Welcome to England’s newest ghost town: Northstowe in Cambridgeshire has 1,200 homes but NO shops, cafes or GPs’ surgery six years on – and 9,000 more houses are coming
- Northstowe, near Cambridge, was billed as the largest town since Milton Keyes
- But residents say that none of the crucial facilities that were promised are there
- They say that the town, which will have a 26,000 population, is like a ‘ghost town’
England’s biggest new town still has no shops, cafes or even a GP surgery despite families starting to move in six years ago.
Northstowe, which is ten miles north of Cambridge, was billed as the largest town in Britain since Milton Keynes was built in 1967 – but residents have blasted developers, arguing that they are living in a ‘ghost town’.
Around 1,200 homes have been built since construction work started in 2017 but the plan is to create a bustling town with a total population of 26,000.
There will be around 10,000 homes built in total but frustrated residents say they have been left with simply a post box and none of the crucial facilities that were promised.
The town is still without basic necessities like shops, pubs, cafes, public toilets and even a GP practice.
England’s biggest new town Northstowe (pictured) still has no shops, cafes or GP surgeries six years after families started moving in
Dan Greef (pictured), 42, moved to Northstowe, in August 2022 but he says it’s like living in a ‘ghost town’
Northstowe currently consists of rows upon rows of newly developed houses occupied by families who have been left in the dark about the prospect of any basic infrastructure.
Dan Greef, 42, moved to Northstowe, in August 2022 believing that much needed community facilities were under construction.
Mr Greef, who owns Deliciously Guilt Free, a low-carb and keto cake and chocolate company, said: ‘A friend gave me a tour of the area in 2017, and back then the site only had a handful of houses.
‘We’re now past a thousand homes, and all we’ve got is a post box.’
Northstowe was supposed to be an eco-community, built to help ease the housing crisis in one of the least affordable parts of the country.
On the outskirts of the town, a broken billboard looms into view, promising ‘New Homes, New Community’.
But residents say developers L&Q Estates have drastically failed to deliver on the latter, leaving residents feeling concerned and fed-up.
Mr Greef has been renting a three-bedroom home in Northstowe for 11 months where he lives with his wife and two young children – aged seven and four.
Northstowe (pictured) currently consists of rows upon rows of newly developed houses occupied by families who have been left in the dark about the prospect of any basic infrastructure
Families say they have to drive to shops in the next town or Cambridge because there are none in Northstowe
Paperwork lodged by the developer with South Cambridgeshire District Council said a ‘community centre building will be provided’ before the 900th home was occupied
Mr Greed (pictured) said: ‘We’re now past a thousand homes, and all we’ve got is a post box.’
He moved when plans to build a community centre were firmly in place, and he believed strong public transport links to Cambridge would suffice while infrastructure development went ahead.
But shortly after arriving, those plans were delayed, and the guided bus route always proves too busy to use when it passes through his stop.
Frustrated by empty promises, Mr Greef says there is still nothing to show for the last six years apart from more and more houses which are being built everyday.
He said: ‘If you want to shop you have to drive into Tesco in the next town or into Cambridge.
‘There is currently one preschool open, but its at full capacity, and in September its actually getting smaller.
‘This year I’ve had nowhere for my youngest to go.
‘There are a few schools, but families with younger kids, like myself, are suffering the most.
‘People who have been here for six years have been left with nothing, but there is still an amazing sense of community and making your own fun.
‘We’ve had street parties for Christmas and Halloween which were great, but when it gets cold everyone is forced to go home as there is no where to socialise.
‘The developers haven’t delivered what they should have done by now, but the council don’t seem to have been able to enforce what was in the contracts when they were signed.’
Mr Greef (pictured) described how there’s no nightlife, pubs or restaurants to eat at in Northstowe
Pamela Nally, 43, bought her home in Northstowe in February 2021 but has been equally as frustrated by the lack of infrastrucutre.
‘To me, there’s no heart to Northstowe,’ she told the BBC.
‘It’s like building a home without a kitchen. A kitchen is a heart of a house. A shop and a cafe and that local area is the heart of a town.’
She was expecting facilities within ‘a six-to-12-month period’ but has been left ‘really frustrated’ by the broken promises.
Paperwork lodged by the developer with South Cambridgeshire District Council said a ‘community centre building will be provided’ before the 900th home was occupied.
A sports pavilion, it added, ‘will be completed’ before someone moved into the 500th home.
But more than 1,200 homes are now occupied, with no shops or community facilities, beyond three schools.
Mr Greef added: ‘There are currently portacabins which are being made into a makeshift community centre which is fantastic.
‘But we’ve been told the real building work won’t be completed for three years now. It’s very disappointing.
‘At night it’s like a ghost town as there’s no nightlife, pubs or restaurants to eat at. It’s very quiet.
‘Food trucks come through town a few times a week, but your not going to hang out and sit and eat on the side of the road.
‘Everyone here is desperate to get things in place – and I’m aware that living here is an investment for the future. We just need developers to crack on.
‘As soon as we get facilities this should be an amazing place to live.
‘We’ve got the community and the community spirit, along with fantastic faith and secular groups – we just need places to meet and come together.’
Adrian Clark, L&Q Estates’ managing director, said the company understood ‘residents’ concerns and frustrations regarding delivery’ but that Northstowe ‘has all the necessary ingredients to become a successful community’.
He added: ‘We have been working hard to meet residents’ expectations and deliver on our commitment to the community.
‘While we recognise that there have been delays to our original timescales, work on this development has unfortunately coincided with the outbreak of the pandemic, followed by unprecedented economic and political challenges worldwide, which have inevitably impacted our work.’
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