The Civic Trust Regeneration Unit (CTRU) was commissioned on 29th May 2001 to prepare an Urban Design Framework (UDF) for land west of Huntingdon Town Centre. The work follows an earlier study by CTRU, “Huntingdon Town Centre: A Vision and Strategy for Growth and Quality”, which identified the area as a potential regeneration opportunity.

Urban Design Frameworks are advocated by Central Government and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) as a means of promoting high standards of design and providing a context for development. They are seen to be a good way of setting out the “big picture” before moving on to more detailed planning and urban design.

The original brief has been amended several times over the course of the study in response to development intentions by landowners and the transportation study currently under way in Huntingdon. The combined effect of these was to alter the emphasis of the work from urban design to strategic master planning and traffic issues.