Consultation runs from: 1 December 2025 9:00am - 30 January 2026 5:00pm
S/RSC/CC: Comfort Café, Fourwentways Little Abington
• Site area of 0.79 hectares
• Capacity for approximately 3,000 square metres gross internal area of research and development space for start-up and small businesses (Class E(g)(ii)) and supporting uses including office space (Class E(g)(i)).
1.
proposals must demonstrate how they will meet the following requirements:
a. Design of buildings, in regard to mass and materials, must respond positively to local character and setting, including the historic rural approach to Cambridge along the A1307. Heights should be limited to three storeys which is lower than the surrounding treescape and local buildings;
b.
should have no unacceptable adverse impacts on the setting of nearby Grade II
, the Temple Café and Restaurant;
c. Should integrate complement existing and planned major transport proposals in the area;
d. Should contribute financially to strategic public transport and active travel schemes in the south east corridor appropriate to the scale and nature of the development;
e. Must enhance, repair and replant the site’s landscape edges to protect amenity of neighbouring properties and historic rural approach to Cambridge along the A1307;
f. Proposals should seek to retain and enhance existing treescape on the site and incorporate protected trees located upon western boundary into its design;
g. The on-site provision of employee amenities commensurate to the scale of the development; and
h. Given the known significant potential for archaeological remains in this area, development proposals must be accompanied by an appropriate archaeological assessment, which includes information on the significance of the heritage asset, including the extent, character and condition of the archaeological resource and the likely impact of the development on the archaeological remains.
Supporting information
This 0.8 hectare site provides an opportunity to redevelop a vacant brownfield site and turn it into research and development laboratory space for start-ups and small research and development businesses. This development could provide an important contribution to the local economy by providing approximately 3,000 square metres of employment floorspace. Delivering this quantity of floorspace will mean that the development will contribute positively to the character of the area. These measures will also ensure that there are no adverse impacts on the nearby Grade II listed Temple Café and Restaurant. Furthermore, the site will likely be visible from the A1307, a historic rural approach to Cambridge. By implementing the policy’s development requirements, the rural character of this approach will be retained. By taking a positive approach to protecting and enhancing landscape character and treescape on the site, the visual appearance of the development will be improved for the benefit of future occupants. Depending on the scale of the proposal, the provision of amenities on the site will potentially improve the experience of future occupants. Completing assessments of any archaeological remains on the site before development commences will potentially help to preserve historical artefacts that could explain how people in the past used the land.
Tell us what you think
We will consider all comments while developing the next version of the .
All comments must be received by 30 January 2026 at 5pm.