Janine Machin

Correspondent, BBC East

Nic Rigby

BBC Politics East

Plans to turn a retail park in Cambridge into laboratories could push people out of the city, a councillor said.

Railpen, which owns the Beehive Centre, wants to redevelop it to create labs, offices, smaller shops and cafes.

Cambridge City Council was due to refuse the application because of the impact on homes but the government intervened and the decision rests with them.

Green Party leader Naomi Bennett said shops were vital facilities in the area.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesman said: "Cambridge can have a vital role in kickstarting economic growth, but it is being held back by unaffordable housing and poor transport connections."

"The government will accelerate economic growth across the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, to the benefits of local communities and national prosperity," the spokesperson added.

Railpen, a pension investment company, said it wanted to work with the local community and the scheme would include amenities.

The Beehive Centre is a retail park on the eastern edge of Cambridge. It is home to major brands like M&S Food, Next Home, B&M and Asda, and it is one of few places in the city where it is free to park.

In January, the chancellor announced that boosting the science sector in Cambridge is key to her plans for economic growth, external.

Naomi Bennett, leader of the Green Party on Cambridge City Council, said the plans to use the area for scientific laboratories and offices meant local people "were being pushed out of Cambridge".

"A lot of people in the area have low incomes and more than 40% of households have no access to cars so to have local shops on your door step are really important," she said.

"I don't think the government understands that people need to shop and go shopping. I don't think the government understands."

Cambridge is surrounded by science and innovation parks including the Cambridge Biomedical Campus which, as the largest health research campus in Europe, employs more than 20,000 people.

Railpen's head of property, Matt Howard, said: "We don't believe that putting scientists and innovators in a field in the middle of nowhere is the right way to release creativity.

"They need amenities and activities so that's what we're trying to create here, but we're trying to do it with the local community as well."

"We're committed to the Cambridge Retail Park" said Mr Howard. "Our aim is to create an ecosystem where the retail park serves workers at the new Beehive Centre and those workers sustain the retail park."

A report by the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning, external service found that lab space around the city would meet demand until 2030, but warned of "a shortfall of critical smaller space for start-up businesses" which take academic research forward into the first stages of product development.

The Labour MP for Cambridge, Daniel Zeichner, said he hoped the government would now ensure that "all voices are heard".

He added: "It's an important site for redevelopment. Cambridge must be allowed to grow, but that must also mean better transport, affordable homes, and investment in healthcare."

BBC Politics East was broadcast on Sunday, 30 March and can be seen on BBC iPlayer.

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A new NHS eye hospital has opened in Cambridge city centre. Patients can expect to be treated in as little as 4-8 weeks, compared to a national target of 18 weeks, so says SpaMedica.

Describing iteself as "the country’s leading independent provider of NHS cataract surgery", its new hospital is in Carlyle House on Carlyle Road. The Cambridge site - which joins 61 other SpaMedica hospitals across the country - is fully equipped.

Patients will benefit from a free door-to-door transport service if they need assistance getting to and from their appointments. Complimentary parking is also available on-site.

SpaMedica said: "Since opening in 2008, SpaMedica has earned a reputation for excellence, with industry regulator the Care Quality Commission awarding every SpaMedica hospital it has inspected to date a ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ rating. 98 percent of patients who have reviewed SpaMedica on the NHS website have given the provider a five-star rating, including Mr Richmond, who had his cataract surgery at SpaMedica’s nearby Peterborough hospital last year."

Mr Richmond said: “I am enjoying the wonderful eyesight I now have. Thanks to all the staff for being so professional, so helpful and so kind. And a special thanks to my surgeon for making the experience quick and painless.”

In terms of population, 11.4 percent of Cambridge’s residents are aged 65+, and with up to 30 percent of this age group likely to need cataract surgery in later life, thousands of people are set to benefit from the new hospital, which also specialises in treatment for wet AMD, and YAG laser capsulotomy for posterior capsule opacification.

