The Cambridge Growth Company is a company limited by guarantee and a subsidiary of Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency. It has been established to deliver an ambitious future vision for Cambridgeshire.
Peter Freeman is the Chair of the Cambridge Growth Company. He has a track record in delivering large scale development and regeneration projects, as well as being the outgoing Chair of Homes England. He was appointed on 30 October 2024 by the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook.
You can read more about Peter’s appointment here: Appointment of Cambridge Growth Company Chair - GOV.UK
Cambridge, at the heart of Cambridgeshire, is one of the UK’s most important cities. Constraints around provision of housing, transport, water and wider infrastructure are affecting the quality of life of local residents and communities, as well as sustainable growth moving forward.
The Cambridge Growth Company has been established to address these issues and help the city realise its full potential. It will be working closely with local partners to make the most of their insights and knowledge about local communities.
It is taking forward near-term priorities like accelerating and unblocking key developments and infrastructure in and around Cambridge. To date, the government and the Growth Company have worked with local partners and members of the Water Scarcity Group to unlock planning applications totalling over 9,000 new homes and 528,000sqm of commercial space.
It is also focused on developing an evidence-base to inform a long-term strategy for housing and infrastructure, that builds on and goes further than existing local plans.
On 28 January 2025, the Chancellor unveiled new plans to deliver the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, which has the potential to boost the UK economy by up to £78 billion by 2035.
The Growth Company’s work across Greater Cambridge is one component of the government’s strategy to pursue growth across the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor.
The Cambridge Growth Company is working with the government, including Lord Vallance in his role as the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor Champion and Science minister, to coordinate the delivery of sustainable growth across the region.
The government announced £10 million at Autumn Budget 2024 to enable the Cambridge Growth Company to develop an ambitious plan for housing, transport, wider infrastructure, and for the water needed to support sustainable growth.
The government previously announced £10.2 million to support the expansion of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus at Spring Budget 2024. This included £7.2 million for local partners to unlock improvements to local transport connections for the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and the city, and £3 million to support the Cambridge University NHS Trust to support plans for growth.
The Growth Company is leveraging the expertise of industry professionals and is working closely with local partners to make the most of their insights and knowledge of local communities.
The Cambridge Growth Company’s Advisory Council has been established to capture the views and insights of local leaders and partners. The list of local representatives who sit on the Council can be found here, and minutes of previous meetings found here. The Cambridge Growth Company will ensure all stakeholders and citzens are engaged and consulted on the vision at the appropriate time.
CGC is engaging with local partners to identify and understand the most effective delivery structures to support future growth. It has also commissioned a consultant team led by Buro Happold and Prior + Partners to assist with the development of a vision and an evidence base, and to advise on the most appropriate structure for the next stage of the Growth Company’s evolution.
No decisions on a future delivery vehicle have been taken at this stage.
