The Varsity Hotel & Spa, Thompsons Lane, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB5 8AQ

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the local area bearing in mind the special attention that should be paid to the desirability of preserving the setting of the nearby listed buildings, the registered park and garden at St John's College, and the Castle Mound scheduled monument, and the extent to which it would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Central Conservation Area, and the effect on the skyline of Cambridge

What decided it

The public benefits of the scheme, being largely private in nature, did not outweigh the less than substantial harm (at the higher end of the scale in several instances) to the setting of designated heritage assets and the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.

The identified public benefits (moderate or minimal weight) were found insufficient to outweigh the less than substantial harm, of considerable importance and weight, to the setting of designated heritage assets and the Conservation Area, and the balanced judgement on non-designated heritage assets also weighed against the proposal.