Plan for 15 flats above Histon shops and library narrowly rejected

Plans to build 15 flats on top of a row of shops and a library have been narrowly voted down after concerns it would “exacerbate” parking problems.

A developer argued there was a ‘clear need’ for the new homes in Histon, but faced opposition from some in the village, with 46 objections lodged.

Developer Camel Projects (Histon) Ltd proposed that six of the 15 flats above the single-storey row in School Hill would be made available as affordable housing.

South Cambridgeshire district councillors were told that the commercial units had recently been refurbished under a planning application approved back in 2019.

The application included proposals to redevelop the neighbouring Tesco supermarket to extend the size of the building and create nine flats on top of it.

But planning officers said this work has not been undertaken and explained that if the latest development for the 15 flats extension was approved, the previous plans for nine flats could not go ahead without changes.

Officers told the planning committee the amount of car parking proposed in the redevelopment was an “underprovision” compared to council policy requirements.

But they considered one allocated parking space per flat and 18 spaces for people using the shops to be “sufficient in this instance”.

Some villagers disagreed, arguing the redevelopment would “exacerbate” parking issues, with drivers pushed to park on surrounding streets.

Les Blackman told councillors the plans “represent urban overdevelopment in a rural conservation village”.

But Justin Bainton, a representative of the developer, said there was a car parking management plan and that the “scheme seeks to provide much safer parking”.

He also said there would be a “significant increase” in cycle parking provision.

The one and two-bedroom flats would meet a “clear identified need” in the area, he saoid, with the “significant public benefit” of six affordable homes.

Cllr Bill Handley was “troubled by the parking issue”.

He said: “I know this area quite well, I know how difficult parking is. We have not heard anything about mitigation.”

Cllr Dr Richard Williams noted that the site was already short on car parking and said approving the proposals would make it an “extreme underprovision”.

He questioned if the committee could place any weight on the transport assessment provided by the developer, as this included the seven parking spaces on the road in its calculations, which are on the public highway, and therefore out of the developer’s control.

Planning officers said under their own assessment, which did not include those seven spaces, they considered there would be enough parking.

Cllr Anna Bradnam was “mindful” that if they did not approve the latest application the previous proposals for the supermarket redevelopment could still go ahead and felt those plans “present a more unattractive option for the village as a whole and this part of the village”.

However, she shared concerns about the proposed parking.

Cllr Peter Fane said the six affordable homes were a “significant factor” but was conscious the plans could lead to more cars parking in nearby residential streets

Five councillors voted to refuse the plans, while four voted to approve them and one councillor abstained.