In mid 2023 Railpen submitted an outline planning application for the redevelopment of the Beehive Centre, which backs onto several streets in Petersfield Ward. The proposed remodelling of the retail centre as a life sciences facility with offices and some retail was not well-received, particularly by residents of the streets affected.
Petersfield ward city councillors were also highly critical of the scheme. Mike Davey and Richard Robertson were especially concerned about the scale of the buildings, their height and the proportions, and particularly the impact on the view from the rear gardens of York Street.
There was a formal consultation to which many of you contributed, and Mike Davey and Richard Robertson continued to speak out and met representatives of Railpen.
Following the public response, Railpen is working on a revised scheme which they will then submit for planning approval. They have prepared one version of this, and they are now carrying out their own, private, pre-submission consultation as part of their community engagement.
We expect them to make a formal submission the council based on the results of the consultation, but what they submit could well be different from what is in the leaflets and presentations.
Until that happens your ward councillors are monitoring things, talking to residents and will meet the developers of they feel it’s necessary. I am a member of the planning committee and I can’t pre-judge applications which I then decide on, not because I don’t care but because there is a later stage where I need to be able to act in accordance with planning law and in the best interests of Cambridge.
The discussion about the future of the Beehive has been heated and sometimes angry. It is understandable that feelings run high over a major development like this, and as a City Council we are working hard to make sure that we listen to concerns and that the process for doing that is open and honest.
In March the Council published its statement of community engagement which includes how we will run planning consultations. At the time I said ‘it’s through a concerted effort by everyone involved in planning that we can work towards improved transparency and arrive at a place of mutual trust’. I still hold to these principles
It is vitally important that everyone knows how to influence development in our area and make their voice heard. That remains a central principle, when it comes to the Beehive or any other planning application.
If you want to know more, please get in touch.