Cambridge Lib Dems’ petition calls for public toilets to be retained when Park Street car park is redeveloped

Liberal Democrats councillors in Cambridge have launched a petition calling for public toilets to be retained when Park Street car park is redeveloped.

A full planning application for the multi-million scheme is expected next week, ahead of a December 17 city council meeting.

The existing 390-space multi-storey is set to be demolished, and a smaller 225-space triple-basement car park created underground, beneath a five-storey apart-hotel expected to have 227 rooms.

There are due to be 250 cycle spaces, but the public toilets will go, as the Cambridge Independent reported in November.

Cllr Katie Porrer, the Liberal Democrat city councillor for Market ward, has created an online petition object to the decision to scrap the loos from the plans, and claimed the Labour-run council had been “dazzled” by the commercial opportunity.

Labour, meanwhile, said the toilets were frequently vandalised, and alternative provision would be provided as part of the scheme, when a large new ‘Changing Places’ toilet is built in Quayside by 2021.

Cllr Porrer said: “It may not be glamorous enough for Labour council leaders, but many people think that providing public loos is an essential part of what a council does – especially for older and disabled people and for anyone looking after young children. One of the existing loos is designed for people with disabilities.

“The council has already retreated by failing to maintain these toilets. But they are in a convenient place for bike and car users of the car park and people walking home from the city centre. Regrettably, people tend to use nearby back alleyways and residents’ gardens whenever the public loos are out of action.

“The city council has become dazzled by the opportunity of being a purely commercial property developer – and has quite forgotten its role as a provider of basic public services and local democratic leader.”

Cllr Porrer also condemned the plan for its carbon footprint.

She said: “After proudly declaring a climate emergency, it’s incredible that on a publicly-owned site, the council is failing to give a lead in making this building zero carbon, which all new buildings will have to be in the future. Labour councillors should be ashamed of themselves in sponsoring a scheme like this.”

Rod Cantrill, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Cambridge, joined in the protest.

He said: “This redevelopment underlines Labour’s hypocrisy. In the current General Election they are keen to claim they are the absolute defenders of public services, but when they have the chance themselves locally, they hardly think twice about closing public toilets if they are inconvenient as part of a highly commercial scheme. And they were falling over themselves to declare a climate emergency; but instead of translating that into action they are behaving just like any other private developer.”

Daniel Zeichner, Labour’s Parliamentary candidate for Cambridge, said this was a matter for the city council.

Cllr Lewis Herbert, the Labour leader of Cambridge City Council, said: “It is a great shame that Liberal Democrat councillors are choosing again to try to talk down quality improvements for city residents and shoppers.

“When works starts in January 2021, the new car park will be reduced in size to 225 to recognise the increasing switch to Park & Ride and future expansion of public transport.

“It will replace a block nearly 60 years old that is no longer fit for purpose with modern parking where all bays can have electric charging in the future.

“The new building will be ‘BREEAM Excellent’, the highest existing UK green building standard, and it will not be gas-dependent as the Liberal Democrats misleadingly claim.

“Hot water and green power will be generated primarily by air source heat pumps and solar hot water panels, alongside first-class building insulation.

“The traditional option of gas back-up is also being tested against potential alternative future technologies, so we are best in class for such buildings.

“We only have so much space on the accessible part of the car park, the ground floor, and we have decided following public consultation that all needs to be badly needed, high quality secure cycle parking with 250 spaces, including for cargo bikes.

“On toilet provision, Park Street is currently the only council car park that has toilet provision built-in, and because it is off-street it has been beset with unacceptable levels of vandalism and periods out of service.

“All our other car parks have public toilets nearby and, as Cllr Porrer knows well, as part of the Park Street scheme we will be adding a special new large Changing Places toilet for use by disabled people and families with young children (http://www.changing-places.org/) by 2021 at the nearby busy public area of Quayside in addition to the public toilets already there, a few hundred metres from Park Street.

“We will also work with food and drink businesses near Park Street on a scheme for public access to other toilets so extra provision is also available ahead of the new car park opens in 2022.”

The development work is due to begin in January 2021. It was pushed back a year in October to avoid the car park being closed for more than one Christmas, which had alarmed traders, who have also repeatedly voiced concerns over the reduction in car parking spaces in that part of the city.

Cambridge City Council says an independent report by Savills indicates there would be an estimated £2.5m annual expenditure by the apart-hotel guests, “principally benefitting nearby leisure-related business”.

The scheme will create 40 full-time jobs and a report by developers Marick Real Estate suggests the apart-hotel will spend £0.5m on “local goods and services”.

Some traders said the economic boost would come too late for traders affected by the disruption.

The Liberal Democrat petition can be found at cambridgelibdems.org.uk/save-our-public-loos.

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