Housing developer wins fight to halve parking space

A planning inspector says 26 parking spaces, plus two car club spaces, are sufficient for 80 new flats

A housing developer has been given permission to reduce the number of parking spaces at a planned site by nearly half.

Plans for 80 new flats off Neal Drive in Orchard Park, Cambridge were approved in 2020 and included 47 parking spaces.

South Cambridgeshire District Council had refused Cammoro Limited's request to reduce this to 26, plus two car club spaces.

But a planning inspector has allowed an appeal, saying this number is sufficient, despite acknowledging existing issues with pavement parking in the area.

The developer told the council it had evidence there was less demand for parking in build-to-rent schemes, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

But councillors told its representative they could not support the plans, arguing it would have a "detrimental" impact given existing parking problems in Orchard Park.

The Planning Inspectorate acknowledged the number of spaces originally approved was already below the district council’s policy requirements.

However, it approved the cut and removed plans for an underground car park due to the car club spaces, which it said the highways authority equated to about 12 parking spaces.

It also said the development site was in a "sustainable location", with a number of facilities and services within walking distance.