Cambridge University battles one of its own professors in court over plans for state-of-the-art library she calls a 'coarse megabuilding'

Cambridge University is battling one of its own professors in court over plans for a new state-of-the-art 'megabuilding' library. 

Physics professor Suchitra Sebastian is leading the fight against the historic institution, insisting the proposed development is 'too coarse' for the charming streets of Cambridge.

The university's Christ's College, which counts Charles Darwin and atomic bomb pioneer J Robert Oppenheimer among its alumni, wants to demolish its ageing 1970s library and replace it with a modern facility.

The plans feature a four-storey library set around a three-storey reading room in an historic part of central Cambridge, with a bridge connecting to the historic Grade-I listed Bodley Library.

The proposals include a 'deep masonry wall' fronting the street and a pleated sloping roof to create a 'canopy of light and shade' inside the library, collecting solar energy and rainwater and absorbing sound.

But the college has met stiff opposition from a campaign group, spearheaded in court by Professor Sebastian – a condensed matter physicist at the university's Cavendish Laboratory – who complains the planned library is 'too big' and 'too coarse'.

The Christ's Lane Action Group (CLAG) argues the 'bulky' building would 'destroy the integrity of Cambridge's core conservation area', dwarfing the 'vibrant and busy' Christ's Lane and robbing it of its historic character.

But the college simply went on to make a new application – for an 'almost identical' plan – which the council voted in favour of last week, before it was then frozen by housing secretary Angela Rayner, pending a decision on whether to 'call in' the application for ministerial consideration.

The dispute reached the High Court in London yesterday after CLAG – with Professor Sebastian in court – sought a judge's ruling on what went wrong with the way Cambridge City Council made its decision on the first application last year.

Outlining the background, CLAG barrister Emma Dring said the existing 1970s library is connected to the Grade-I listed 19th Century Bodley Library, on the corner of Christ's Lane and St Andrew's Street.

The college has twice before in 2011 and 2016 secured planning permission to demolish and rebuild the library, but not gone through with the plans.

However, a controversial new Library+ proposal was made in June last year, omitting previous plans for a basement floor, but including four above ground and with the upper floor extended.

The college says the four levels would be gathered around a three-storey reading room and would be connected directly with the adjacent historic Bodley Library and Upper Hall.

However, Ms Dring said heritage body Historic England had been consulted and, although it did not object to the application, raised concerns of 'increased massing' and 'excessive bulk'.

The approximately 40ft high building would be too domineering, 'too big for its location' and 'would detract from the setting of the surrounding buildings', the heritage body said.

But Ms Dring said the city council had been misled as to Historic England's full concerns about the building when making its decision on the application.

She said the council planning committee had been given an 'incomplete and misleading summary' of Historic England's position, tainting the approval decision.

It had also failed to take into account the 'relevant consideration' of the existence of 'less harmful' alternative ways to develop the site, she said.

Giving judgment and quashing the 2025 planning permission, Mr Justice Kolinsky said both the council and the college accepted in court there had been errors in the way it was considered by the council.

These included the fact Historic England's concerns were not fully communicated to the planning committee and that the potential for alternative plans, less harmful to listed buildings, had not been taken into consideration.

'It is certainly the fact that the defendant went wrong in law, but it has conceded this already,' the judge said, approving an order consented to by the council and college that the permission should be quashed.

The decision means the 2025 planning permission stands quashed, with the reasons for that now officially recorded in the consent order.

The second – and 'almost identical' – library application remains live while a decision is made whether to call it in for a decision on a ministerial level.