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Cambridge City Council

Mill Road Depot draft Planning and Development Brief SPD

Cambridge City Council has produced a Mill Road Depot Development Framework SPD [PDF, 11.5MB] in order to help guide the redevelopment of the Mill Road Depot and adjoining buildings through residential allocation (R10). The allocation is located within the proposed policy area for Policy 24: Mill Road Opportunity Area, as set out in the Cambridge Local Plan 2018.

The final Mill Road Depot Development Framework was approved at Development Plan Scrutiny Sub Committee on 22 March 2017, in anticipation of the adoption of the Local Plan, and it was agreed that it should be carried forward for adoption as a Supplementary Planning Document at the same time as the Local Plan.

The Mill Road Depot Development Framework SPD was adopted by the council in December 2018. 

Public Consultation

The Mill Road Depot Draft SPD for Consultation [PDF, 28.5MB] was approved at Development Plan Scrutiny Sub Committee on 14 March 2016.

Public consultation on the document has now closed. The consultation ran from 9am on Friday 3 June 2016 to 5pm on Friday 22 July 2016.

To view comments submitted to the consultation visit our online consultation system.

A public exhibition [PDF, 5.5MB] was held at the Old School Hall, St Barnabas Church, Mill Road on Tuesday 21 June 2016 from 12 to 9pm and on Wednesday 13 July 2016 from 5 to 9pm.

Documents and webpages related to the consultation include:

The Sustainability Appraisal and Habitats Regulations Assessment

A Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) is an assessment to ensure that a plan will not have an adverse effect on the integrity of either Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) or Special Protection Areas (SPA). For the Mill Road Depot Planning and Development Brief SPD, a HRA Screening Report [PDF, 0.6MB] was produced, which updates the findings of the Screening Report carried out for the Local Plan. This document, which is currently being considered by Natural England, concludes that the Mill Road Deport Draft Planning and Development Brief SPD is unlikely to have any significant impacts on the conservation objectives of Natura 2000 and Ramsar sites identified.

A Sustainability Appraisal Screening Report [PDF, 0.4MB] was also completed for the Mill Road Deport Draft Planning and Development Brief SPD. This document confirmed that the allocation of land at Mill Road Depot took place as part of the process of developing the Cambridge Local Plan 2014, and as such has been subject to a Sustainability Appraisal as part of the Local Plan process.  The conclusion of this screening process is that as the Mill Road Deport Draft Planning and Development Brief SPD does not make any changes to this allocation it will not give rise to significant environmental effects.

The Mill Road Depot Draft SPD for Consultation [PDF, 0.2MB] does not give rise to significant social and economic effects beyond those already identified as part of the appraisal of the parent policy and site allocation contained within the Cambridge Local Plan 2014.  As such it is not considered necessary to undertake a separate SA for this SPD.

Equality Impact Assessment

The proposed residential development at Mill Road Depot should not lead to the loss of any overall amenity and therefore it is not considered necessary to produce an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) to support the draft SPD. The emerging Cambridge Local Plan 2014 along with other planning considerations will also ensure that the needs of disabled people, older people and other local community members will be considered in full as part of the planning process and any related planning application.


[1] Cambridge City Council Part 2, 'Site Options within Cambridge' – Interim Sustainability Appraisal (2013)

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