Future of Anstey Hall in Trumpington to be decided as Cambridge councillors debate plans for retirement village

The future of the 17th-century Anstey Hall will be decided on Wednesday (September 4) when councillors debate plans for a new retirement home on the site.

Owner John de Bruyne wants to build 87 two-bedroom apartments in two buildings on the site of the historic hall in Maris Lane, Trumpington.

The hall itself would be used as a centre for the senior living facility and would also provide meeting space for charities and organisations in the area.

It will also house a collection of paintings and regular exhibitions as well as collaborations with other galleries and museums are planned.

Mr de Bruyne says the development would open the hall to the public and provide funds to permanently preserve the listed building.

However, a report to Cambridge City Council’s planning committee on Wednesday recommended that councillors reject Trumpington Investments Ltd’s plans after Historic England objected, saying the development would be “harmful” to the hall.

The city council had rejected previous plans for senior housing last year.

Some councillors said they supported the principle of nursing homes but pushed for a revision of the plans.

But Historic England remains opposed.

The council was told: “After careful consideration of the current revised proposals, which are very similar to those previously submitted, we maintain our principled objection to the two new blocks of flats being built on listed grounds.

“In our view, any development that would encroach on the open space south of the hall would cause significant, but not insignificant, damage to its surroundings and significance.”

Historic England argued that it had not been demonstrated that the provision of central facilities for the senior citizens’ residence would be the optimal use of the hall.

Mr. de Bruyne disagrees and points to the high costs of maintaining the hall.

He emphasized that the idea for the hall “goes far beyond the mere function of a clubhouse for the older residents.”

And he said: ‘The report ignores the essence of best use, which is curating and displaying the painting collection so that Anstey Hall functions like Kettle’s Yard.

“We have just appointed a professional curator who is an academic at both Cambridge University and Anglia Ruskin University and who will establish formal links with the Cambridge art schools.”

Council officials noted that “minor technical reasons” had been taken into account for rejecting the previous application, but said the two applications were “substantially the same”.

The report states: “While the proposal provides for private retirement homes for an ageing population, the proposed retirement housing blocks would take up a significant amount of protected open space, the quantity of which could not be satisfactorily replaced elsewhere.”

“In addition, the open character of this park and garden and the setting of this listed building would be significantly impaired and the urban environment would be negatively impacted.

“The proposed senior living blocks would not be appropriately related to Anstey Hall in terms of their design, location and size and would therefore have a negative impact on the character and appearance of the Trumpington Conservation Area and the surrounding area of ​​the listed building.”

“The damage to the character and appearance of the conservation area and to the setting and significance of Anstey Hall is assessed to be of high, less than significant, harm and it is not considered that the public benefits arising from the development would outweigh this identified harm.”