Representation by Susan White
- Date submitted
- 26 June 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I object to the planning application to relocate the Cambridge Sewage Works to Honey Hill for the following reasons: The current sewage works were upgraded a few years ago and were deemed fit for purpose until at least 2050. Anglian Water has said that there is no operational reason to move. In a time of financial suffering for so many people, it is unpalatable to spend £227 million of taxpayers’ money to benefit a private water company, particularly since it is not operationally necessary. The only reason for the relocation appears to be that a large sum of money could be made by redeveloping the existing site for housing, provided that it could be properly decontaminated from its prior industrial use. The relocation would severely damage “protected” Green Belt land and could potentially have a disastrous effect on our source of drinking water as it is proposed to site it on a Chalk Aquifer. There is much talk of “low carbon development” but this relocation would require the decommissioning of the old site and construction of a new sewage works which would involve a massive amount of concrete, construction traffic and new road access – all of which involve high carbon emissions. If the site is left where it is, that would be the true “low carbon” option. Both Fen Ditton and Horningsea have weight limits for the traffic going through the villages. It would seem that the developers would be able ignore this on the basis of Access Requirement. The roads are not of the size and quality necessary to take the size and quantity of construction and operational traffic that would be generated. The proposed site is used by walkers and wildlife and forms part of a green corridor that stretches from the A14 across Quy Fen and Burwell Fen to Wicken Fen Nature Reserve and beyond. This area contains Sites of Special Scientific Interest and is the focus of Wicken Fen Vision, which is designed to create a sustainable, diverse landscape for wildlife and people from Wicken Fen to the edge of Cambridge. The National Trust states that “there are more than 9,300 species recorded as living in this unique and special landscape”.