Hospital manager Ashley Snelling said: “We’re delighted to open our new eye hospital in the heart of Cambridge city centre, and we’ll be working closely with the NHS to reduce local waiting times for treatment. We’re looking forward to helping Cambridgeshire residents to see more clearly again and I know our experienced team of healthcare professionals are committed to delivering the high-quality outcomes SpaMedica is known for.”

NHS patients who have been diagnosed with cataracts, wet AMD or posterior capsule opacification can ask for a referral to SpaMedica Cambridge through their local optician or GP.

Patients may experience one or more of the following symptoms if they have cataracts:

Patients who notice any changes to their vision should book an appointment with their optician, who will perform a thorough eye check and refer them for treatment if needed. In England, patients can choose which NHS provider they have cataract surgery with.

Plans to close public toilets throughout Cambridge as part of austerity measures have been met with criticism from locals and Cambridgeshire Live readers. They have raised concerns about potential human waste on the streets and the inconvenience of being 'caught short'.

The city council currently maintains 14 public conveniences, with eight in the centre of Cambridge and the remainder dotted around. Recently, Cambridge City Council revealed plans to permanently close facilities at Victoria Avenue, Gonville Place, and Quayside as part of broader cost-saving moves included in its 2025/26 financial plan.

Confronted with an £11.5 million budget gap projected across the next five years, these proposals were laid before the council's scrutiny committee last week (February 10), with suggestions that discontinuing the services of three public toilets might contribute annual savings of £121,000 to the cash-strapped authority.

A representative for the council said 'difficult decisions' were taken to reach the budget proposals, with choices influenced by resident input. The spokesperson said thousands had been invested into the improvement of other public toilet facilities. The intention to proceed with the closures "as soon as possible" within the 2025/2026 fiscal period was confirmed by the council.

Commenter Bakerart thinks: “It's madness to close public loos. Keeping them available and well-maintained is a civic necessity. Older people need to be able to walk around their city without getting caught short. Establish a hot line if they are not kept to a high standard. Visitors judge a place by such things.”

Alanamy agrees: “The council's claim that they are closing under used toilets is nonsense. Parkers Piece and Midsummer Common both stage major public events attended by thousands of people per year and the maintenance is paid for partly by a charge of 20p. These toilets get far more people visiting them than Chesterton and Coleridge Recreation do per year which are free to use.”

Squeaks33 adds: “Toilets are vital as we get thousands of visitors, just make them pay instead of closing the facilities.”

Julie Chester agrees: “Visitors to Cambridge are not coming for the shopping experience, they are coming to see the historic universities, which quite clearly rule the roost. They are also some of the richest universities in the world, if they want it all their own way, let them pay for the toilets.”

Top fan points out: “The council already charges people to use the loo, now the council is closing them. Who do they think they are? Some people who have medical conditions who need to use the loo won't come to our wonderful city, due to the lack of loos.”

Chris Izatt says: “Local authorities have financially been cut loose by central government – this has been in the pipeline for a while." He added: "It’s a shame the city doesn’t have a legal responsibility to uphold toilet facilities and other essential resources. I do understand that local authorities occasionally have to make difficult decisions or compromises to be as efficient as possible – but from the cancellation of the Folk Festival + Strawberry Fair to this, it’s not on.”

Elaine Footman asks: “I don't understand why there is such a large budget gap when there are thousands of houses and apartments being built on Newmarket Road, Airport Way and other areas of Cambridge. Where is all that council tax going? It's certainly not on the roads which are shameful.”

How do you feel about the public toilet closures? Will it deter visitors to Cambridge? Have your say in our comments section.

Redevelopment plans for a deprived area of Cambridge have moved a step closer with the sale of its library. East Barnwell Community Centre Site and East Barnwell Library have both been sold to Cambridge City Council.

Cambridgeshire County Council exchanged contracts on the deal with the city council last week. The sale is part of a 'regeneration' project on Newmarket Road, set to include affordable housing, a new community centre, library, and preschool.

