AtkinsRéalis designs unveiled for four-storey Northstowe Town Hub as planning bid goes in

AtkinsRéalis has revealed designs for a four-storey Town Hub at Northstowe in Cambridgeshire, after South Cambridgeshire District Council submitted a planning application for the health, library and community building to Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service.

The consultancy was appointed through Pagabo's Professional Services Framework, which Pagabo manages on behalf of The Education Alliance Trust, Pagabo said in a release on 21 October. The council had announced the submission on 3 September, under reference 26/03221/REM, and encouraged comments by 30 September.

The building will provide more than 4,000 sq m of flexible space, including over 1,290 sq m for GP services and other healthcare uses on the upper floors, according to Pagabo. It also includes a library, a large flexible community hall, meeting rooms and workspaces, a café opening onto the Town Plaza and High Street, a full-height atrium with a feature staircase, and a landscaped first-floor garden terrace and roof terrace.

Cllr Dr Lisa Redrup, the council's Lead Cabinet Member for Healthy Communities, said: "There has been a huge amount of local engagement that has helped to shape our vision for the Town Hub – and we're extremely pleased with how AtkinsRéalis has worked to bring that vision to life."

The design

The building is to be called Wayfinder, after the historic trig point that stood on the site, formerly RAF Oakington. Pagabo said the trig point's original metalwork will be re-laid at the exact coordinates from which it was removed.

The council said the design draws on the surrounding fen landscape and local aviation history, and features green roofs, energy-saving technology and spaces designed to encourage nature. It said the scheme was shaped with input from Homes England, Cambridgeshire County Council Libraries Service and the NHS Integrated Care Board.

A self-contained unit facing the high street is included for later occupation as the town grows. The council's release describes it as intended for a pharmacy, while Pagabo's release says a healthcare provider.

AtkinsRéalis's Cambridge-based team led the project, covering architecture, structural and civil engineering, building services, sustainability, and project and cost management. The firm said it has worked at Northstowe for more than a decade, starting with the first primary school in phase one.

Richard Bonner, managing director for Buildings and Places at AtkinsRéalis, said: "In the Town Hub we have an innovative concept that breaks down traditional boundaries between healthcare, culture and civic life, creating much greater access to facilities that enable health and wellbeing."

The new town

Greater Cambridge Shared Planning describes Northstowe as a planned new town of up to 10,000 homes about 10km north-west of Cambridge. All 1,500 homes in Phase 1 have been built and that permission has expired. Phase 2, which has outline permission for up to 3,500 dwellings, is currently being delivered, and the planning service records that the council is delivering the Phase 2 Town Hub.

Homes England, the government's housing and regeneration agency, is master developer for Phases Two and Three, working with housebuilding partners. According to the official Northstowe website, Homes England has provided the land and £16.4m in funding for a health facility, library and Town Hub in Phase Two.

Pagabo's release puts the town's eventual population at up to 28,000 people, while Homes England's May 2024 release described a community of around 25,000. Both put the total at about 10,000 homes.

At the Northstowe Community Forum on 4 February 2026, AtkinsRéalis and the council said the permanent Town Hub will be built next to the temporary commercial space along the future High Street.

The framework

Pagabo's Professional Services framework includes 116 providers across 23 lots and can be used for a further competition or for a direct appointment, according to the framework page.

What happens next

The council said the application will be determined by its Planning Committee. Subject to approval, Pagabo said contractor procurement is expected to run in parallel with the planning process, with the project then moving to detailed design and construction.