10:16 am, October 21, 2024
Marshall Motor Group is to bring the curtain down on its historic home after plans were approved for a state-of-the-art new dealership complex in Cambridge.
The Car Dealer Top 100 retailer has been based at its current Cambridge Airport location since 1938 but the bulldozers are now set to move in from next year.
That is because an application, submitted by Marshall of Cambridge (Garage Properties) Limited, has been given the green light by Cambridgeshire County Council.
It means that the group will now build a new ‘super-site’ on Newmarket Road, just a short distance away from the current location.
It bring to an end 86 years of Marshalls selling cars from the site, as part of the airport being sold off to make way for the city’s new 1,300-home Marleigh residential development.
Marshalls, now part of Constellation Automotive Group Ltd which owns BCA, Cinch and We Buy Any Car, was founded in Cambridge in 1909 and has occupied its current location since before the Second World War.
The proposals for the new site include four new main buildings; a sales area and showroom, a valet centre, an MOT and servicing workshop, and a four-level multi-storey car park.
The plan outlines: ‘This critical migration of the car businesses is essential to allow for the phased delivery of the remainder of the Marleigh development.
‘These car businesses will include primary sales and servicing facilities together with secondary car businesses activities such as vehicle valeting, smart repair and electric vehicle charging.
‘The successful execution of the migration of the car businesses in a sustainable development will safeguard the viability of and provide new opportunities for the Marshall Motor Group car businesses.
‘The site and building layout is optimised for the customer experience and to ensure that it adheres to the design principles set out in the wing masterplan and complies with the conditions attached to the outline planning permission.
‘The design and layout of the proposals have been subject to rigorous discussion throughout the design development. Marshall Motor Group have been required to consider and adopt a very different model for a car dealership to meet the aspirations and requirements of the planning authority.
‘The proposal now represents a positive and valuable addition to the Marleigh development that integrates well with the overall plan.’
The application was considered by councillors from Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council at a meeting of the joint development control committee on October 16 and was passed by a majority decision.