The county council will contribute £500,000 towards the redevelopment costs, in addition to the sale of its current community centre and library. In return it will receive two 125-year peppercorn leases for new library and preschool spaces within the newly constructed development.

While the existing library is single-glazed with a flat roof and static shelving, the council says the new building will be much more sustainable, benefiting from greater energy efficiency and heated via an air source heat pump.

There will be accessible public toilets on site and facilities will include flexible shelving units, which can be moved to create space for parent and child events. It will also offer more meeting spaces and study bays.

The new community centre will be owned by Cambridge City Council, with an arrangement in place that will enable the community centre to use library space and the library to host arts events in the larger space of the community hall.

The area will also be home to a newly constructed, purpose-built facility for Seesaw Pre-school, which will be leased to the county council. Currently, the pre-school is situated in temporary accommodations at The Galfrid Primary School.

The community centre and library will remain open throughout the building works.

Councillor Alex Bulat, vice-chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion Committee said: “Exchanging contracts on the sale of the current outdated Barnwell Road Library building is an exciting and important step towards being able to offer the residents of East Barnwell a new, modern library building that’s better able to help their community to prosper.

“The new library, supported by our dynamic libraries team, will offer more rounded services to the local community including events, performances and workshops, accessible meeting and study spaces and be a vibrant community hub."

Cllr Gerri Bird, executive councillor for housing at Cambridge City Council, said: "This is an exciting time for East Barnwell. We’ve just started work on building 120 new council homes, replacing 18 outdated flats with a total of 48 social rented homes, and 72 homes available at around 80% of market rents.

"Wherever we build these much-needed new homes, we work to ensure that the right facilities are also in place to support our communities, and working with the county council to provide the library, as well as the community centre and pre-school, is a key part of delivering for the local community."

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One of the oldest folk festivals in England was cancelled after making a £320,000 loss last year, council documents have revealed.

The annual four-day Cambridge Folk Festival, organised by Cambridge City Council, first began in 1965 and has been hosted in the grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall.

Papers published by the council ahead of an upcoming meeting on Thursday cited the "financial difficulties faced by the folk festival".

It said it had "earmarked £75,000 to deliver an alternative programme of folk-related events in 2025" ahead of the full festival's return in 2026.

The cancellation of this summer's event was announced in January.

The festival has hosted global headliners such as Robert Plant, Joan Baez, James Taylor, Van Morrison, Nick Cave, Lady Blackbird, Peggy Seeger and Suzanne Vega, and typically attracts about 14,000 people.

Robert Dryden, a Labour city councillor for the area, said in January that the cancellation came as a "big shock" that would "disappoint lots of people".

Labour-run Cambridge City Council has published papers ahead of a scrutiny meeting on 20 March which will look at the reasons behind the cancellation.

The council said the papers would "clearly outline the decisions taken by the festival organisers... to ensure the successful future of the much-loved Cambridge Folk Festival".

The papers continue: "The UK music festival industry is facing widespread financial pressures.

"These have dramatically impacted the continuation of festivals in the recent years.

"Large corporations... dominate the festival landscape.

"In 2024, Latitude, which is normally held on the penultimate weekend in July, chose to move to the last weekend in July, in direct competition with the Cambridge Folk Festival."

The council said it analysed feedback from attendees in 2024 and said some alluded to reduced crowd sizes, and "attributed this to clashes with other festivals including Latitude".

The paper adds: "In 2024, the folk festival incurred a provisional loss of £0.32m. In the years prior to the Covid pandemic it returned an average profit of over £0.2m to fund free community events in Cambridge."

The council said that "while revenues have remained broadly stable, costs have increased significantly as they have for the whole of the UK festival sector".

It said it was "committed to the long-term success of the internationally acclaimed Cambridge Folk Festival".

"During the 2025 fallow year, the council will review the format of the festival so that it can return in 2026."

It said it was planning other entertainment "including free outdoor events and venue-based folk concerts", more details of which it would announce in April.