Thank you for your interest in the North West Cambridge Development. If you have a specific enquiry, then we have listed below are some frequently asked questions that you might find useful to refer to. If after taking a look at this section and relevant web pages you need further information, please feel free to drop us a line - our details are on the contact page.
University key worker housing
Q: Am I eligible for the University key worker housing?
A: Eligibility for key worker housing at the North West Cambridge Development has been defined in the planning permission of the site, which is regulated by the local authorities. Housing at the North West Cambridge Development will be for employees who cannot afford open market rent. This will be judged by an evaluation of the applicant's net household income against market rental levels at the time of application. The applicant must also have a contract of at least 18 hours with the University or College or affiliated organisation, with at least 12 months remaining.
Whilst the development is significant in scale and provides an extension to the city centre, the University is unlikely to be able to meet all of its need for key worker housing at the North West Cambridge Development, so it will be necessary to prioritise eligible applications. Criteria include geographic classification (with priority to those who are new to the Cambridge area), "hard to fill" posts, family circumstances and immediacy of housing need.
The University Accommodation Service will be responsible for allocating homes.
Q: How do I find out more about the University key worker housing?
A: The University Accommodation Service will be responsible for allocating homes and these will take place from 2016.
Market housing
Q: How can I find out about the Market housing?
The residential developers will be responsible for selling the market homes. Visit their websites from the Housing section of our website for more information on the timings, specification and availability.
Q: What kind of homes for sale are available?
A: The market housing will include a mix of housing types, from apartments through to terraced, semi-detached and detached houses. There will be approximately 400 market homes in the first phase of the development.
How will you prevent investors from overseas buying properties on the site and leaving them empty?
The investor question is a difficult issue not just for Cambridge but also across the country. From the University’s perspective, we are keen to establish a community at the North West Cambridge Development, and the presence and stability of residents within the market homes will greatly assist that. We have promoted a high quality and long lasting community-focused development, and have sought developer partners for the market housing who share that vision for the site.
The University is unable to specifically restrict purchase of homes to specific types of people and this would be near impossible for the University to police and enforce, but the current designs include apartments as well as terraced, semi-detached and detached homes, which we hope will appeal to current and future Cambridge residents and families at a range of price points. The development is not being actively promoted for investment properties or buy to let purchasers and the University has selected residential developers who support this position.
Business and Commercial Units
What small business or commercial opportunities are there?
The local centre of the North West Cambridge Development will have a supermarket and a small number of local shops (approximately eight) to support the new and existing community.
These local shops will be opening in late 2017.
Planning permission has been granted for commercial space for uses A1, A3 and A4.
The University’s commercial agents, Bidwells, will be marketing the units in early 2017 – please contact James Lankfer in their retail team to register your interest for information when it is available.
Becoming a supplier
Q: How can I supply products to your development?
Please see our section on procurement for full details.
Q: How and when are suppliers paid?
Payment is usually by 30th of the month following that in which a correctly rendered invoice is received, unless otherwise agreed.
Payment terms are normally set out in the contract documents, but they may be stage payments, annual/quarterly/monthly payments or payment on completion.
To ensure that your invoice is dealt with efficiently and to avoid delays, please ensure that you:
- submit the invoice in the format agreed in the contract;
- quote the order number and/or contract title;
- address it to the correct person and location;
- ensure that it adds up correctly;
- include as much information as possible about what the invoice is for.
Our preferred method of payment is by BACS, although we are also able to make payments by cheque. Whilst cheques are issued from a central office, invoices are processed by the finance team within the Development and they should be contacted in the first instance in the event of any query.
Q How do I become a supplier across the University of Cambridge and not just the North West Cambridge Development?
Suppliers interested in supplying across the University should visit the webpages for Procurement Services http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/purchasing/suppliers/new/
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (FOI)
How do I submit a FOI request?
The North West Cambridge Development is a department of the University of Cambridge and follows its procedures on Freedom of Information (FOI).
Further information about FOI can be found on the University's website.
Requests and enquiries should be submitted by email to [email protected] or by post to:
Freedom of Information Officer, Registrary's Office, University of Cambridge, The Old Schools, Trinity Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1TN