Representation by Helen le Breton Skaer
- Date submitted
- 6 July 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am not convinced that this scheme is necessary as the current sewage plant at Milton is fit for purpose for the same length of time and for the same predicted population that we are told is the lifetime of the replacement plant. There has not been sufficient consideration given to keeping the sewage facility where it is currently. I feel strongly that we should not be building an industrial plant on a green field site. This area is home to a diverse range of animal species (an unusually wide range of mammals as well as many nesting birds and a richness of insects) as well as wild plants. The building of the proposed plant will be hugely disruptive and the running of the plant, as well as necessary deliveries, will be a permanent intrusion into an area where farming has lived in balance with nature for millennia. Honey hill has been a recreational area for me for over 20 years and constitutes one of my favourite walking routes. The freedom to walk in peace through this green area has certainly been important for my physical and mental health. Walking beside a major industrial plant would be a totally different and greatly inferior experience. Honey Hill is close to 2 SSIs - Quy Fen and Wicken Fen. The building and running of the proposed plant will seriously affect these sites and in particular will prevent plans that I have read about to increase the size of these protected areas to link the 2 sites and extend them closer to Cambridge. There are serious questions that I feel have not been resolved concerning the suitability of the site in terms of the feasibility of sinking such a large structure without damaging the principal chalk aquifer. The process of constructing such a major facility will have seriously disruptive effects on local communities. The planned enlarged construction road lies between the primary school in Fen Ditton and the village of Horningsea. There are insufficient plans to ensure the safety of families using the foot/bicycle path nor to address concerns about air and noise pollution during construction. Construction itself will have a very significant carbon foorprint, which would be avoided if the current plant at Milton is maintained.