Future of art deco Cambridge cinema awaits decision after appeal

Cambridge City Council argued the development would see the loss of an “iconic and rare” building.

However, due to the site being closed for almost two decades, the developer said there was a “pressing need” to do something with it after years of failed attempts to find a new use for it.

However, the city council refused to grant planning permission for the project last year, after councillors said they opposed the complete loss of the building.

Concerns included how the new development would sit within the city’s skyline along with worries about the “substantial demolition” of buildings in the area.

The authority said its concerns had been set out since the beginning of the pre-application process and said still had not been fully addressed.

It said the harm of the “unjustified loss” of the former cinema building, sited within a conservation area, was not outweighed by the public benefits of the proposal.