A Landscape Led Residential Development
Our vision for a greener, more biodiverse Friday Bridge
A Landscape Strategy Designed To Enhance The Local Environment
These proposals set out a vision for a high-quality, landscape-led residential development at Friday Bridge. Informed by early discussions with Fenland District Council, the scheme would deliver much-needed new homes, including affordable housing, alongside new green spaces, biodiversity enhancements, sustainable drainage features and improved pedestrian connections.
We welcome your feedback as we continue to develop the proposals and prepare an outline planning application.
Key Considerations and Principles
- Respond positively to the pre-application advice received from the Local Planning Authority.
- Comply with the emerging Fenland Local Plan by delivering high-quality design, green infrastructure, and mitigation measures to protect local character.
- Support the infill development of existing agricultural land along the settlement’s eastern boundary.
- Provide low- to medium-density housing to complement the surrounding context, including much-needed affordable homes to contribute to the housing needs of the District.
- Commit to a landscape-led design, incorporating new tree planting, open spaces, and viewing corridors that respect and enhance existing village landmarks.
- Maintain key views of the Grade II listed water tower and church.
Key Opportunities
- Expand green space linked to the existing play area.
- Integrate Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) into the landscape/green space along the eastern boundary to provide multifunctional benefits.
- Create high-quality open space, children’s play areas, and biodiversity corridors to enhance local amenity.
- Enhance pedestrian connectivity within the site and to the wider village.
Development Context
Why are new homes needed?
- The Government is committed to delivering 370,000 new homes per year over the current parliament; it is already significantly in arrears with only 208,600 delivered in 2024/25.
- Fenland District Council’s Local Plan, including the emerging Fenland 50, sets the framework for development, housing, infrastructure and land use in the district up to 2050.
- New homes will need to be built across the District, helping young people stay in the area, families to grow and to provide homes for downsizing and retirement.
- This development is designed to assist to support all of those with a range of properties that will help to sustain Friday Bridge’s local economy.
- 25% of this development will be affordable homes of a range of tenures including social rented and affordable shared-ownership opportunities, for which there is a strong demand in Friday Bridge.
Preparing an outline application
- A number of technical studies will form part of the application - these will assess what investment into infrastructure and mitigation is needed to accommodate the development.
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We are sharing our early ideas for the site today and welcome your feedback as we prepare the outline submission. Once you have reviewed the information you can provide feedback at this link.
- The Council will also organise formal consultation once planning applications are submitted providing a further opportunity to comment.
Water management, drainage and utilities
- The site is within Flood Zone 1 with a low risk of surface water flooding.
- Sustainable Drainage Systems including water features, such as ponds, will attenuate of surface water run-off and provide enhanced ecological benefits.
- We continue to work closely with the local water authority (Anglian Water) regarding the design of foul sewerage and potable water, and any reinforcements that need to be carried out to support the new homes would be delivered as required. A strategy would be agreed, particularly in terms of surrounding drains.
- The Utility Assessment within the application will evidence deliverability of electricity, potable water, high speed broadband, telephone and foul water connections.
Other technical reports will address matters such as noise and air quality as part of the outline planning application.