Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors Dryden, Thornburrow and Flaubert (Councillor Porrer attended as her Alternate).

 

Councillor Smart proposed and Councillor Porrer seconded Councillor Todd-Jones as Vice Chair for this committee meeting. This was unanimously agreed.

No declarations of interest were made.

To follow

The minutes of the meetings held on 4 February 2026 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Committee minutes list public speakers at Committee. Please view the recording of the meeting on Cambridge City Council - YouTube to see/hear more detail about statements from public speakers and Ward Councillors.

The Committee received an application for full planning permission.

 

The application sought approval for construction of floodlit padel tennis facility with club hut and landscaping.

 

The Principal Planner updated her report by referring to the amendment sheet:

      i.          Paragraph 17.8 (amendments to text to reflect condition changes).

     ii.          Paragraph 17.9 – Deleted.

   iii.          Condition 9 had been expanded on, consequently condition 10 had been removed.

   iv.          Addition of informative 5.

 

A local resident and a representative of South Newnham Neighbourhood Forum addressed the Committee speaking in objection to the application.

 

Mark Batchelor (Applicant’s Agent) addressed the Committee in support of the application.

 

Hugh Clough (Ward Councillor) addressed the Committee speaking in objection to the application.

 

The Committee:

 

Resolved (by 4 votes to 2) to reject the Officer recommendation to approve the application for planning permission.

 

The Team Leader (Delivery) outlined minded to refuse reasons:

      i.          By failing to preserve the openness of the Green Belt, the proposal would constitute inappropriate development in the Green Belt and would result in harm to it by virtue of the siting, artificial lighting, times of use, height and design of the Padel courts. The harm would be both visual and spatial and would result in a visually dominant and cluttered appearance of the site. The benefits of the proposal do not outweigh the cumulative harm that would arise to the visual amenity of the Green Belt, the protected open space and character and context of this part of the City and Newnham. The proposal is contrary to Cambridge Local Plan (2018) Policy 4 and 34, Policy SNNP3 of the South Newnham Neighbourhood Plan (2025) and chapter 13 of the NPPF 2024 'Protecting Green Belt Land’.

     ii.          The site is a protected open space of environmental and recreational importance. The visual impact of the proposal, by virtue  of the siting and design of the padel courts, would significantly harm the character of the protected open space, contrary to policy 67 of the Cambridge local plan (2018).

   iii.          The siting, scale, artificial lighting, times of use and massing of the proposed courts would introduce an intrusive built form into the middle of a valued protected open space, failing to adequately conserve or enhance existing identified views across it and harming its environmental and spatial character and qualities to the detriment of the setting of the City. The proposal therefore fails to positively respond to the surrounding context and is contrary to policies 8, 34, 55, 56, 57 and 59 of the Cambridge Local Plan (2018), policies SNNP3, SNNP11 and SNNP15 of the South Newnham Neighbourhood Plan (2025) and chapter 12 (Achieving well-designed places) of the NPPF 2024.

 

Resolved (by 4 votes to 1 with 1 abstention) to accept the minded to refuse reasons.

 

Resolved (by 4 votes to 1 with 1 abstention) not to accept the Officer recommendation and to refuse the application for the reasons listed above (with delegated authority to Officers to make minor amendments to the reasons as drafted in consultation with the Chair, Vice Chair and Spokes).

Councillor Porrer left the Committee before this item was considered and did not return.

 

The Committee received an application for full planning permission.

 

The application sought approval for conversion of existing dwelling to 6 bedroom, 6 persons HMO including single storey rear extension.

 

The Planner updated her report by referring to the amendment sheet setting out details from two objections which did not alter the Officer recommendation.

 

A Ross Street resident addressed the Committee speaking in objection to the application.

 

Beth Gardiner-Smith (Ward Councillor) addressed the Committee speaking in objection to the application. 

 

The Committee:

 

Resolved (by 5 votes to 0) to refuse the application for planning permission in accordance with the Officer recommendation, for the reason set out in the Officer report.

The Committee received an application for full planning permission.

 

The application sought planning permission for alterations to the existing access including improvements to the roadway by installing an impermeable surface, the introduction of an infiltration trench to provide drainage for the new impermeable surfaces, the removal of an existing hedgerow and replacement with planting, the provision of additional cycle parking for users of the Plant Growth Laboratory, and the resurfacing of St Marys Access road with a delineation of kerb line for the pedestrian route.

 

The Senior Planner updated his report by referring to:

      i.          The amendment sheet setting out details from two objections which did not alter the Officer recommendation.

     ii.          Two new ecological conditions:

1.    No development above ground level shall take place until an ecological enhancement scheme has been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The scheme shall include details of bat and bird box installation, hedgehog provisions and other ecological enhancements. The approved scheme shall be fully implemented prior to first occupation or in accordance with a timescale agreed in writing by the local planning authority.

 

Reason: To conserve and enhance ecological interests in accordance with South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018 policies HQ/1 and NH/4 and the Greater Cambridge Planning Biodiversity Supplementary Planning Document (2022).

 

2.    Prior to the installation of any artificial lighting in any phase, an ecologically sensitive artificial lighting scheme for that phase shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The scheme shall include details of the baseline condition of lighting, any existing and proposed internal and external artificial lighting of the site in that phase and an artificial lighting impact assessment with predicted lighting levels. The scheme shall:

a) include details (including luminaires, fittings and any shrouds) of any artificial lighting on the site and an artificial lighting impact assessment with predicted lighting levels at the site boundaries;

b) unless otherwise agreed, not exceed 0.4 lux level (against an agreed baseline) on the vertical plane at agreed locations;

c) detail all building design measures to minimise light spillage;

d) set out a monitoring and reporting regime for the lighting scheme.

 

The approved lighting scheme shall be fully installed, maintained and operated in accordance with the approved details. The scheme shall be retained as such thereafter.

 

Reason: To fully conserve and enhance ecological interests (South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018 policies HQ/1 and NH/4).

 

A resident of Bateman Mews addressed the Committee speaking in objection to the application.

 

Tim Bick (Ward Councillor) addressed the Committee about the application and in objection to removing the yew hedge. 

 

Councillor Smart proposed an amendment to the Officer’s recommendation to ensure the hedge would be all yew.

 

This amendment was carried by 4 votes to 0 with 1 abstention. (Condition 5 would be amended.)

 

Councillor Howard proposed an amendment to the Officer’s recommendation to translocate the existing established hedge as this would provide good material to replant.

 

This amendment was carried nem con. (An informative would be included about this.)

 

The Committee:

 

Resolved (by 5 votes to 0) to grant the application for planning permission in accordance with the Officer recommendation, for the reasons set out in the Officer’s report (with delegated authority to Officers to make minor amendments to the conditions as drafted), subject to:

      i.          the planning conditions set out in the Officer’s report;

     ii.          delegated authority to Officers to amend/draft and include the additional ecology conditions (as per Officer presentation);

   iii.          delegated authority to Officers to amend condition 5;

   iv.          include an informative on the planning permission to encourage the translocating of the existing established hedge as this would provide good material to replant.

The Committee received an application for a certificate of lawfulness under S192 for the excavation for concrete foundations to secure 6 steel posts in place.

 

The Committee:

 

Resolved (by 4 votes to 0 with 1 abstention) to grant the application for certificate of lawfulness under S192 in accordance with the Officer recommendation, for the reasons set out in the Officer’s report, and subject to the conditions recommended by the Officer (with delegated authority to Officers to make minor amendments to the conditions as drafted).

The Committee noted the appeals list.