![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/A-total-of-1-600-homes-have-been-built-in-Northstowe-so-far-6734964.jpg\" "\\"A")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A total of 1,600 homes have been built in Northstowe so far (Image: Phil Harris\/Daily Express)<\/p>\n
If a shop is the lifeblood of the community, some might say Northstowe is missing a beating heart<\/a>. Britain\u2019s newest town is the UK\u2019s biggest development since Milton Keynes<\/a> in the 1960s, with 10,000 homes planned by 2040.<\/p>\n When the first bricks were laid on the old RAF Oakington World War 2 airfield, the goal was to avoid the \u201csoulless\u201d label<\/a> that has stuck like mud to the Buckinghamshire city. Nine years since the first residents moved in, Northstowe\u2019s abundance of wide-open space, lakes and nature walks makes it anything but a concrete jungle. Those living in the 1,600 homes currently built in the first phase of a three-part master plan also benefit from a trio of schools and state-of-the-art sports facilities, making it one of the country\u2019s healthiest and greenest places to live.<\/p>\n Read more: Britain’s largest ‘ghost town’ is waiting for GP – but gets bubble tea shop <\/a><\/p>\n Thousands of new homes are being built at Northstowe (Image: Phil Harris\/Daily Express)<\/p>\n An old railway line that runs alongside it has been converted into a guided busway and cycle track, providing regular and rapid public transport to Cambridge<\/a>.<\/p>\n But there is still one crucial thing Northstowe infuriatingly lacks<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cFor people who live in Northstowe, the lack of shops<\/a> is the single biggest issue they have,\u201d says Tom Bygott, a Conservative councillor for the area.<\/p>\n The lack of even a small newsagent<\/a> or community shop, let alone a Tesco Express or Sainsbury\u2019s Local, is likely to be off-putting to many potential housebuyers who value convenience.<\/p>\n Anyone who wants to nip out for a loaf of bread or a pint of milk has to walk to Longstanton, the next village, for a Co-op. For the larger weekly shop, you have no option but to drive 3.6 miles to Tesco<\/a> Extra in Bar Hill.<\/p>\n Delivery is, of course, an option for those who don\u2019t want to travel, but many fear the lack of shops is robbing residents of far more than only convenient facilities.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about building a community, and having shops is one of the key things about having a community,\u201d says Bygott, who has represented Northstowe since 2022.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, there\u2019s not as much footfall somewhere far away from other shops.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re building a new town, you\u2019re obviously competing with a nearby city where there\u2019s already a large agglomeration of shops. And if those shops in, say, the centre of Cambridge<\/a> are struggling to survive economically, it\u2019s very difficult to get shopkeepers to come out to somewhere that has far fewer shoppers.\u201d<\/p>\n *** Ensure our latest news headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source.\u00a0Click here to activate<\/a>\u00a0or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings. ***<\/p>\n Tom Bygott says Northstowe’s lack of shops is the biggest issue for residents (Image: Phil Harris\/Daily Express)<\/p>\n Part of the problem is that retailers do not feel there are enough residents yet to sustain a store.<\/p>\n \u201cThose 1,600 homes aren\u2019t enough for Tesco, M&S<\/a>, Sainsbury\u2019s or whoever to be interested,\u201d says Katja Tille, director of Tibbalds, which offers planning advice on Northstowe.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they were interested, they would be delivered.\u201d<\/p>\n The lack of a GP surgery is also a major concern, although doctors\u2019 practices in Longstanton and neighbouring Willingham insist they have the capacity to take on new patients.<\/p>\n Yet things are changing \u2013 a new convenience shop is set to open this year, and Lidl<\/a> is consulting on plans to build a large food store in Station Road.<\/p>\n Huge progress has already been made over the past couple of years, with a new gym at the secondary school and Northstowe Tap and Social quickly becoming the vibrant social hub residents had been craving.<\/p>\n The venue, off Station Road, which opened in 2024, doubles up as a caf\u00e9 and pub, with a huge array of clubs and societies using it as their meeting point.<\/p>\n Assistant manager Duncan Dennis says it is a sign that Northstowe is a \u201cgrowing community\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of our thoughts when we opened this place was about making sure there was something here for people,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere wasn\u2019t a pub facility like this. We wanted something that was going to be able to grow in the community.<\/p>\n \u201cI know there has been talk about this place, but there are plans to start growing. We\u2019re seeing that increase in people who want to use this space for events. There is quite a vibrant young crowd here who do support it quite well.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s been talk about the retail units going into Northstowe. They\u2019re addressing it and moving towards it. It\u2019s a very fast-growing town.