Nearly 400 homes to be built in ’garden-style’ community at Waterbeach Lake
AFK has been granted planning approval for a 387-home build-to-rent scheme on a lakeside site just north of Cambridge.
Located on the northern edge of Waterbeach Lake, the scheme has been billed as a “garden-style rental community” with four six-storey blocks arranged around landscaped courtyards and a waterfront plaza.
It has been designed for developer Greystar with HTA Design acting as landscape architect.
The scheme includes a lakefront gym and co-working facilities, a lakeside boardwalk, a waterfront promenade and biodiversity enhancements including new reed beds and waterside planting.
Greystar said the project is an early demonstration of its “garden strategy” which is targeting the construction of 20,000 rental homes over the next four years with an initial focus on the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor.
The firm’s managing director Thomasin Renshaw said: “Our ambition is to bring this model to other high-growth locations across the UK, delivering quality rental homes at more accessible price points through smarter design, standardisation and efficient delivery.
“We’re actively looking to work with landowners and local partners who share our ambition to unlock sites and deliver much-needed housing.”
Greystar acquired the site in July 2026 with the development forming part of a wider 6,500 masterplan for the former Waterbeach Barracks and Airfield which has been designed by Fletcher Priest for developer Urban & Civic.
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