First turf cut at Newman Fields, Soham

The first turf was cut last week and a bungalow was bulldozed to make way for a new access road to Newman Fields, a new Persimmon Homes community being built on the edge of Soham.

Ben Smith, Managing Director of Persimmon Homes East Midlands, ceremoniously dug a spade into the ground at the site off Broad Piece, marking the start of work on the 175-home development at Newman Fields, named after Arthur Newman who farmed the site in the past.

Persimmon Homes, a five-star housebuilder, will be building 113 private homes, 12 shared ownership homes and 41 homes for below market rent which will be offered to those on the East Cambridgeshire District Council’s housing list.

Homes will range from one to five bedrooms, creating opportunities for first-time buyers, those looking to move up the ladder and downsizers. Each home will benefit from an EV charging point and PV panels will be used where suitable across the development.

Persimmon Homes will also be bringing to the market nine self-build plots, which are delivered serviced and with Outline planning consent. These plots will allow future owners to design and build their dream homes.
The new development will provide extensive areas of meadowland and wetlands, plus an equipped play area for the new families and those already living close by.

Persimmon Homes will be making contributions of more than £2.2m towards local Early Years, Primary and Secondary education, £124,000 towards highways improvements to the A142/ Fordham Road/A1123 roundabout and £39,800 towards libraries in the area as well as a contribution of £18,200 towards the Soham Common Land. There will also be a contribution of more than £750,000 which will be used for upgrading local infrastructure via the Community Infrastructure Levy.

Ben Smith, Managing Director of Persimmon Homes East Midlands, said: “The removal of the bungalow at the entry to this site paves the way for us to start work in earnest on these much-needed new homes in this well-connected village within East Cambridgeshire.

“We are committed to delivering high-quality, affordable homes that meet local demand, and by offering the opportunity for people to build their own properties we are providing another route to home ownership.
“It was an honour to cut the turf and get work started on this exciting development and we look forward to working alongside the owners of these self-build plots in coming months.”