Agenda

Approx: 10:00 am – 11:30 am

Purpose of Briefing:

The purpose of this briefing note is to advise Members of a forthcoming hybrid application for flexible uses (E(g)(ii), E(g)(iii), B2, B8, sui generis) with detailed permission for two units (66,372sqft) and outline permission within 1.29ha for Mid-tech units.

Site Context:

The application site is located within the development framework of Cambridge. The application is located at 6-7, 8, 9-11,13, 14-16 Mercer’s Row Cambridge. The site is included as part of a wider protected industrial site under Policy 41 of the Local Plan. The site is bound by the railway line to the east, over the railway line lies some residential properties.   

The site is an industrial area within the city. However, the area is surrounded by the  Riverside and Stourbridge Common Conservation Area. The Chapel of St Mary Magdalene (known locally as the Leper Chapel) is a grade I listed building to the south of the site, and the Barnwell Junction Station Platform Building, a building of local interest (BLI) and therefore, a non-designated heritage asset (NDHA) is to the east. Both the Listed building and the NDHA are in the conservation area.

Stourbridge Common is also a designated Protected Open Space, Green Belt and a City Wildlife, County Wildlife and Local Nature Reserve. The application site is located within flood zone 1 (low risk) there is no surface water identified on site.  The Barnwell Pastures City Wildlife Site and Site of Local Nature Conservation Importance are situated to the east of the site on the other side of the railway line.

The site lies within Flood Zone 1. It is situated just outside the Cambridge Air Quality Management Area, the boundary of which is Stanley Road, which runs parallel to Garlic Row.

The site itself comprises the existing DS Smit Recycling Report (Sui Generis use) and an area of open storage to the north this is planned to be delivered as part of phase 1. As part of phase 2 to the south of the site lies a children’s nursey (use class D1) and the surrounding the site is a variety of B1, B2 and B8 use classes.

The surrounding industrial units are all of a similar age, and generally dated. They include a wide range of uses including a children’s soft play unit, car showrooms and self-storage, highlighting the aged nature of the units, which are no longer fit for the purposes of modern commercial and industrial users. Vehicular, cycle and pedestrian access to the Site is from Mercers Row, which is accessed from Swanns Row, leading to Newmarket Road (A1134). Newmarket Road provides access to the major road network (Junction 35 of the A14). Egress from the Site is from Garlic Row, which again leads to Newmarket Road.

The closest residential areas are located to the south-west of the Site, along Garlic Row, which are located approximately 240m from the Site. Vehicles leaving the site must pass these residential properties at present to access Newmarket Road.

The  ...  view the full agenda text for item 3.

Councillor attendance

Whilst any subsequent planning application relating to this site will be determined by the Planning Committee, all Councillors are invited to attend and take part in this pre-application developer presentation.

Purpose of the meeting

These meetings allow developers an early opportunity to present proposals for future planning applications to elected members of the Council.

The process allows Councillors to feed into the process at an early stage and raise any questions or concerns that can then be addressed by the developer prior to a formal planning application being submitted.

Whilst the meetings will be held in public, they do not form part of the formal decision making process. All planning applications will be determined in line with formal processes as adopted by Cambridge City Council.  

Format of the Meeting

For each Briefing:

·       Introduction by the Head of Planning Services or a Senior Planning Officer – up to 10 minutes

·       Presentation by the developer of the proposal – up to 30 minutes

·       Opportunity for Members to ask questions, raise issues, seek clarification, comment on the apparent positive and less positive aspects of the proposal – up to 40 minutes

During this part of the meeting it is important that Councillors who may ultimately make the decision on any subsequent planning application do not feel unduly constrained by what they can ask or raise. However they should avoid expressing views that might give any appearance that they are approaching the proposal with a closed mind. The discussion should not be used for negotiations with the developer. These should take place with officers separately from the meeting. Members of the public must refrain from entering into the discussion at the meeting.

·       Summing up – up to 10 minutes

A Planning Department representative will take notes of the meeting, which will be a summary of the proceedings. Nothing said by Councillors at the meeting will in any way be binding on the Committee that subsequently determines the application. The notes will be uploaded to the City Council’s website upon completion.