Pub shelved from 1,200-home East Cambridgeshire development plans as councillors hear ‘times have changed’

Councillors agreed that a pub and restaurant does not have to be built at the local centre of a new 1,200-home development after they heard how “times have changed”.

Developer Endurance Estates applied to adapt what it included within the Cam Drive Local Centre in the North Ely development to make it viable.

It will now build retirement flats instead of a pub/restaurant and suggested one of the proposed shops in the local centre could become a wine bar or cafe to make up for the loss.

A work hub within a community building will also be smaller and plans for a micro library have been ditched.

The number of shops will increase from four to five, but the floorspace will remain the same.

The developer said without the changes there was a risk that the “heart” of the new development would “remain vacant”.

Outline permission was granted by East Cambridgeshire District Council in 2014. Parts of the development are complete with residents living there.

Planning officers said the changes should be refused because “insufficient evidence and justification” had been provided for the loss of community facilities.

And the City of Ely Council had “serious concerns” about the loss of community space and “particularly” of leisure areas.

Duncan Jenkins, project director at Endurance Estates, told district councillors on a planning committee on 16 January:

“Fundamentally there is no market for a public house following covid and the industry is faced with closures rather than new openings, as illustrated by the Cherry Tree in Haddenham, which was before committee for a change of use last year.

“The proximity of the Isle of Ely pub, which received permission after Ely North, has soaked up any demand which might have once existed when the scheme was first envisaged.

“The replacement café/bar offers a suitable alternative.”

Resident Tom Voucher said “times have changed” and favoured a café and bar, rather than a pub.

If the changes were not allowed, he feared people could be left waiting more years for the facilities.

He said: “Children will have grown up in the new development never having known what it is like to walk to the local shop and never having had a party in the local community centre.”

Cllr Gareth Wilson said it was “very unsatisfactory” that there were “no facilities at all” yet, and noted with “hindsight” the council should have required some to be provided after a certain number of homes were built.

Cllr Chika Akinwale said: “I appreciate that a few years ago there was a potential need for a public house. I moved to Ely in 2012, as a resident of that area I do not see a need for a pub, I do not think it is needed for the demographic of that area, I think things have changed and I do not think there is a need.”

Cllr Christine Whelan agreed and said a new pub could impact existing pubs in the city.

Cllr John Trapp did not understand why the shops could not be built at this stage.

He was not sure why they were “losing community facilities” and said he was “reluctant” to go against the planning officer recommendation.

A majority of councillors on the committee agreed to approve the changes requested by the developer.