‘You can’t buy a pint of milk there’ - South Cambridgeshire MP says district council must do better for new town of Northstowe

Anthony Browne, the Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire, has accused the district council of failing to provide proper services for Northstowe and has called on the secretary of state to ensure residents get the facilities they need.

Mr Browne used a Parliamentary question on Monday (May 16) to make the case for further amenities in the new town, the largest to be built in the UK for 50 years.

More than 1,000 homes have been built, but Mr Browne claims planning delays means residents still have no shop, no dedicated community centre, no permanent café, no GP surgery, and no pub.

Addressing Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Mr Browne stressed the lack of basic facilities in Northstowe, noting that “thousands of frustrated residents lack anywhere to go for a pint of milk or a pint of beer”.

Mr Gove gave assurances that such issues would be addressed in forthcoming legislation.

Mr Browne said: “It was wonderful to visit the first ever Northstowe Day earlier this month, marking five years since the first resident moved in.

“Since then, I have taken meetings, heard from residents, written letters, and campaigned to ensure that when the 10-year anniversary comes through, it is marked by celebration and not by a continued lack of basic facilities.”

Bridget Smith, Lib Dem leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “Residents would be so much better served by an MP who supported and worked with the council rather than one who is constantly sniping.

“Feeding lines to Michael Gove for his own self promotion is not going to help Browne win residents better facilities.”

She added there would soon be a sports pavilion in the town, and that there were plans for an interim community facility.

Read more

34 pictures of inaugural Northstowe Half Marathon and Fullscope 5k

In pictures: Museum in Northstowe could be created from shipping containers

1,000 more homes approved for Northstowe despite flooding fears and claims of recklessness