Residents of Cherry Hinton, near Cambridge, are divided over Springstead Village, a development planned to add 1,200 homes on a 138-acre site between the village and Cambridge Airport. Around 200 homes have already been built, but opponents fear the completed development, expected by 2030, will worsen congestion and place excessive pressure on local services, despite the area’s role in the growing “Silicon Fen” technology hub.

The village had 1,254 residents in 1931 and recorded 9,343 people in the 2021 census, following decades of expansion. The development is intended to include schools, shops, community facilities, a village green, cycle routes and allotments, but some locals question whether these provisions—and an additional Waitrose convenience store—are necessary when nearby facilities already exist; supporters argue that Cambridge needs more housing.