330 new homes proposed for Sawtry: what buyers on the A1 corridor need to know.

What Endurance Estates is proposing.

Endurance Estates wants to build up to 330 homes on a 35-hectare site of agricultural land on the southern edge of Sawtry, west of Toll Bar Way and southwest of Green End Road. A formal outline planning application has not yet been submitted. In early 2026 the developer filed a screening opinion request with Huntingdonshire District Council (reference 26/70001/SCRE), which is the stage where the council determines whether a full Environmental Impact Assessment will be required before the main application can be validated.

The developer held a public exhibition in January 2026 at Sawtry Social Club and ran an online consultation. Endurance Estates describes the proposed development as “carefully designed, high quality and respectful of the area,” with a mix of house types intended to suit a range of buyers and renters, built out at what the company describes as a lower density than comparable schemes so the layout fits well with Sawtry and its surroundings.

Affordable homes and the local housing need.

Of the 330 proposed homes, the developer's published materials set out a target of 40 per cent as affordable housing. At 330 homes total, that would mean around 132 affordable units, a meaningful addition to Sawtry's affordable housing stock. Huntingdonshire District Council's adopted Local Plan to 2036 includes a 40 per cent affordable housing requirement for developments of this scale, so this target appears designed to align with current planning policy.

The council's draft Local Plan to 2046 is working through its technical evidence base ahead of a Regulation 19 consultation expected in summer 2026. Sawtry features in the preferred options document as a settlement capable of accommodating further housing growth alongside its existing services.

35 hectares and what 70% open space actually means.

The 35-hectare site is largely undeveloped agricultural land to the south and southwest of Sawtry, between Green End Road and the A1(M) services. Endurance Estates says approximately 70 per cent of the total site area will be given over to public open space rather than housing plots.

That open space programme would include allotments, children's play areas, green spaces for informal recreation, areas of new woodland, and walking and cycling routes connecting into the existing village network. The housing itself would sit on roughly 10 to 11 hectares, at a density the developer describes as lower than comparable schemes, intended to reflect the scale and character of Sawtry.

Where the plans stand and what comes next.

The screening opinion stage is the earliest formal step in the Environmental Impact Assessment process. Once Huntingdonshire District Council responds to the screening request, Endurance Estates will know whether a full EIA is required. For a 35-hectare, 330-home scheme, an EIA is very likely to be required, and preparing one typically takes several months.

After that, an outline application would be submitted and validated. Outline applications of this scale in Huntingdonshire are usually determined within 13 to 16 weeks once validated, though in practice the process often runs longer. Given that the screening was filed in early 2026, a planning committee decision on the outline application is not expected before 2027 at the earliest.

A petition opposing the development has been signed by 338 residents. That level of community response will be a material consideration in the council's assessment, alongside highway impact, drainage capacity, ecology and compliance with the Local Plan. You can track the application using reference 26/70001/SCRE on the Huntingdonshire District Council planning portal.

What it means for buyers and sellers in Sawtry.

For anyone buying or selling in Sawtry, a proposal of this scale at the southern edge of the village raises fair questions about how the character of the area develops over the next decade. The planning process is long; the scheme is still at its earliest formal stage, and nothing is on the ground yet.

From our experience working across Huntingdonshire, well-designed schemes with substantial open space and a proper affordable component have rarely harmed values in the surrounding streets, and in a number of cases have increased catchment confidence once the development is complete and occupied. Sawtry already has strong road access: the A1(M) junction is minutes from the village, Huntingdon is roughly 20 minutes by road, and Peterborough around 35.

For sellers considering timing, the gap between a screening opinion and a planning committee decision is typically 18 months or more. If you are planning to sell in the next year, this scheme will not have changed anything on the ground. If you are buying in Sawtry for the longer term, we recommend checking the planning portal as part of your due diligence. Our estate agents in Huntingdon team covers the full north patch including Sawtry, and we are happy to run that check for you as part of our buyer service.