Plans by Nottingham-based practice Franklin Ellis Architects for a 425-home scheme in Cambridge have been approved by two local councils.

Cambridge city council and South Cambridgeshire council have both signed off the development on disused railway land, designed for a joint venture between Network Rail’s property company Platform4 and housebuilder Grainger Plc called blocwork.

The scheme will deliver a mix of one, two and three-bed build-to-rent homes in a series of blocks surrounding a large central park.

The approved scheme is the next phase of the Cambridge North Masterplan delivered by Brookgate, which already includes a 217-room hotel and a commercial building home to occupiers including Samsung supported by retail. 

The approval follows this week’s announcement on the government’s new National Planning Policy Framework, that there will be a default ‘yes’ for homes within reasonable walking distance of well-connected stations. 

Blockwork director and interim Platform4 chief executive Andrew Ferguson said the scheme was a “great example of supporting the government’s commitment to building more homes next to stations as we look to create a new community in one of the country’s most dynamic cities”.

Planning consultant on the scheme was Bidwells.