Railpen has submitted an updated proposal to Cambridge City Council for the redevelopment of Cambridge Retail Park, a prominent site located on Newmarket Road. The new plans aim to transform the area by introducing modern office spaces and restaurant/café units, alongside improvements to landscaping and parking arrangements.
2030 Vision Plan
- A new anchor store to the north of the site.
- Multi level parking to enable the removal of surface parking.
- Transforming the public realm with a new green corridor.
- Refurbishing the existing retail spine for new tenants.
- Redeveloping the SCS site to create a new anchor store and additional large format units at the south of the site.
- Redeveloping 3-5 Coldham’s Lane for a new retail tenant.
- New smaller format retail and F+B units.
- New F+B and Leisure spaces to add vibrancy to the site.
- Exploring the option of a new hotel, diversifying uses on site.
- Forming a new junction with well defined building edges which establishes the principle for a future street northwards.
- Area of surface car parking must remain in accordance with binding lease agreements.
Cambridge Retail Park Site
The development site, located at 230 Newmarket Road, is situated in the ‘Eastern Gate’ area identified by Cambridge City Council for regeneration. This area stretches from the Crown Court, past the Elizabeth Way roundabout, to the beginning of Cambridge Retail Park. The council’s vision for this area is to rejuvenate a key city approach with high-quality development, and Railpen’s proposals aim to contribute to this vision.
The updated plans now feature new office spaces and restaurant/cafe units, with parking for the offices included to address local concerns about overflow parking. The initial designs, which were planned as a zero-car development, have been adjusted following feedback to provide approximately 45 parking spaces. This includes six Blue Badge spaces and a managed car park with bookable spaces allocated on a needs-first basis.
