Consultation lined up on plan for Cambridge Retail Park site
New images show how a redeveloped 230 Newmarket Road could look under plans to increase footfall and spend on Cambridge Retail Park.
Railpen – the pension fund behind the plans – has launched its final stage of public consultation on the proposals before submitting a planning application.
The application will be the next to come forward for redevelopment on Cambridge Retail Park following the construction of a new Starbucks later this year.
Proposals for new retail stores are also being developed as part of a long-term plan to create more reasons to visit the retail park.
Matthew Howard, head of property at Railpen, said: “Cambridge Retail Park is not immune to the shift to online shopping, but we are confident that through these plans, as well as future developments, we can create a quality retail park that is sustainable in the long term and remains in demand for consumers and retailers alike.”
The current 230 Newmarket Road is made up of three low-quality buildings and sits within Cambridge City Council’s Eastern Gate regeneration area.
The final proposals include creating a new building further back from Newmarket Road to add new trees, rain gardens and landscaping.
The building will house office space, which the developer says will help to increase footfall and spend on Cambridge Retail Park as well as at nearby businesses. There will also be new retail and leisure spaces.
The development will include 438 cycle parking spaces for office occupiers, with showers and changing facilities, e-bike docking stations and parking for cargo bikes, accessible bikes and tricycles.
The building will be fully electric with greywater and rainwater harvesting, achieving a minimum of BREEAM ‘Excellent’ with an aspiration to achieve ‘Outstanding’.
There is also proposed to be 45 parking spaces - including six disabled spaces - for office occupiers, allocated on a needs-first basis.
A public consultation event and an online webinar are taking place during June for people to view the plans in detail, ask questions and give final feedback to Railpen and its development team. The in-person drop-in event will take place on Wednesday, 26 June, at 4pm-7.30pm in the former SCS Unit (next to Coldham’s Lane) on Cambridge Retail Park.
An online webinar will be held on Thursday, 27 June, from 12pm where the development team will be on hand to discuss the proposals. To register for the webinar or for more information, visit the dedicated website at cambridgeretailpark-future.com.
A recording of the webinar, together with the materials from the in-person consultation event, will be available on the Cambridge Retail Park consultation website following the event.
