Business group lays doubt over redevelopment plan for Cambridge
It comes as councillors approved plans to redevelop a shopping centre there
A business support group has said it's not totally convinced plans to redevelop a Cambridge shopping centre will help firms when it comes to overall growth.
It comes as Cambridge City Council approved plans to partially demolish the Grafton Centre and convert it into new science labs, a hotel and a gym.
Objections such as concerns over the impact of taller buildings on Cambridge's historic skyline were raised by councillors, but overall they believed the benefits of redevelopment outweighed the harm it could cause.
Suzanna Austin represents the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Cambridgeshire:
"None of our members at the moment are raising concerns about it being mixed usage, but it is the concern of the appearance and also how it will all fit together in the grand scheme of things and whether the businesses that take on those new units will be supported," she said.
"We're still seeing some of the same problems that retailers have faced all along, so unless those problems of high business rates and high rents are fixed, there is the potential for the same issues to repeat."
Room to improve business confidence
Last month, research from the FSB found economic uncertainty and inflation pressures were continuing to impact small businesses.
And in November, the FSB's Small Business Index found business confidence amongst smaller firms rose in the third quarter of last year, but remained below zero points for the sixth quarter in a row.
The plans, submitted by developers Pioneer Group Ltd, also include replacing existing shop fronts.
"They'd like more of a voice in shaping the way the city looks"
With thousands of homes planned to be built in and around Cambridge, Ms Austin believes businesses must have more of an input on what this means for the local economy.
"It would be nice to hear the local community is involved within the plans for Cambridge, although many of our members are feeding back that they don't feel as quite involved as they'd like to be," she added.
"They would like to have more of a voice in shaping the way that the city looks in the future.
"There are sectors like hospitality and retail which are not faring as well (as other sectors in the city).
"A couple of changes made regarding business rates and VAT could make all the difference to help the city remain a vibrant place that attracts people from around the world."