About Cambridgeshire and its major new development sites up to 2021

Coordinating growth on such a grand scale is quite a challenge and can only be achieved through effective management and commitment on the part of everyone involved. In 2004, Cambridgeshire Horizons was established in recognition of the fact that no single existing agency or authority could be expected to implement this planned growth on its own.

The idea is to create truly sustainable new communities that receive heat and electricity from clean and sustainable energy sources and thus significantly reducing the carbon footprint of those living there.

Such technologies are increasingly important as concerns over pollution and greenhouse emissions rise, as do worries over the security of supply and the unpredictable costs of more traditional fossil-derived fuels.

The new communities within Cambridgeshire can use renewable energy which draws on the power of sustainable resources such as wind, the sun, and the heat that is held in the ground. This energy could be exploited using technologies such as wind turbines, solar panels, and special pumps.

Our challenge is two-fold: building new communities that demonstrate the art of the possible in sustainable design and climate change mitigation; and identifying how low-carbon growth could also benefit existing communities in Cambridgeshire.

The growth agenda must be part of the solution to climate change. This will require commitment of all partners (private, public and voluntary sector) to support the delivery of a huge programme of innovative infrastructure for new communities, which can act as an example for low-carbon living.