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Appeal launched over demolition of former Hobson Street cinema in Cambridge




A developer has launched an appeal in an attempt to secure permission to knock down a former cinema building in Cambridge.

Cambridge City Council refused permission for plans to redevelop the old cinema in Hobson Street after councillors said demolishing the building was “not right for the city”.

How Hobson Street could look. Picture: Donald Insall Associates
How Hobson Street could look. Picture: Donald Insall Associates

The owner of the building, Mark Richer, said he was “dismayed” at this decision. He said plans to redevelop the site would “stop the rot and breathe in fresh life” to the area.

The old cinema was last used as a bingo hall, but has sat empty for a number of years.

The developer proposed to demolish the building, as well as neighbouring buildings, in order to build a new office block.

The Hobson Street cinema site now. Picture: Keith Heppell
The Hobson Street cinema site now. Picture: Keith Heppell

A community space was also proposed in the basement of the new building, and the developer said they would refurbish Hobson’s Passage.

However, council planning officers raised concerns that the complete demolition of the “iconic 1930s Egyptian art deco style” building would result in “significant harm” to the conservation area.

Councillors also said they could not support plans to knock down the building.

An appeal has now been submitted by SSHS Redevelopment Partners to the Planning Inspectorate to try and overturn the city council’s decision.

Proposal for Hobson Street cinema site in Cambridge. Pictures Rockhunter / Donald Insall Associates
Proposal for Hobson Street cinema site in Cambridge. Pictures Rockhunter / Donald Insall Associates

A hearing is due to be held where a planning inspector will consider the appeal, but a date for when this will take place has not yet been set.

In an appeal statement, Mr Richer explained that he has owned the old cinema since 2011, but has struggled to find a business that wants to use the building.

He said: “When I purchased 21 Hobson Street it was, on the face of it, a building with a purpose and a future – it was leased to a nightclub operator who planned to turn it into a ‘burlesque club’. However, it soon became clear that nothing would be simple when it came to this building and this plan fell apart through a combination of high development costs and local opposition.

“Cambridge does not need or want another nightclub.

“What followed were years of a repetitive cycle: expressions of interest, excitement at the central location, a dawning realisation of the practical difficulties and expense of converting a single-screen cinema from the 1930s into (insert any use you can think of), despair at the state of Hobson’s Passage and the general lack of footfall, until the inevitable evaporation of said interest.

“I’ve talked to cinema operators, restaurateurs, gym operators, religious groups, and hoteliers, and we haven’t made any meaningful progress in 14 years.

“The conclusion I eventually reached is that by itself this building is at a dead end.”

Mr Richer added that he also owns 18-19 Sidney Street and said a possible “alternative route forward” had come up following the Covid-19 pandemic, when he approached the owners of the neighbouring building (16-17 Sidney Street) about a joint project.

He said they agreed to form a partnership to “resolve the issues experienced by the three properties together” through the redevelopment of the site.

Mr Richer said: “Everyone acknowledges the pressing need to do something on this site, to stop the rot and breathe in fresh life.

“What we have come up with is very much the best solution to all of this, and we are dismayed that we have been forced to make our case on appeal, rather than achieving planning permission from the council, who appear to have set their face firmly against any demolition of the former cinema at 21 Hobson Street, a position we consider to be wholly unjustified.”

How Hobson Street could look. Picture: Donald Insall Associates
How Hobson Street could look. Picture: Donald Insall Associates

The council will be asked to set out its own case on the plans, before the appeal is considered by a planning inspector.

The inspector will make the final decision on whether the redevelopment can go ahead.



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