Demolition work begins around Flying Pig pub in Cambridge

The popular live music venue on Hills Road shut in 2021 during a development saga.

A planning application to demolish the Flying Pig was originally approved by Cambridge City Council back in 2007, as part of a development to build 156 new homes, as well as offices and shops.

In 2020, new plans were submitted, looking to build a five-storey office building and a seven-storey office building around it.

These plans were refused in 2021 because of concerns around the size of the new buildings.

But, a new developer, Socius and Railway Pension Nominees Limited, has come forward to breathe new life into Botanic Place.

Crucially, they also pledged to reopen the pub.

Photo: Socius/Railpen

Doug Higgins, from Socius, says they are committed to "bringing the pub back to life".

"The pub on-site is outside the scope of this application as we are not proposing any changes to the current consent, which will see it retained and brought back to life, capturing everything that made it a well loved pub, but within a building that meets modern regulations.

"We are obligated to open the pub ahead of the office buildings and we will ensure that pints are being poured as early as possible once it is safe to do so.

"Botanic Place will deliver the most sustainable and intelligent new build office buildings in Cambridge.

“It has been estimated that these buildings will consume 70 per cent less energy than a standard office building of this scale.

"They will have one of the smartest facades in the UK, not just in terms of architecture, but also in terms of their intelligent design and performance, reducing solar heat gain during the day and sucking in cool air during the night in order to keep the offices cool without having to rely on air conditioning."

Changes to the plans include reducing the amount of digging required for the basement, cutting the number of car parking spaces by two thirds, and increasing the bike space provision.

More office space has also been proposed, but the size and the scale of building is unchanged.

Last month, councillors voted unanimously to approve the scheme.

Developers say work to demolish the buildings around the Flying Pig is due to start this week.

Hoardings will be put up around the site, including around the pub, but work on the pub itself is not due to start yet.