From agricultural heritage to Cambridge’s first co-living neighbourhood

On the site of the former National Institute of Agricultural Botany, one of Britain’s oldest agricultural science research centres, Howes Green occupies land with a distinctive scientific heritage at the edge of Cambridge. Already granted planning permission in 2021, the site presented an opportunity to respond more directly to the city’s evolving housing needs – particularly for graduates and young professionals seeking flexible, high-quality homes within reach of the city.

Proposals include 609 dwellings and introduce co-living to Cambridge for the first time, refining and building on the previous planning consent to create a tenure-diverse community that responds to the city’s evolving housing needs. Three buildings will deliver 369 BtR homes across a range of one and two-bedroom dwellings with the fourth building introducing 240 co-living studios – a housing offer that is currently not available in the city.

At the heart of the community is a strong social ribbon of well-located, connected and varied communal spaces, with key shared facilities positioned at ground level. A range of lounge spaces will be provided, from larger areas designed for programmed events to smaller, quieter rooms for more intimate use. Many of these spaces will have direct access to outdoor areas, further strengthening their connection to light, landscape and wellbeing. A broader mix of communal amenities will also support work, wellbeing and recreation, including co-working areas, gyms, multi-use rooms and other flexible spaces.

The landscape strategy takes its cue from the site’s own story and the legacy of the NIAB as one of Britain’s oldest agricultural science research centres. NIAB’s founding motto, ‘Better Seeds: Better Crops’, frames an approach that places productive and biodiverse landscape at the heart of the neighbourhood. Howes Green forms the principal public space, animated by active ground-floor uses, informal play and generously planted tree avenues.

Howes Meadow integrates nature-based drainage with wetland planting and informal play, evoking the fenland landscape that characterises the wider Cambridge setting.

JTP worked closely and collaboratively with Cambridge City Council and other stakeholders to shape proposals for the city’s first co-living development. The scheme evolved through iterative discussions focused on key quality principles, informed by lessons learned from occupied co-living developments across the country. This process has helped establish an exemplary benchmark while ensuring the proposals are tailored specifically to Cambridge.

The architectural language is rooted in Cambridge’s context. Three building typologies, The Pavilions, The Links and The Gables, are each expressed through a warm palette of buff and grey multi-brick, drawing reference from the former NIAB headquarters building and the contemporary brick-led character of the nearby Eddington.