Cranbrook, is a green field development new town within East Devon to the north east of Exeter. With a current population of about 4,500 expected to rise to over 18,000 by 2030.
In 2016 it became one of ten NHS England demonstrator sites across England. Cranbrook was the only site to be developer-led.
The Healthy New Towns programme aims were to reunite planning and health. Ensuring collaboration at the point of planning new housing developments, and to work in partnership with communities to design healthier places.
The town has an unusually young profile with over three times the national average of children between 0 and 4 years old. The age profile indicates that the health needs of the population will present more life style health issues and mental health challenges initially.
Initially led by East Devon District Council in the first phase of the programme, Public Health Devon - Devon County Council then took on the programme leadership in phase two.
With a focus on creating the conditions for health and wellbeing in the built and natural environment, taking new approaches to developing a new model of living and stimulating community engagement and activation working closely with the two schools built in its early stages of development, Cranbrook is on a collaborative journey.
Cranbrook's challenges and successes including; the partnerships between sectors working together towards shared health and wellbeing aims, the innovations that arise from linking data and joining up spatial planning research, to meet the aims of the programme, are documented in this booklet which captures case studies from the Cranbrook Healthy New Town Programme story.
Cranbrook is both unique and the ultimate prototype!