The Cambridge News reported yesterday (31 July) that Costa Coffee and McDonald’s are set to get permission to replace a Chinese restaurant which was gutted by fire, despite opposition from villagers.
The two drive-through restaurants would be built on the site of the Yim Wah House next to the A428 at Caxton Gibbet, which has stood empty since a devastating blaze three years ago.
But the parish council in nearby Elsworth complains the plan promotes the “self-serving interests” of “two multi-national giants”. The parish council also complained that while the Yim Wah House was “traditional” in appearance, the proposed single-storey restaurants were concerned only with “corporate image”.
It said: “It seeks to import into a countryside rural location a garish, over-illuminated piece of post-modern urban architecture.”
The application has been supported by Caxton and Cambourne parish councils, but Papworth Everard Parish Council complained the buildings were “far too starkly modern for the setting of this sensitive site”, where a gallows dating to around 1900 still stands.
The parish council said: “Aesthetically they are poorly designed and are not unlike some industrial buildings.”
The district council’s planning committee is recommended to approve the scheme on Wednesday. It includes a third restaurant to be built later.
Planning officers said the design of both buildings was acceptable and the prospect of creating up to 85 jobs – 40 of them full-time – was to be welcomed.
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Planning Committee Consideration of the application
South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Planning Committee discussed the application at its meeting today, following a presentation by the applicant’s agent and one member of the public who raised the issue of cycle parking, and access to and from the site, not only for passing cyclists but also for the workers on the site.
Whilst the comment from Elsworth Parish Council about the nutritional value of fast foods was not considered material nor was it debated, members of the committee did agree with the view expressed by Elsworth and Papworth Parish councils about the design of the buildings.
When shown pictures of the proposed buildings, councillors described them variously as horrible, “off-the-peg”, awful, stark, industrial, nothing to commend them, etc.
The proposed design for the McDonald shop is as shown in this picture to the left, whilst the proposal for the Costa coffee shop is similar to that in the picture below.
The site has stood derelict since the fire that ravaged Yim Wah House in 2009 and Councillors warmly welcomed the fact that the site is finally to be redeveloped and expressly welcomed the opportunity that the redevelopment would bring up to 85 jobs on the site. This was a clear statement of acceptance of the principle of redeveloping the site.
However, councillors did not feel that proposed building designs were suitable for such a prominent site in a rural setting, and therefore voted unanimously to reject the proposal as it currently stands.
After this false start, McDonalds now has the chance to go back to the drawing board, and work with the planning officers to come up with a more suitable and acceptable design for the proposed new buildings.
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What are the issues?
There had been a general expectation that the plans would be approved today, but the refusal shows that nothing can be taken for granted, not even by industry giants. Development will not be accepted at any costs.
Some of the other material issues that were discussed include the lack of outdoor play space for children, lack of secure cycle parking, cycle access routes, litter, illuminations, traffic flow to and from the site, additional traffic causing increased congestion at the roundabout.
The burnt out shell of Yim Wah House is no longer structurally sound and cannot be repaired or rebuilt. It needs to be demolished and a new building put up. It turns out that contrary to popular belief, the building is not listed, nor is the gibbet that stands outside and to the right of it along the A1198. A replacement building was therefore the best option.
The total floor space of the current building is to be split across three new buildings on the site, the McDonalds and Costa Coffee shops and a third shop yet to be allocated.
It may be said that the Shell petrol station directly opposite with the former Little Chef turned Venice, and the car hand wash business operating from an old petrol station diagonally across are not buildings of any architectural merit. Suffice it is to say that these are buildings that have stood on the respective sites for several years and are not being redeveloped, nor should these dictate the level of architectural design that new development in the area should aspire to. If anything, it is all the more reason to ensure that any new buildings on the site make a statement if possible!
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Will they or won’t they?
So McDonalds has been told to go and do its homework, and come back with a much better design. It could definitely do a lot better, and must do better. The site will be redeveloped, its just a matter of finding the right architectural design.
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McDonalds should re-build the coach Inn back to AS WAS before it was turned into a Chinese Restro… then submit plans to use and convert the building as a MAckyD Drive thru