Jas Bhalla Works was appointed alongside a multi-disciplinary team to develop a new spatial framework for the future expansion of Cambourne, South Cambridgeshire. Our input has guided the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service in their preparation of the Draft Local Plan, which will set out a Development Strategy for new homes, workplaces, community facilities and public services over the next 20 years.

The original masterplan for Cambourne was drawn up by Terry Farrell in the 1990s,conceived as three villages interconnected by open green space and a thriving local centre. Whilst new homes in the realised development benefit from immediate and abundant access to nature, there have been challenges in delivering a local centre, as plans for a high street were never fully realised.

We combined our expertise in strategic thinking with our detailed understanding of the delivery of housing and mixed-use facilities to explore how a new EWR station should interface with a thriving local centre. We set out how the delivery of new commercial and civic facilities should complement and bolster Cambourne’s existing provision, establishing the appropriate size of centre that could be supported by this scale of development. We also explore how a range of residential densities should be deployed across the masterplan, to underpin a robust phasing strategy and viability assessment.

Our outputs leverage extensive experience developing large-scale suburban masterplans, as well as our research and work on urban strategies for new town centres and existing high streets. The draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan was published for consultation in December 2025.