Representation by Roger Lemon
- Date submitted
- 13 July 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I object to the proposed relocation of the Cambridge Sewage Works to Honey Hill, between the conservation villages of Fen Ditton and Horningsea. • Moving the sewage works approximately one mile down the road, at a cost of at least £227 million of tax payers money in the current economic climate, lacks justification. • The move is clearly not supported by the local community since by their own admission Anglian Water stated in November 2020 that only 10% “strongly supported the relocation” and 17% “supported the relocation” (total 27% supporting) whilst 38% strongly opposed and 15% did not support the relocation (total 53% opposing). Does Anglia WAter listen? The consultation process was very poor and no serious alternative sites were on offer • Building such an enormous structure in an historically rural setting on prime Green Belt agricultural land is contrary to both National and local planning policy when better options exist. Honey Hill forms part of the essential “green lungs” of Cambridge and this prime Green Belt land (the size of approximately 30 football pitches) could never be replaced, once lost. • The Carbon footprint of the move, in both the demolition of the current site and erection of a new build from the ground up would be HUGE and cannot be justified in the current climate crisis, when better options are available. Greenwashing statements about achieving carbon neutrality in the future cannot ever out way the damage caused to the environment. • The current sewage works is fully operational. In 2015 approx. £25 million was spent to “futureproof” it for a further 50 years. There is plenty of space and scope to improve, extend and upgrade the current site. Karen Barclay of Anglian Water has stated that there is “no operational need” for the site to be moved. If there is no operational need to move, the circumstances for building on Green Belt land and a HIF grant award cannot be construed as “exceptional circumstances”. This grant is being used to allow AW to make even more exorbitant profits. And do any of the future residents realise what they are moving into: right next to the parts of the plant that CANNOT be moved. • Moving the Sewage Works to Green Belt land to create a “box ticking” housing development on a created brown field site, is a very dubious proposition to circumvent current planning regulations and misleading to those unaware of the true circumstances of this situation. • Anglia Water should completely focused on solving their problem of releasing untreated sewage into our rivers and streams. The fact is that AW is the third worst polluter of all sewage works in the country. This is due to lack of maintenance and investment in upgrading existing pipework over the last ten years. They do not need to build a new sewage works to upgrade and maintain their neglected pipework. • I believe that there is a conflict of interest. Cambridge Councils and Anglian Water are set to profit alongside the Developers, should the (S)Hartree development be pushed through. Please read: - https://www.commercialnewsmedia.com/archives/112165 concerning the “investment partnership” between SCDC and South Cambs Investment Partnership and the appointed Developers. • There is genuine considerable concern about damage to the chalk aquifer and contamination of the water supply. Sadly, there is evidence that the recent Northstowe development has damaged the local water supply and affected the chalk aquifer there. The Environmental agency took the unusual step this week of expressing concern that there will be insufficient water supply for all the development planned in the Cambridge Area. The answer from Cambridge Water, all residents will have to be “more careful” and they can pump in water from “other areas”….in the future. How realistic is this? It really doesn’t give local residents much confidence in our Town planners. • Furthermore, the chalk aquifer at Honey Hill prevents sinking of the site, meaning that it will be highly visible for miles, in the flat local landscape. The industrial site would be totally out of keeping with the historically agricultural landscape and would alter the Eastern approach to the historic city of Cambridge. The current site at Cowley Road is on clay, far safer, and in a natural dip in the landscape, a well-chosen location. • The local roads, with weight restrictions, would be totally overwhelmed by construction traffic and later by numerous and relentless slurry lorries 146 HGV movements/day (every 15 mins), also creating potential issues for children going to the local school on Horningsea Road and those cycling on the cycle ways, in and out of Cambridge. During the four year construction phase, construction traffic would be at least double this. It would seem Highways does not have the resources to improve road access deemed necessary by locals, to the proposed site at Honey Hill. Local groups have advocated that an exit/entry directly to and from the A14 would be the least worst option, but this has been deemed too expensive.