Cambridge Investment Partnership (CIP) has reached a significant milestone at Aylesborough Close in Arbury, with the completion of a topping-out ceremony.

CIP board members, ward councillors, One Public Estate, Homes England and the CIP team gathered to lay the final brick at the highest point of the development, which will provide 70 low-carbon council homes in Cambridge.

CIP, the equal partnership between Cambridge City Council and award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group, has replaced 36 outdated council homes that no longer met modern space standards and energy efficiency ratings with this 70-home development, which will significantly improve the quality of life for council tenants. The development has received grant funding from One Public Estate and Homes England.

Cllr Gerri Bird, Executive Councillor for Housing at Cambridge City Council and CIP board member said: "This important milestone at Aylesborough Close is just one example of how we’re building more council homes per capita than almost all other councils in the country. These 70 council homes are a crucial part of our work to address the housing affordability crisis in Cambridge and improve accommodation standards, ensuring we are creating homes that contribute to the well-being of our tenants."

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The new homes will be distributed across three low-rise buildings, offering a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, with private outdoor space for each home in the form of a terrace or balcony, as well as wheelchair-accessible homes.

Each apartment is thoughtfully designed to provide comfortable living spaces with excellent air quality and reduced running costs. To ensure sustainability, the homes will have exemplary levels of air tightness through use of specialised sealant technology. They will also feature high-performance insulation, mechanical ventilation and heat recovery systems, and photovoltaic solar panels.

As part of the development's sustainable design, the site will also incorporate enhanced green spaces, including a dedicated residents’ garden, play area, and horticulture zones with the inclusion of new trees, mini meadows and planting, which will deliver a 20% biodiversity net gain. The integration of green roofs, rain gardens, permeable paving, and attenuation tanks will support the sustainable management of surface water.

The development will support sustainable transport, with half of the parking spaces accommodating electric car charging capabilities and ample cycle parking to encourage active living.

The new council homes at Aylesborough Close form part of Cambridge City Council's wider housebuilding programme across Cambridge to improve accommodation standards for people living in existing council homes; to build additional council homes to meet local need, and to address wider housing supply issues.