Object

Representation ID: 55680

Received: 02/10/2020

Respondent: St John's College

Agent: Savills

It is agreed that there is space to intensify existing business parks. The support in Policy 12a for the redevelopment of St John’s Innovation Park to support existing and future business needs (including the redevelopment of existing under-utilised premises, including associated car parks, and the introduction of other supporting uses) is also supported.

Policy 12a references up to 234,500m2 net additional B1 floorspace, including up to 35,000m2 on the St John’s Innovation Park. Capacity analysis previously provided to the Councils and included as part of applications 20/03523/FUL (South Cambs) and 20/03524/FUL (Cambridge City) demonstrates that some 50,000m2 of additional commercial floorspace can be satisfactorily accommodated on the Park. The capacities in the AAP need to be reassessed. The acknowledgement that “Proposals which exceed these figures will need to be justified in terms of the impact on the trip budget and Area Action Plan wide infrastructure and where the character, role and function of an area will not be compromised” is welcomed and should also be retained in the final version as an acknowledgement that the floorspace figures should not be treated as a ceiling.

Further clarification of the requirement in Policy 12b to provide 10% of the new floorspace as affordable industrial workspace, subject to scheme viability, is required particularly as to what constitutes affordable workspace. It is not appropriate to leave it to the Council’s Economic Development Team to work with developers to agree appropriate terms of affordability on a case by case basis as proposed.