Permanent community centre for new town approved

Plans showed the community centre would feature a main hall, café, meeting rooms and activity space

Plans to build a new town's first permanent community centre have been given the green light.

South Cambridgeshire District Council approved proposals for the building in Stirling Road, Northstowe.

The council contributed £6.5m to the project and vowed to "put the environment at its heart" with the use of integrated bird and bat boxes in the design.

It was estimated the two-storey building would be opened by early 2026, the authority said.

Calls had been made for a community centre to be opened in Northstowe which is set to be the UK's biggest new settlement since the development of Milton Keynes.

A temporary centre was opened in July - six years after the first residents moved in.

The main hall would host formal and informal events, activity classes and more, the council said

Plans showed the centre would be built with "very high standards" of insulation and air tightness to reduce energy demand.

It would feature a main hall, café, meeting rooms, activity space and town council offices, among other rooms.

It would also have a courtyard garden, 70 bicycle parking spaces and "green roofs" which made it more eco-friendly, the council said.

Liberal Democrat councillor Bill Handley said he thought it would be "a wonderful building".

"We’ve put some ambitious plans together for a permanent community centre which Northstowe residents can be proud of," he said.

A council spokesman said it would begin the appointment of contractors to build the centre.