Redevelopment of Flying Pig pub and Hills Road office complex in Cambridge granted on appeal by planning inspector
Pace Investments has won its appeal to redevelop 104-122 Hills Road in Cambridge, which includes the Flying Pig pub.
The Planning Inspectorate ruled in favour of the development, which had been refused by Cambridge City Council’s planning committee in April 2021.
It means the office complex comprising Betjeman House, Broadcasting House, Ortona House, Francis House and the rear multi-storey carpark to Francis House will be demolished, along with refuse and cycle stores, and two new commercial buildings of five and seven storeys will be built in their place. They are due to be the first all-electric office buildings in the city.
The Flying Pig pub - which campaigners had sought to preserve - will be retained, but with some reconfiguration, particularly to the garden.
Councillors had echoed campaigners’ concern over its future viability, but during the planning inquiry into the matter, the inspector noted the city council had “agreed that the refurbished and reconfigured public house would be capable of being viable”.
The planning inspector concluded it could continue to have “a viable use” and be a “community asset”.
But it is shut in the meantime. Justine and Matt Hatfield, the long-term landlords of the pub, have left after being given six months’ notice to leave the popular music venue as work on preparation for the redevelopment began.
Delivering his verdict, the planning inspector concluded: “The appeal scheme would be built and operate to a high standard of sustainability and wellbeing and secure the retention of the Flying Pig within a revitalised setting.
“This development would provide substantial economic and significant social and environmental benefits.”
The council had also argued that the development was contrary to its Local Plan policies because it did not include housing.
The inspector acknowledged that there was a “moderate degree of harm” in this respect, and the need for affordable housing in the city.
But he noted: “No evidence was put to me over approval for this scheme inhibiting other mixed-use proposals including housing or the provision of residential development in the city more generally.”
The benefits, he said, outweighed the impact.
The council’s third reason for refusing the plan related to the “adverse townscape effects of the proposal’s siting, massing, height, scale and design, including on the openness of the Botanic Garden”.
But the inspector disagreed, concluding: “The mediocre appearance of the existing buildings would support an uplift to townscape character. Only the locally-listed, 19th-century building at the Flying Pig holds any positive value and this is to be retained.
“The two new buildings would be significantly larger and taller than the poorer quality buildings to be replaced. Botanic House is notably taller than these existing buildings and the LP [Local Plan] now affords it landmark status as an incidental feature in the Cambridge skyline.”
He noted that the space would become more usable as the plans “allow for tree planting and add activity and interest currently lacking in the street scene”.
And he said the “visually open ground floor units, fronting new street side public realm, would provide vibrancy and interest and help to create a successful place”.
But Labour councillors were disappointed by the decision.
Cllr Richard Robertson (Lab, Petersfield) said: “This is a bad decision and we remain concerned. It condones the loss of new housing which had been approved on a large part of the site, whilst the developer has somehow persuaded the inspector that there is instead an overwhelming need for offices. With regard to the Flying Pig, very regrettably the developer has convinced the inspector into thinking that retaining much of the physical building will mean that it will continue to be a successful pub.”
He claimed: “There was never any real intention to keep the Flying Pig viable. In an appalling example of fake news, the developer set up a website claiming to run a campaign to ‘Save the Pig’ when he closed it himself in the interim period, in terminating the lease to the Hatfields who had made such a huge success of the building as a pub and vibrant music venue.
“The Flying Pig has a long history, not only in relation to its well-known connections to Pink Floyd, but going far back, probably having been built in 1832 and originally to serve the workers building the railway when it first came to Cambridge.
“The building fabric may have been retained but it will be dwarfed and overshadowed by an eight-storey office block immediately behind it.”
The developer’s legal representative, however, argued during the appeal that the revitalised office complex would help provide more customers for the pub.
Pace said its own ‘Save the Pig’ campaign had reflected the fact that if the appeal failed, it would resort to extant planning permission for the site, which would have led to demolition of the pub, unlike in the latest plans.
But Cllr Katie Thornburrow, executive councillor for planning policy and transport, said: “I am very disappointed about the outcome in this planning appeal.
“As a member of the planning committee, it is never easy to refuse a large-scale application as there are always arguments that the city needs more office space. In this case we felt that the proposed design was not satisfactory, not least in relation to concerns about lack of housing in this mixed-used development and the cultural importance of the Flying Pig to the area. I hope that the developers will reflect on those concerns.
“I will be monitoring the development closely and will expect the developer to follow through on its initial pledge to retain the Flying Fig.”
The appeal also grants Pace permission to construct a basement with mezzanine level to provide for building services, cycle parking and car parking for the buildings, cycle and car parking spaces for Botanic House and services for the Flying Pig public house.
The developer will be allowed to refurbish the Flying Pig, including demolishing the part-single/part two-storey outrigger and single storey store, make alterations to elevations, construct an extension to enable level access and layout, and alter the pub garden.
The plans feature the “creation of new public realm and landscaping, incorporating segregated vehicular and cycle access from Hills Road, a new access to service areas and substations, and taxi drop off for both the development proposed and existing Botanic House”.
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