Reserved Matters approval for Strawberry Fields Retirement Village

Acting on behalf of Rangeford Villages Ltd, Carter Jonas secured reserved matters approval for a retirement village and countryside park at Stapleford, following an earlier planning appeal success which established the principle of development within the Cambridge Green Belt.

The site presented a significant planning challenge, being located entirely within the Green Belt and adjoining the sensitive rural edge of Stapleford. The outline proposals were initially refused by South Cambridgeshire District Council on Green Belt and landscape grounds before permission was successfully secured at appeal. Carter Jonas played a central role in developing the planning strategy, coordinating the consultant team and presenting the planning case through the appeal process.

Following the appeal success, the site was acquired by Rangeford Villages who appointed Carter Jonas to lead on the reserved matters application. The team worked closely with the local planning authority and wider project team to ensure the detailed design delivered the vision established through the outline permission. The scheme includes:

• 147 extra-care apartments and bungalows.

• A central pavilion containing restaurant, café, bar, shop, gym, wellness facilities and swimming pool.

• 139 car parking spaces.

• A significant new countryside park and green infrastructure network.

• Landscape-led design responding to its Green Belt context.

The scheme responds sensitively to its Green Belt setting through a landscape-led masterplan that integrates housing, community facilities and high-quality open space. The project also delivers substantial biodiversity enhancements and approximately 21 hectares of publicly accessible countryside park linking into the wider green infrastructure network.

The development will provide much-needed specialist accommodation for older people in the Cambridge area whilst delivering significant environmental, recreational and social benefits for the wider community.