Where have all the parking spaces gone?
Planned new town near Cambridge will feature car free streets, says architect.
Car-free streets are at the heart of plans for 4,500 homes at a new town at Waterbeach, north of Cambridge. It is the first time that ‘sociable streets’ have been promoted in the UK at this scale.
Waterbeach New Town East, masterplanned by LDA Design, draws on the dramatic Fen Edge setting to create a sociable, sustainable way of living. Neighbourhood steads will reimagine residential streets and what they can offer.
LDA Design’s Bernie Foulkes, who led the masterplan, said, “Each stead will comprise up to 400 homes, with its own character, landmarks and facilities. The car-free residential streets will have the feel of intimate green linear parks. There will be space for communal activity, from children’s play to tending vegetable plots.
“The steads will be part of a bigger landscape. Life here will be closely tied to nature, with new parks, shared spaces and naturalistic planting.”
Chris Goldsmith of RLW Estates added, “We will create the first New Town in the UK that truly puts people first and ensures that their local area is designed for them, not their vehicles.” Cars will be parked at the edge of the steads.
