Update 6th May 2024

Dear all,

Update 6th May, 2024

Redevelopment of Clarendon House office, Clarendon Road (off Brooklands Avenue)

Urgent: Brooklands Avenue and Area Residents Association ask for your support in protecting the Brooklands Avenue Conservation Area from office overdevelopment.

“The Clarendon House revamp provokes alarm”, featured in the Cambridge Independent

Deadline for comments is tomorrow Tuesday 7th May but the planning portal states the determination deadline is 26 June 2024.

https://applications.greatercambridgeplanning.org/online-applications/

Search by keyword ‘Clarendon’ or Ref: 24/00889/FUL

Direct link should also work

https://applications.greatercambridgeplanning.org/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=dates&keyVal=SA1FJMDXMY700

Key reasons to object 

1. Overdevelopment – floorspace increased to 6624sqm from 2719sqm. More than double the office space with five storeys compared to three existing ones.
2. Excessive scale and massing – more than double the height of existing building, at 22m tall, with a chimney stack at 23m.
3. Negative impact on appearance and character of the Brooklands Avenue Conservation Area, with 73 windows facing Victorian and Edwardian houses on Clarendon Road and roof terraces on 3rd and 4th floors
4. Excessive level of car parking with 20 spaces
5. Overlooking, loss of light and loss of privacy for residents living in Clarendon Road and Kaleidoscope flats.
6. Removal of 5 trees and ‘tree surgery’ on others

Relevant Policies in Cambridge Local Plan 2018

Policy 55: Responding to context
Policy 59: Designing landscape and the public realm
Policy 60: Tall buildings and the skyline in Cambridge
Policy 61: Conservation and enhancement of Cambridge’s historic environment
Policy 71: Trees
Policy 25: ‘Cambridge Railway Station, Hills Road Corridor to the City Centre Opportunity Area’ does not identify either Clarendon House as a Proposal Site, and this building is not shown within the ‘Opportunity

 

Plans to make Cambridge a fast growth city to be discussed at UK REIF 1,000-per-head developers’ conference in Leeds 21 – 23 May – before the Cambridge community has even been consulted

https://premium.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/news/plans-to-make-cambridge-a-fast-growth-city-to-be-discussed-a-9364507

https://www.ukreiif.com/event/ukreiif-annual-event-2024/

Among those taking part

• Peter Freeman, the chair of Homes England who is chair of the Cambridge Development Group set up by the government to further its vision of building another 150,000 homes in the Cambridge region by 2050. His session will focus on how to grow the city “with community at its heart”.
• The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and Mayor
• Labour leader of Cambridge City Council, Cllr Mike Davey

Programme events include:

‘Fast Growth Cities’ – How Do We Develop the Cambridge Phenomenon With Community at its Heart?  features Peter Freeman – Chair of Homes England, the development partner of Anglian Water, Cambridge University,  Cambridge City Council and Landsec on a £3billion North East Cambridge scheme.  

https://www.costar.com/article/75722094/landsec-puts-£3-billion-cambridge-life-sciences-and-residential-campus-on-menu

Housing Quango Homes England features in March 17, 2024 report. link below

https://inews.co.uk/news/homes-england-blowing-millions-missing-targets-housing-crisis-2958994#:~:text=Homes%20England%20says%20its%20turnover,was%20short%20of%2021%20staff

 

Private Roundtable: Leveraging Investment Zones and Tax Increment Finance to Stimulate Economic Growth features Richard Kenny – Executive Director for Economy and Growth, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority; Amy Lambert – Deputy Head – Freeports & Investment Zones, Department for Business & Trade

Private Roundtable: Universities, Inward Investment and Growth

Overcoming Electricity Network Challenges to Enable Social and Economic Growth Features Debbie Bondi – Director, Plethos Consulting according to WIZA she is Head of Innovatioin and Technology ((contract to perm) at the GCP. 

See

https://www.decarbnetwork.hub.cam.ac.uk/files/living_lab_final_report_for_online.pdf

 

East of England APPG LGA Parliamentary Reception 11th June 2024 

https://www.eelga.gov.uk/events/eelga-roundtable-discussion-making-planning-reform-work-for-the-east-of-england/

The East of England APPG is supported by British Sugar, London Stansted Airport, the East of England LGA, AstraZeneca, Anglian Water, Transport East, the UK Innovation Corridor https://innovationcorridor.uk/) Freeport East, England’s Economic Heartland, CityFibre and BuildEast. Academic partners include University of Essex, The University of Cambridge, Anglia Ruskin University and the University of East Anglia.

https://eastofenglandappg.org.uk

The APPG co chairs are Cambridge MP, Daniel Zeichner and Peter Aldous, Waveney MP (Cons). And members include the Labour peer Baroness Cohen of Pimlico, who is on CPPF’s planning committee

 

BBC Question Time in Cambridge 

A small community in the Fens managed to have the last word! Link below.

https://x.com/SaveHoneyHill1/status/1786369125238915412

 

Best wishes,

Wendy

 

Wendy Blythe

Chair, FeCRA

www.fecra.org.uk

www.facebook.com/CambridgeRAs

www.twitter.com/fecra2