500 want pub saved

DEVELOPERS want the ground that the Penny Ferry pub on the Cam at Chesterton stands on, and it seems the efforts to save the pub will fail.

Notwithstanding a petition signed by 500 people, English Heritage and other organisations who want to save it, Cambridge Council have given planning permission for it to be demolished, Alan Tilbury reveals.

Squeeze in five houses

The historic pub, at the site of a river crossing, was recently bought for £1 million by developers who can squeeze in five houses on the site, but it now all depends on the results of a council meeting as to whether or not the plans can go ahead.

It is thought that the decision will be important in that it could stop the development of pub sites in Cambridge, as over 20 have met such a fate in the past five years.

There is still a chance, as Chesterton is now a conservation area, meaning that separate consent will be needed before it can be demolished.