Mill Road Depot Draft Planning and Development Brief SPD

It is recommended to define the later gatehouse extension connecting to the Indian Culture Centre of low quality and promote its demolition, in order to enable a more direct access sequence from the long and narrow entrance street into an extended version of the gatehouse court.
This will support both the entrance, and the public space by very little loss of low quality accommodation which can be compensated for elsewhere.

The nature of Mill Road and the adjacent streets is more mixed than the proposed scheme. Pubs, small offices, garages and workshops are peppered around the area, and give it the unique, lively blend of housing and urban mixed use curiosities.
CAA had several discussions with local artists and Art trust organisations, who expressed interest in using the coach houses, especially lower single storey type, as artists workshops.
Further opportunities can be found along Chisholm Trail/Eagle Foundry Walk sides of the ground floor of the higher buildings. A constant flow of cyclists and pedestrians may inform the use of the ground floor and require feasibility study to inform this, before the SPD dismisses this option.

Tenure should be informed, or at least mention recommendation raised in the Draft Local Plan by SHMA, or future evidence based surveys.

At least two of the examples are of low quality build (marked on the attached image), and it is recommended not to include these in the illustration, in order not to create a negative precedent.

The CAA has been in contact with local artists and arts trusts such as Digswell Arts and Wysing Arts centre, where senior figures expressed potential interest in the single storey coach houses for use as studios to let. Such activity may enrich the environment and should not clash with the residential environment (see existing Cambridge Artworks community on 5 Green's Road).
An uplift in apartments to meet the 167 unit target.
Additional possible uses should also be considered, such as small health surgeries to provide quite and supportive services to the community, as well as local coffee shops which encourage social life around them (Hot Numbers, Stir for e.g)
Ground floor units for retail/services/office may be allocated at the bottom of the taller buildings along the Chisholm trail and Eagle Foundry Walk. This may offset build cost, while providing a mix of use into the depth of the site.

Procurement and partnering models of the City Council should be referred to in other policy papers, and ensure quality of deliverance is not undermined by commercial value alone.

Further consideration should be mentioned and explored such as renewable energy (PVs, Ground source heat pumps) and advanced technologies such as District Heating distribution across the site and in conjunction with the adjacent site south of Mill Road.

Above ground water storage should be allocated, or at least allocated on the illustrative plan

On a site of such scale, a new substation will most likely be required - A possible location for such services should be indicated on the illustrative plan.

This section should highlight the importance of quality design, as per Local Plan policy 57 (Designing new buildings) - re-word 'Opportunities for HIGH QUALITY contemporary design solutions which consider to traditional local styles, MATERIALS and detailing should be incorporated as appropriate.'