community.”

Homes England has also committed over £23m to relocate a railway station in Waterbeach in the outskirts of Cambridge as part of the chancellor’s earlier announcement.

The latest partnership between Homes England and the CPCA is the seventh of its kind signed with a combined authority in England.

Labour’s publication of the English Devolution White Paper in December 2024, which set out to empower local authorities, highlighted the importance of similar partnerships in the government’s devolution plans.

Nik Johnson, mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: “The combined authority is about building powerful partnerships locally and nationally, with an aligned vision to deliver for the region.

“We’re committing with Homes England to work smarter together to help accelerate the building of the new, good-quality, energy-efficient homes we need in places that have the capacity for growth.”