The ‘community-focused’ village locals say is similar to Swiss town

An expanding village in Cambridgeshire has been praised for being conveniently located with ‘one of the best playgrounds in the Cambridge area’ by locals

Locals and businesses have described their village as “community focused” with similarities to a town in Switzerland. Conveniently located around six miles from Cambridge and on the edge of The Fens is Waterbeach.

Home to more than 5,500 residents, the expanding village of Waterbeach offers an array of local amenities including expansive outdoor spaces, a family-loved playground, cafes, shops, and more. Waterbeach is currently expanding as a ‘new town’ at a former Cambridgeshire military base which will see thousands of homes built. Around 150 homes have been moved into so far.

Waterbeach Barracks was first used by the RAF, then the Royal Engineers, before the site was closed in 2013. As part of our exploring Cambridgeshire series, we spoke to people about what it is like to live and work in Waterbeach.

One woman called Lisa, who asked to use only her first name, said that she likes that Waterbeach has a typical “village atmosphere” as well as being conveniently located close to nearby towns.

Lisa said that the new development is “chaotic as expected” and that there are pros and cons with any sort of development work. She added that the works are “causing a bit of an issue” but “for the sake of building up the village and having more amenities” it will progress well.

Sukhi Singh is the owner of Brew and Basket. He said that Waterbeach is a “community focused” village where there are lots of things happening.

Mr Singh said: “The perfect example is the [Waterbeach] Feast, which was last week. Thousands of people gathered together. They have a parade, schools, local institutes and we love that community feeling.” The Waterbeach Feast is an annual village event for the whole community to come together and make memories.

The business owner said he likes the new development because it is “bringing many opportunities”. The 40-year-old added: “You’re seeing in the news, a lot of unemployment, and with this new development, it is bringing these opportunities to the young people.”

The 40-year-old explained that he likes Waterbeach so much because it reminds him of a quaint town in Switzerland where he used to live called Arlesheim. Mr Singh said how Arlesheim was “quite similar” with a close-knit community, lots of local facilities such as pubs, and football.

Arlesheim is a picturesque town in the canton of Basel-Country, known for its historic heritage, scenic nature, and proximity to the city of Basel.

He also praised Wild Wood Play Park for being “one of the best playgrounds in the Cambridge area” where “a lot of people” travel from outside the village to visit it.

Adding to what he likes about Waterbeach, as a regular commuter into London, Mr Singh said: “I think the train station plays a massive role, and there are two different buses which take you into Cambridge. So, there’s a lot of connectivity from the village.”

Mohamed Ata, a local business owner, highlighted how the community is kind and that the new development “will bring more people to Waterbeach”. He shared that he believes it is a positive improvement because it will be “good for [them] as a business” alongside bringing in future local services.

Describing the transport links, Mr Ata said it is “the best” because it takes commuters straight into London. To improve, Mr Ata said he would like to see more amenities such as grocery shops open in the village.