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Petition opposes Cambridge office conversion that will create flats of 17 square metres




A petition is calling for a halt to an office-to-flats conversion in Cambridge – including homes of just 17 square metres – which has bypassed the usual planning process.

James Youd, the Cambridge branch secretary of Unite the Union, set up the petition against the plans for the old National Institute Of Agricultural Botany site in Huntingdon Road.

Plans for the flats in a former NIAB offices in Cambridge from Marchingdale Developments
Plans for the flats in a former NIAB offices in Cambridge from Marchingdale Developments

Marchingdale Developments has approval to convert the building into 149 flats, which will feature some with internal floor room comparable to a disabled parking space.

The development was not required to go through the usual planning process or be approved by elected councillors, or meet the city’s minimum space standards of 37 square metres, because of the government’s “permitted development rights”. These are planning arrangements to encourage more housing via such conversions.

The leader of Cambridge City Council, Lewis Herbert, described the system as a “loophole”.

The council has now said it will “investigate” the use of powers which may prevent such developments being approved outside of its usual planning process in the future.

Mr Youd said the development is an example of “pernicious venture capitalism” and is calling in his petition to “treat people like human beings, not cattle”.

Marchingdale Developments has said its plans are “fully compliant with the government legislation” and the homes will be “of a perfectly reasonable size, allowing for all of the necessary functions to support daily life”.

Mr Youd said: “Permitted development was introduced to allow reasonable amendments to houses such as a small extension. Unfortunately in a bid to get the number of houses built in an era of the lie of austerity, it was changed to allow change of use from office to residential.

“This is yet another example of a developer exacerbating the housing crisis by delivering the opposite of what we need.

“We know from lockdown that people suffer not just physically from being in confined spaces, they also suffer tremendously mentally.”

He said the secretary of state for local government has the power to suspend permitted development rights within local authority areas, and he is calling on that to happen now to “prevent this absurd scheme going ahead”.

In addition to his petition, he has also called for similar action to prevent a train wash being built on railway land in Romsey, which is also planned to go-ahead without going before the city council’s planning committee, much to the dismay of residents in the area.

As of June 7 the petition against Marchingdale Developments’ plans has more than 200 signatures, including a number of city councillors from the council’s ruling Labour group.

The council’s executive councillor for planning and open spaces, Katie Thornburrow, described the development as providing “inadequate spaces to live in” and said: “I think it’s appalling that this is going ahead”.

But despite vocal opposition from city councillors, the power to stop such office conversions may require the council to take the initiative and request an exemption from the government.

Harlow Council has used a clause called Article 4 to require full planning permission for such conversions that would normally bypass its usual planning process via permitted development rights.

In response to the petition, Cllr Thornburrow said: “There is an overwhelming case, and it’s in the best interests of all our residents, that we seek to reverse the right of any developer to convert Cambridge offices into tiny homes without planning applications.

“It recently happened here for the first time but there are hundreds of such cases in other cities. Either the law needs changing or the city council will consider local intervention across Cambridge using our wider planning powers.

“It is so frustrating that we and local residents and councillors had no say at all on that recent near automatic national approval, and for flats with totally inadequate living space. The council planning powers would have halted the NIAB pocket flats in its tracks if a planning application had been possible.

Another view of the plans from Marchingdale Developments for flats on the former NIAB site in Huntingdon Road, Cambridge
Another view of the plans from Marchingdale Developments for flats on the former NIAB site in Huntingdon Road, Cambridge

“In response, we are determined to work with other towns and cities where truly dreadful office to homes conversions have been enforced on them, with the aim of looking at options for ending uncontrolled conversions in Cambridge.”

She said the council will investigate the use of Article 4 to prevent specific developments, a power already used in Cambridge to protect other quality buildings and spaces.

“And we will learn from other towns and cities including nearby Harlow, where truly dreadful and soulless conversions of offices have occurred until they made that change,” added Cllr Thornburrow.

“And we will also work with multiple councils and professional bodies of planners and architects (RTPI and RIBA) who are all committed to ending the abuse of the planning process that the 2013 coalition government legislation created.

“Our community would expect nothing less from us, using all our options to set minimum standards for quality development in Cambridge, so that all development proposals are then treated the same – fairly, democratically and transparently.”

In response to the initial criticism of the development going ahead under permitted development rights, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government defended the practice last month.

The spokesperson said: “Permitted development rights have delivered over 60,000 homes, including 54,000 from office to residential, and they will play an important role in making our commitment of delivering one million new homes by the end of this parliament a reality.

“We announced that we would review the quality standard of homes delivered under such rights. This will conclude shortly and further announcements on its findings will be made in due course.”

A spokesperson for Marchingdale Developments has said: “The applicants have complied fully with the legislation and accordingly the principle of development cannot be in question, subject to it being demonstrated that there would be no adverse impacts in respect of transport and highways, contamination, flooding and noise.

“It is important to emphasise that Local Plan policies are not capable of being a consideration during the determination of this type of application as it is for prior approval for development automatically granted by a government development order.

“The units are of a perfectly reasonable size, allowing for all of the necessary functions to support daily life, and our clients are very clear that there is both a need and demand in Cambridge for the form of accommodation proposed.”

The spokesperson added that Marchingdale was “looking to bring forward comprehensive redevelopment proposals for the wider Huntingdon Road site”.

Marchingdale is “fully committed to engaging with the local community and are excited about the wider benefits that these development proposals will bring,” said the spokesperson.

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