\u201d<\/p>\n Duncan Dennis says the Tap and Social’s success is a sign that Northstowe is a ‘growing community’ (Image: Phil Harris\/Daily Express)<\/p>\n Henry Batchelor, South Cambridgeshire District Council\u2019s cabinet member for communities, says Northstowe\u2019s huge benefits are often overlooked.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s relatively unprecedented to have three schools in a town of its current size,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s got really good sports amenities. It\u2019s got allotments. It\u2019s got high-quality play areas that hold regular community events, and it\u2019s also got really nice green spaces and lakes, with pedestrianised access around them.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are shops coming. A town that will ultimately have 10,000 houses will always attract the Lidls and big supermarkets of this world.\u201d<\/p>\n He says there has been \u201cvery strong interest\u201d in the small commercial unit for a convenience store close to where Northstowe town centre will be when it is fully built.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will almost certainly be this year that it opens,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n \u201cThe actual sense of community from people who live there now is really quite impressive. It\u2019s not the biggest village or town in South Cambridgeshire, but the amount of community groups and events is exceptional.\u201d<\/p>\n Holly Dowse lives in Huntingdon but regularly visits Northstowe as a member of the running club that meets at the Tap and Social.\u00a0<\/p>\n The 33-year-old enjoys the area so much she calls it a \u201chome from home\u201d and might consider moving to Northstowe in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a lovely, community-based place that caters for all different ages and groups,\u201d she says of the Tap and Social.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople come here for the good variety of beer and get a coffee. It has got lots of groups \u2013 I\u2019m part of the running club.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere are music events and lots of other things that bring people together. We travel here because we like it.<\/p>\n \u201cThere isn\u2019t really anything else like it. It\u2019s a very warm and friendly place. I come here to work \u2013 it\u2019s a really nice place to come to work during the day. It is home from home. I love it here.\u201d<\/p>\n Holly Dowse says Northstowe Tap and Social is like a ‘home from home’ (Image: Phil Harris\/Daily Express)<\/p>\n Dowse says there \u201ccould be a bit more growth for the community\u201d, but says: \u201cIt does feel like it\u2019s growing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not like you come here and feel like it\u2019s lifeless. It\u2019s like the new place to be. We do get a really strong sense of that.<\/p>\n \u201cI have thought about relocating. There is a good, warm feeling about the place. It\u2019s a bit out of the centre, but it\u2019s quite easy to get around to places.\u201d<\/p>\n Robert Musimbago, who moved in November to a townhouse in Northstowe built by developer Keepmoat, believes the \u201cchallenge is there are not many spaces that can bring people together\u201d.<\/p>\n But the 38-year-old, who lives with his wife and two children, believes that \u201cNorthstowe has a big future which you can\u2019t see right now\u201d.<\/p>\n He adds: \u201cNorthstowe has a lot of potential. Right now, it has some struggles that people really point out, but they can be overlooked if you want to be part of something big.<\/p>\n \u201cIf a shop were close, you would just walk out and pick up anything you forgot to buy. But how often do you forget to buy the things that you need? It\u2019s not very often.\u201d<\/p>\n Robert Musimbago believes Northstowe has a ‘big future’ (Image: Phil Harris\/Daily Express)<\/p>\n Victor Idowu, regional managing director for Keepmoat, says people like Robert have bought into a vision that developers now must turn into reality.<\/p>\n \u201cThe big benefit is the quality of the homes,\u201d he says, as Keepmoat builds a mixture of affordable housing and properties for private sale in Northstowe, all of which are made to the same standard.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll challenge anyone to say that the design elevational treatments are secondary.<\/p>\n![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Thousands-of-new-homes-are-being-built-at-Northstowe-6734949.jpg\" "\\"a")
<\/p>\n![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Tom-Bygott-says-Northstowe-s-lack-of-shops-is-the-biggest-issue-for-residents-6734906.jpg\" "\\"Tom")
<\/p>\n![\"Duncan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Duncan-Dennis-says-the-Tap-and-Social-s-success-is-a-sign-that-Northstowe-is-a-growing-community-673.jpeg\" "\\"Duncan")
<\/p>\n![\"Holly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Holly-Dowse-says-Northstowe-Tap-and-Social-is-like-a-home-from-home-6734924.jpg\" "\\"Holly")
<\/p>\n![\"Robert](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Robert-Musimbago-believes-Northstowe-has-a-big-future-6734937.jpg\" "\\"Robert")
<\/p>\n
![\"Victor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Victor-Idowu-is-determined-to-make-the-vision-of-Northstowe-a-reality-6734939.jpg\" "\\"Victor")
<\/p>\n![\"Natalie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Natalie-Warren-Green-outside-Northstowe-Tap-and-Social-6734946.jpg\" "\\"Natalie")
<\/p>\n