The former Paradise Pool in Ely- replaced by the Hive and later demolished at a cost of around £100,000 – could be used for 13 houses.
East Cambridgeshire District Council has asked its own trading company to bring forward proposals to build on the Newnham Street site and have invited Savills to submit the application.
“Part of the driver for this is to demonstrate successful delivery of ‘£100K homes’ in conjunction with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority”, says a design statement.
Four of the homes will therefore be “discounted market sales homes” says the statement.
The initiative offers one-bedroom homes for £100K homes, a significantly greater discount than the 20 per cent minimum required to meet the legal definition of affordable homes.
The 13 homes will comprise a terrace of seven mews houses and six apartments in two blocks. One five-bedroom unit, six three-bedroom units and 6six one-bedroom units are proposed with four of the one-bedroom units being affordable.
The southern end mews house and the terrace of four apartments are three-storey with the remaining houses and apartments being two-storey.
Savills says the site forms part of the ‘Paradise area’ which under the East Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2015 states “will be redeveloped as a mixed-use scheme, providing residential uses, car parking and community uses as appropriate”.
Longer term ambitions previously discussed for the area include using the site of the bowls club for a multi storey car park.
“The Paradise field would be retained as a key community facility and area of amenity space,” says Savills, quoting from the local plan vision.
That plan “recognises that the development of this area might not all happen at the same time, particularly as part of the wider site was subject to a lease until 2085 (Paradise Sports Centre and Paradise field) and the bowls club was privately owned.
“It is however important to ensure that development does not prejudice the important considerations of a comprehensive scheme identified in the local plan”. The proposal provides for 20 car spaces for residents and 26 cycle spaces.
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