Community's shop units being filled

DEVELOPERS have revealed the types of shops and services due to open at Cambridgeshire's newest development.

Cambourne currently has a Morrisons supermarket and a Lloyds Pharmacy serving its 4,000 residents. But the News can reveal the type - although not all the names - of the shops due to set up.

In the High Street, they include an Indian restaurant, a Chinese takeaway, a building society and an estate agent.

Lloyds Pharmacy, currently housed in a temporary building close to the Monkfield Medical Practice, will also move to the High Street.

At Caxton House, on the corner of Broad Street and School Lane, there will be a bookmaker's, two estate agents, including Connells Estate Agents, and a dry cleaner's.

This is in addition to Fish'n'Chick'n, which will open its doors in October at Caxton House.

The developers are tight-lipped about the names until they are certain that the deals are going ahead.

But Riyan Itani, development surveyor for Savills, which acts as letting agent for the shop units, said: "It's very exciting for Cambourne - for both the residents and the businesses involved.

"At the moment, residents are having to travel quite far to get to their nearest shops. Soon they will be able to shop on their doorstep."

John Vickery, of Cambourne Parish Council, said: "It's nice to see the High Street being filled up, it will be good to have shops occupied.

"It will help to develop a community spirit in Cambourne, especially having places to eat in the village. At the moment there is nothing like that, apart from The Cambridge Belfry Hotel."

He added: "What we really need now is a post office. At the moment, residents have to travel to Papworth or St Ives."

John Slater, spokesman for the Cambourne Consortium, said: "The High Street shops mark yet another significant milestone in the community's ongoing development and will doubtless be warmly welcomed by residents."

As reported in the Cambridge Evening News