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New homes snapshot – Suffolk countryside and local heritage appeal at Newmarket

Posted 20 October 2016 by Keith Osborne

The horse racing capital of Newmarket is a popular town, though its current new homes schemes appear short of providing long-term needs...

Newmarket is famous throughout the world as a centre for horse racing, an industry that not only provides much of the local population with work but that has also led the Suffolk town to be one of the most affluent in the whole of East Anglia.

Around one third of the workforce is estimated to work directly within the equine industry, covering racing, stables, breeding and welfare, and the 20,000 or so humans who live in the town are joined by around 3,500 horses. The industry is seen on a par with the region’s other major employment and investment centre, the Science Park in Cambridge.

The town is well placed for access to some of East Anglia’s other major centres, with Bury St Edmunds just a 20-minute drive, Cambridge 30 minutes away, and Ipswich and Peterborough under an hour door-to-door. The town’s railway station offers regular services around East Anglia, and is under two hours from London Liverpool Street. Stansted Airport can be reached by both means of transport, but the 40-minute road journey takes around half the time of the rail route.

West Suffolk’s current housing strategy suggests a requirement of around 18,000 new homes across the region over the period 2011-2031, around 6,000 of which fall under the term ‘affordable housing’, for rent and Shared Ownership. The Forest Heath area in which Newmarket lies is outlined to provide 7,000 of the overall total.

A recent planning permission granted to build 400 new homes at Hatchfield Farm – part of a larger plan to build 1,200 new homes at the site – was overturned by the government , to the disappointment of the local council. “As the local planning authority we were very disappointed that the Secretary of State refused planning permission for Hatchfield Farm,” said Cllr Lance Stanbury, cabinet member for planning and growth in the council. “The cabinet deliberated the pros and cons of entering into a challenge and, because there would be such a detrimental effect on our Local Plan which could lead to many speculative applications in our towns and villages, we have reluctantly decided not to challenge the decision ourselves,

The Secretary of State’s rejection won the approval of the Save Historic Newmarket campaign, which believes the plans will threaten the horse racing industry and many local jobs due to the urbanisation of the town. Opponents of the project also believe there are brownfield sites that should be targeted for housebuilding, rather than the greenfield nature of the farm site.

There are a handful of schemes providing a range of new homes in and around Newmarket right now that will contribute to the targets set out in the Housing Strategy.

New homes currently for sale in Newmarket

Chancery Park​Charles Church Developments has a development of three-, four- and five-bedroom homes at Chancery Park in Exning, to the north-west of Newmarket. There are plenty of everyday amenities at hand close by, with convenient links to Ely and Cambridge, while family buyers will find the well-regarded local primary school and thriving community groups appealing features. Prices start at £251,950 and there are options for Help to Buy, Part Exchange and Home Change assistance.

Orbit Homes is brining five Shared Ownership homes at Lambert Grove, a mix of two- and four-bedroom homes in the leafy village of Kentford. Residents will be on the doorstep of store with a post office and two pubs, with the further amenities of the village of Red Lodge just three miles to the north. Prices range from £74,000 to £144,000.

Crest Nicholson is bringing a new collection of homes soon at Aster Meadows at Kings Warren. This new development will comprise two- and three-bedroom homes just outside Newmarket in Red Lodge, with residents able to benefit from the primary school, sports facilities, play areas and allotments, as well as a new village centre that is due for construction.

Agency Jackson-Stops & Staff is offering a new conversion property in the heart of the town, where a townhouse has been re-configured to five one-bedroom flats and a two-bedroom penthouse. The specification includes double galzing, fitted kitchens  and engineered oak flooring to complement original high ceilings and period features. Prices start at £190,000.

McCarthy & Stone is seeking planning permission for one its retirement living developments in Newmarket, a 31-unit scheme with a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments specially designed for retirees. Located on Fordham Road, if approved, the scheme will be ideally located for all the town’s shops and amenities. 


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