Policy: J/SA: Cambridge City's Primary Shopping Area

1. Part of the City Centre is defined as a Primary Shopping Area (PSA), which is shown on the policies map. 

2. At ground-floor level, the following uses will generally be considered acceptable within the PSA: 

  a. Premises for the display or retail sale of goods, other than hot food, confined to ‘comparison goods non-food retail’ and ‘convenience goods retail’ in the form of food stores, bakers, butchers, fishmongers, delicatessens, newsagents, health food shops and off-licence stores; 

  b. Premises for the sale of food and drink consumption (mostly) on premises, confined to include cafés and restaurants; 

  c. Public houses, wine bars, drinking establishments, and drinking establishments with expanded food provision; 

  d. Visitor accommodation, specifically hotels; 

  e. Financial and professional services; 

  f. Other appropriate services in a commercial, business or service locality, to include dry cleaners, hairdressers, beauty salons, opticians, post offices, travel agents, clothing and fancy-dress hire, repairs, alterations and restoration, electronics and home entertainment, mobile phones and accessories; 

  g. Medical or health services, including dental surgeries; 

  h. Leisure arts, culture & entertainment, including gyms; and 

  i. Other ‘sui generis’ uses typically found in centres, including theatres, nightclubs, amusement arcades and launderettes. 

3. In the PSA, spaces attached to a retail for ancillary storage or office use, or other generally acceptable ground floor uses, will be supported on basement and upper floor levels. 

4. Proposals that seek to provide leisure (arts, culture and entertainment) or other main town centre uses at basement level or on upper storeys will be supported in principle, provided they can evidence that: 

  a. the proposals will not undermine either the PSA’s retail frontages or functions; and 

  b. relevant local amenity factors that may result in adverse impacts on neighbouring uses have been identified and, as necessary, mitigated. 

5. Reflecting the role of the PSA as a sub-regional centre for retail and other town centre uses, including the nighttime economy, proposals for residential development within the PSA (other than those defined as generally acceptable within this policy) will be resisted. 

6. Within the PSA, proposals requiring planning permission that would result in the loss of any retail or other main town centre use, a change in use from a generally acceptable use to another use at the ground-floor level, or the reconfiguration of separate planning units through the merging of two or more units or sub-division of a unit, will only be supported where it can be demonstrated that: 

  a. there is no market demand for the existing unit(s) or potential replacement unit(s) of the same size and use, as demonstrated through an up-to-date marketing exercise, in accordance with the guidance provided in Appendix G: Marketing, local needs assessments and viability appraisals of this

A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

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  b. the new use or reconfiguration of planning units (through merger or sub-division) would meet an identified need for a town centre use acceptable in the PSA and the proposed development will not have a detrimental impact on the viability and vitality of the PSA and other existing, committed or planned investments, as demonstrated through a Town Centre Impact Assessment; and 

  c. for proposals seeking a change of use to non-main town centre uses, the unit(s) is not capable (through re-configuration or redevelopment) of supporting another main town centre use acceptable in the PSA, as demonstrated through a Financial Viability Assessment prepared in accordance with the guidance provided in Appendix G: Marketing, local needs assessments and viability appraisals of this

A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

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Cambridge City Centre plays a vital multi-functional role in the network of centres across

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

as well as a key role in the context of the wider sub-region. The City Centre’s contribution towards meeting the

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

’s retail, leisure and cultural needs is likely to increase as it continues to meet the needs of committed and new population growth across the area. The retail offer within the City Centre, which is largely concentrated within the Primary Shopping Area (PSA) as defined on the Policies Map, is vibrant and currently experiences low vacancy levels. 

The City Centre’s retail provision will need to be promoted and retained within the Primary Shopping Area to ensure that its sub-regional retail role can be sustained. As such, the Councils are keen to protect and, where possible, enhance the Primary Shopping Area’s important retail functions and frontages. To achieve this, retail along with other leisure and town centre services will be promoted on ground floor level spaces with retail use taking precedence, whilst other leisure (arts, culture and entertainment) uses will be supported on basement levels or upper floors provided they do not undermine the PSA’s retail functions. 

Proposals should seek to maximise opportunities to use non-ground-floor level spaces for both ancillary storage or office uses that support the function and viability of different units, or other main town centre uses that complement existing uses on other floors the building. 

To support the PSA’s retail, leisure and town centres services, all new retail, leisure and mixed-use town centre development within the designated Primary Shopping Area will be controlled using appropriate planning measures, including conditions, to ensure ground-floor occupancy is restricted to specific land uses identified as generally acceptable in the PSA, as set out in the policy. Planning controls may also be used to restrict the use of permitted development rights to change the use of existing units or control movement between different uses that fall within the same planning use class. 

Many of the city’s businesses, meeting spaces and other cultural event spaces including theatres, concert venues and night-clubs, are linked to the evening / nighttime economy, providing a wide range of cultural venues that serve both city residents and those living further away. The introduction of residential uses could put such spaces at risk from noise complaints or have their operations restricted from the development. It is therefore considered appropriate to resist such developments within the PSA. 

Proposals for the merger of any retail units should first take into consideration the availability of alternative, similar sized retail units in the affected street area. Low vacancy rates in the PSA would indicate the current range of units is meeting an identified need, and therefore any re-configuration of these units and their sizes should be resisted. Proposals for the sub-division of any planning unit must ensure the new units retain sufficient ancillary storage/office space to remain commercially viable for an acceptable use in the PSA. In all these scenarios, proposals will be robustly tested. 

In addition to marketing the property in accordance with Appendix G: Marketing, local needs assessments and viability appraisals of this

A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

, they should also be accompanied by an Impact Assessment that follows the Government’s guidance on impact tests, as set out within the Town Centres and Retail planning guidance (or successor guidance documents). 

The Councils will also resist proposals that seek the loss of retail, leisure and other main town centre uses, unless compelling evidence is presented that demonstrates there is no market demand for the site’s existing use and the site could not viably be redeveloped for another main town centre use. For proposals that seek to convert or redevelop retail and, or other main town centre uses to non-main town centre uses, the Councils will expect planning applications to include an assessment that demonstrates the site is not viable for acceptable PSA uses. This should be an independent professional assessment (funded by the developer) prepared in accordance with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) professional standards on Financial Viability in Planning: Conduct and Reporting (or successor standards) and Appendix G: Marketing, local needs assessments and viability appraisals of the

A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

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• The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

  A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

  Topic Paper 6: Jobs (2025)

• The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

  Retail and Leisure Study - January 2025

• The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

  Cultural

  Includes transport, energy, water, waste, digital/smart, social and green infrastructure.

  Strategy - April 2025

We will consider all comments while developing the next version of the

A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

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All comments must be received by 30 January 2026 at 5pm.