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Campaigners fear no Protected Open Space will be safe if University of Cambridge cricket ground is built on




A petition against a University of Cambridge college’s plans to build student accommodation on Fenner’s cricket ground has hit 1,800 signatures.

Campaigners warn that “no Protected Open Space is safe” after Hughes Hall announced that it had bought the piece of land from the Cambridge University Cricket and Tennis Ground for development.

A cricket match at Fenner’s in CambridgePicture: Keith Heppell
A cricket match at Fenner’s in CambridgePicture: Keith Heppell

They fear any development on the land, which was formally designated as a Protected Open Space in the Cambridge Local Plan in 2018, will set a precedent for building on remaining green spaces in the city.

No planning application has been entered for the site, which does not cross the cricket field itself, but the college has announced its intention to build accommodation, teaching and communal student space on the land.

Campaigner Steve Platt has lived beside the cricket ground for 50 years and is a member of development advisory group the Cambridgeshire Quality Panel. He said: “If Hughes Hall gets away with building on Protected Open Space, it will open the way for further campus expansion.The key issue for me is the precedent this sets for Fenner’s and the city.”

Prof Martin Jones, who lives close to the site, added: “Hughes Hall has chosen a development that will undermine the protection of green spaces across the city. It doesn’t make sense. Cambridge University is explicitly committed to improving public life and ensuring a higher quality environment, not just for the university but for Cambridge more widely.”

Lionel Sheffield, a cricket fan and local resident, said: “It is deeply unsettling and seems incongruous that Hughes Hall would try to develop a Protected Open Space that is as cherished and admired as Fenner’s, especially given the environmental values the college says it wants to uphold.

“For those who appreciate and enjoy the wonderful game of cricket and appreciate the historic importance of Fenner’s in the history of the game, Hughes Hall must be prohibited from building on it.”

A petition has been set up by Protect Fenner’s Action Group, who say: “Hughes Hall could easily avoid building on this beautiful green space by using university land in West Cambridge or a brownfield site. If planning approval for a large development on Fenner’s is given, no Protected Open Space in Cambridge is safe.”

Protected Open Space (POS) status means building is prohibited unless caveats such as “educational need” apply and make development possible. If Hughes Hall’s plan is approved, it will be the first time such a highly-rated Protected Open Space in Cambridge has been built on. Fenner’s is the 10th most important POS among 311 across Cambridge with a quality rating of 88 per cent for both its recreational and environmental value to the city as a whole. The POS designation is a national planning tool that local authorities can use to preserve open spaces in urban zones which are under increasing pressure from developers.

Hughes Hall announced that it had acquired “part of the land at the edge of Cambridge University Cricket and Tennis Ground” which would enable it to “improve our college facilities including much-needed teaching and communal spaces, as well as student accommodation”.

Laurie Bristow, president of Hughes Hall, said: “This is an exciting venture, grounded in our charitable aims, and the college’s commitment to providing a world-class education to students from the UK and around the world.

“The land is not part of the cricket field and there will be absolutely no impact on the playing of sport at Fenner’s, which will remain the home of university cricket and tennis.

“Our development plans will not only meet the needs of our college community including accommodating a higher proportion of our student body, they will be environmentally-friendly, following best practice in sustainable development and will, of course, be compliant with local and national planning policy.”

Nick Brooking, director of university sport at Cambridge, said: “It has been important to collaborate with Hughes Hall on this venture. Fenner’s is the home of university cricket and tennis, but is an increasingly expensive ground to run. Selling a part of the ground that will have no detrimental effect upon the playing of cricket is mutually beneficial, preserving our fantastic ground, and securing the playing of sport at Fenner’s for many years to come.

“The college is considering a wide range of options, and no formal planning application has been submitted yet. Before it is, a full consultation process will be carried out which will inform the proposed scheme.”

Visit shorturl.at/VqXG9 for the Protect Fenner’s Action Group petition.



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