A city criticised for repeatedly bowing to the cycling lobby with a series of ‘anti-car’ schemes has come under fire again after approving a 425-flat development with just 22 parking bays.

Councillors signed off plans for the Cambridge site – which will have 711 bicycle parking spaces – on Wednesday.

Members of Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council joint development committee gave the green light after hearing from Richard Thomas, of property development firm Blocwork, who said it would provide an ‘exceptional opportunity’ to travel by public transport, on foot or on two wheels.

But the scheme has been blasted as being ‘divorced from reality’, with critics pointing out car ownership among occupants would have to be just 5 per cent for it to work.

It follows outcries at previous schemes in the city, including a train station with no car parking spaces and a hugely complicated Dutch-style roundabout that has caused more accidents than the previous roundabout.

The Cambridge North Residential Quarter site is a joint venture by firms including Network Rail, and developers said because it is near a train station less parking spaces were needed.

Online opposition to the newly approved build-to-rent scheme included a comment from Sheila Potter, who wrote: ‘Absolute lunacy. The design again is dreadful.

‘People do not want to live like this. They do not make proper communities. Said it before – ghettoes of tomorrow.’

Diana Smith complained: ‘I had an excellent plumber who fitted a new boiler and told me if he ever gets asked to do a job by residents at Cambridge station for example, he says no immediately. Nowhere to park.

‘I had another excellent tradesman who said he doesn’t operate in Cambridge anymore at all.

‘They are creating an ideology that simply doesn’t work in the real world.’

Simon Ward pointed out: ‘This would be fine if all prospective tenants were asked two questions before renting – do you own [a car] or have visitors who will need a vehicle parking space? Or will you never need tradesmen or delivery by vehicle?’

Referring to the comment about the scheme providing an ‘exceptional opportunity’ to use public transport, Rob Thomas wrote: ‘That’s akin to telling people that a famine is a chance to lose weight.’

Other objectors included the parish council in the nearby village of Milton, which predicted residents at the development would park their cars on its streets.

Parish councillor Jane Coston said: ‘We are looking at talking to the [district and city] councils to say “How can we stop them parking in the village? What are you going to do to help us deter them?”’

Cambridge City Council is run by a minority Labour administration with tacit support from the Lib Dems, while South Cambridgeshire District Council has a Lib Dem majority.

Richard Williams, a Conservative councillor on the district council, branded the scheme ‘bizarre’ and ‘shocking’.

Read More: Block of 425 flats will have 711 bicycle spaces and just 22 for cars in, you guessed it, Cambridge