Offices in Newmarket Road, Cambridge, can be converted into flats under permitted development rights, Cambridge City Council has confirmed.
An office block in Cambridge can be converted into flats under permitted development rights, Cambridge City Council has confirmed. The nine offices at 54-62 Dukes Court, in Newmarket Road, are due to be turned into 29 new flats.
The flats are proposed to include 15 one-bedroom flats and 14 two-bedroom flats. No changes are proposed to be made to the outside of the building as part of the planned conversion.
The plans, submitted by MPM Properties, said car parking and cycle parking would be provided in a basement parking area. The developer proposed to include 41 car parking spaces, six of which would be provided across three pairs of tandem spaces, and 64 covered cycle parking spaces.
The planning documents said the proposals offered “suitable car parking arrangements and ample cycle parking” to serve the new flats. Under permitted development rights offices can be converted into flats without full planning permission.
Certain criteria still need to be considered, including the transport impacts, contamination risks on site, flood risks, impact of noise from commercial premises, and whether all habitable rooms will have enough natural light.
In a report published by the city council, planning officers said it was considered that there would not be any highway impacts from the development, and confirmed that there are no flood risks.
The report said an assessment concluded that the contamination risk to future residents was “very low”, and that there were no noise concerns. Officers also said all habitable rooms would get enough natural light.
They therefore confirmed that prior approval for the changes proposed is not required and the building can be converted into 29 flats.
This is not the first time plans have come forward to convert the office block into housing. Last year the city council confirmed the offices could be converted into 23 flats, which the plans said would be a mix of one, two, and three-bedrooms in size.
For more planning notices in your area visit publicnoticeportal.uk .