PUBLIC URGED TO HAVE THEIR SAY ON DEVELOPMENT OF AREA AROUND THE GRAFTON SHOPPING CENTRE

CAMBRIDGE residents are being encouraged to give their views on initial proposals for the future development of the city's Grafton area.

A new draft Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) published by Cambridge City Council sets out a masterplan and guidance for development of the area covered by Fitzroy Street, Burleigh Street and The Grafton shopping centre.

Future development, outlined in the ‘Grafton Area of Major Change – Masterplan and Guidance SPD’, could include additional retail and leisure facilities as well as some residential and student accommodation.

Key proposals within the draft SPD include:

• Adapting and redeveloping the service areas to The Grafton shopping centre to better integrate the centre with surrounding areas and provide effective, efficient servicing;
• Reviewing the car parking requirement and considering the redevelopment of the Grafton West Car Park;
• Securing opportunities to increase retail and leisure space with new residential and student accommodation on upper floors;
• A series of sites along East Road to generate more activity and create a new boulevard;
• Redeveloping sites surrounding The Grafton on an appropriate scale;
• Improving and coordinating the public realm along Burleigh Street and Fitzroy Street, integrating existing trees and enhancing the sense of arrival;
• Creating a better environment along East Road that is no longer dominated by traffic.

The SPD promotes a number of key strategies for change aimed at taking advantage of the opportunities to provide an improved public realm environment, as well as a positive and attractive destination to support the vitality and viability of the centre for retail and associated uses.

It envisages a phased approach to ensure the area continues to perform as an important city centre retail location while ensuring phased improvement will deliver the area’s longer-term strategy.

Input to the document was provided by local stakeholders, including residents’ groups, local councillors and other interest groups, at a series of workshops.

Cllr Kevin Blencowe, Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Transport, said: “Fitzroy Street, Burleigh Street and the Grafton area provide an important part of the council’s future retail strategy, as a location identified in the emerging Local Plan for expansion and redevelopment, providing opportunities for retail, leisure and housing.

“This SPD will help to guide the changes and improvements and provide a structured framework for the delivery of much needed public realm improvements.”

The consultation started on 25 September and continues until 5pm on 6 November. The draft document is available on the council website at http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/grafton-aomc-spd, with hard copies also available to read on request from the Customer Service Centre at Mandela House, Regent Street and the Central Library, Cambridge.

Two public exhibitions at The Grafton shopping centre are also scheduled during the consultation period. These will take place on:

• Saturday, 30 September 2017 from 11am to 3pm; and
• Wednesday, 1 November 2017 from 2pm to 8pm.