Nearly 650 homes could be built on land to the north of Huntingdon as part of a major housing scheme if a planning bid by a Cambridge University college gets the go-ahead.

St John’s College has applied to Huntingdonshire District Council for outline permission to build up to 648 homes on land off Ermine Street, sandwiched between the existing Ermine and St John’s business parks and the Green End residential area in Great Stukeley.

The site is one of two adjacent parcels of land, totalling more than 200 acres and including a larger section on the other site of Ermine Street, which have been earmarked for housing and could hold a combined 1,440 homes.

It is also close to Alconbury Weald, the redevelopment of Alconbury airfield as a massive housing and business area.

The planning application has been made by the master, fellows and scholars of the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge and would need a further detailed approval if the outline plan gets the thumbs-up.

It says access to the site would be from Ermine Street and Washingley Road on St John’s Business Park and envisages the construction of up to 648 new homes, including affordable properties, formal and informal recreation areas, tennis courts and pedestrian links.

The planning application said the developers have already had meetings with the district council, the parish council and held a public consultation session with residents.

Documents submitted with the application say: “The vision is to create a sustainable new living environment, based around a fully integrated new community with new homes that are accessible to everyone. It will deliver a wide range of choice of new, sustainable, high quality housing, including affordable housing.

The application said: “A fundamental influence to the form and structure of the masterplan has been the requirement to provide a safeguarded corridor along the north western boundary of the site. The land is to be safeguarded to provide for a potential future highway link from the south through to Alconbury Weald to the north,”

It added: “The site is allocated for development in the adopted Local Plan, along with a 50.2ha parcel on the opposing side of Ermine Street. In combination, these two sites are expected to comprise approximately 1,440 homes, a potential realignment route for the A141, approximately 1,000sqm of A1, food and drink retail (A3-A5), a primary school and strategic green infrastructure.”