Retirement flats plan for Anstey Hall is unanimously rejected

Plans for two blocks of retirement flats in the grounds of a 17th-century hall have again been rejected by Cambridge City Council.

Proposals were put forward by Trumpington Investments Ltd to build a new retirement village within the grounds of Anstey Hall in Maris Lane.

The applicant, submitted following a previous rejection in September 2023, sought permission to build two blocks of retirement properties, which would include 87 two-bedroom flats.

The plans state that the hall itself would be used as a centre for the retirement community, as well as offering meeting rooms for charities and organisations in the area.

However, Historic England objected to the plans claiming the development would “harm” the hall and planning officers recommended councillors reject the proposals.

Anstey Hall owner John de Bruyne told the council’s planning committee on Wednesday last week that he wanted to give them “150,000 reasons to approve” the development.

“That’s the population of your constituents, and you went into local government on their behalf. You can today give them something, a community hub has come from the town and not the gown,” he said.

In a report, published ahead of the meeting, officers said: “Whilst the proposal would provide private retirement accommodation for an ageing population, the proposed retirement blocks would consume a substantial portion of protected open space which would not be satisfactorily replaced in terms of quantity elsewhere.

“Moreover, the open character of this park and garden and setting of this listed building would be significantly eroded and the setting of the city would be adversely impacted.”

Cllr Katie Porrer (Lib Dem, Market) said the application had “too many loose ends” despite the previous plans to build retirement flats within the grounds being refused once already by the council last year.

“I don’t understand how this has got to [the] planning committee,” she said, adding that it’s “all a bit vague”.

Cllr Nadya Lokhmotova (Lib Dem, Trumpington) described the plans as disappointing.

“It’s almost like we shouldn’t be discussing this application today in this current form,” she said.

Councillors and officers said that a funded pre-application process would have improved the plans.

Cllr Katie Thornburrow (Lab, Petersfield), executive councillor for planning, building control and infrastructure, said: “It’s not possible to go against the officer’s recommendation because the scheme hasn’t overcome the problems of the last scheme. In fact, it’s so similar and the last scheme wasn’t approved so why would this scheme? I’m finding it really sad that it’s been so many months since the last one and it’s come back, and there hasn’t been a new vision.”

The application was unanimously refused.