Cambridge tenants set for a warmer home upgrade

beehiveweb.co.uk editorial team 2026-08-13 18:29 3 min read

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By Beehiveweb News Desk | 13 August 2026

Residents in older Cambridge council homes are already seeing changes from a retrofit pilot designed to make properties warmer, healthier and more energy efficient. The main construction phase has finished at 48 homes on Ross Street and Coldham’s Grove, where Cambridge City Council has tested whole-house improvements alongside low-carbon heating measures.

Daniel Zeichner MP for Cambridge and Cllr Rosy Moore, the council’s deputy leader, visited the scheme on 31 July to hear from staff delivering it. The programme is intended to cut carbon emissions while improving day-to-day comfort for people living in the homes.

Upgrades are aimed at comfort, health and lower carbon use

The council has not published a property-by-property list of works, but says the pilot combines energy-efficiency improvements with low-carbon heating solutions suited to the homes involved. Rather than treating a single issue in isolation, the whole-house approach looks at how improvements work together across an existing property.

For tenants, the practical aim is a home that is easier to keep comfortable and supports a healthier indoor environment. Cllr Moore said the work had addressed concerns including damp and mould, while seeking to reduce emissions.

Residents will continue to receive support as they get used to their upgraded homes. The council will also carry out extended monitoring to understand how the measures perform over time, meaning the pilot’s results will not rest solely on the completion of building work.

The 48-home pilot is shaping future council work

The Ross Street and Coldham’s Grove project is being used as a test case for the wider decarbonisation of Cambridge City Council housing. Council teams used the visit to discuss both the achievements of the completed construction phase and the challenges of carrying out whole-house retrofit in occupied, older homes.

That matters because retrofit work can affect residents during delivery as well as after it. The council says resident involvement throughout the pilot has helped it refine how future projects are planned and delivered, including the quality of work and resident experience.

Zeichner said it was encouraging to see projects that improve residents’ quality of life while contributing to climate goals. He also highlighted the value of hearing directly from the delivery team about the practical difficulties involved.

Around 370 more Cambridge council homes are planned by 2028

The next phase is considerably larger. Cambridge City Council has secured funding to improve the energy performance of about a further 370 council homes by 2028.

The council says retrofit solutions will be selected according to each property and programme, rather than applying one identical package to every home. The monitoring and resident feedback from the 48-home pilot will help shape that work as the programme expands.

Source: Cambridge City Council News

Context & actions About this article

Source check Source trail

This report is based on Cambridge City Council's account of its completed retrofit pilot and planned housing upgrades.

Checks

Confirmed that the pilot covered 48 council homes at Ross Street and Coldham's Grove.
Checked the reported purpose of the work: energy efficiency, low-carbon heating, comfort a...
Confirmed that funding has been secured for around 370 further council-home upgrades by 20...
Separated completed pilot works from future planned improvements.

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