Representation by John Benstead
- Date submitted
- 13 July 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
The proposed project to relocate the existing waste water and sewage treatment plant from Milton to a new green field site in Horningsea is completely unnecessary at the current time for the following reasons: 1. The existing waste water and sewage treatment plant located in Milton is fully functional and has enough capacity through existing investment until 2050. 2. The private company operating the existing site is due to receive £227,000,000 of public money for an unnecessary project. The amount of money involved would be better spent improving the infrastructure of hospitals (e.g., Addenbrookes). I visit many hospitals in the region and the general condition of repair for all our NHS hospitals is far below that I would expect. £227,000,000 would go a long way to improving hospital buildings which is of more importance than this project. 3. The key reason for moving the existing waste water and sewage treatment plant is to redevelop the land that the current waste water and water treatment site occupies. The necessity to redevelop the existing Milton waste water and sewage treatment site to commercial and residential use is highly questionable. There is already enough office space available in the existing Cambridge Business Park, Science Park, and surrounding Research Parks. There are also other unused buildings within Cambridge that could be repurposed without the need to further redevelop the Milton site for commercial purposes. The effect of the pandemic means that many people are now doing hybrid working from home and less office space is required. There seem to be many housing projects already underway (Marleigh, Cherry Hinton North, Cambourne, Wintringham). Developing the Milton site further is largely based on commercial greed over necessity. 4. Building on Green Belt land is contrary to national and local planning policy. Green Belt land is there to protect the environment. There seem to be many housing projects in and around Cambridge that are somehow flouting this policy. 5. There is insufficient access planned to the proposed new site. Only one on/off ramp at the Horningsea A14 exit 34 is shown. This will force construction and operational traffic at best along High Ditch Road, which is a narrow lane, and at worst past Horningsea and Fen Ditton Primary Schools. 6. Destruction of arable land and landscape to be replaced by an industrial site with knock on effects of polluting the air with bad smells, and traffic fumes for local schools and residences. 7. This does not contribute to Cambridge’s quest for a lower carbon footprint. More development will bring more heavy traffic and construction machinery with a higher carbon footprint, at this time when climate change is evident. Utilising the existing Milton site and even improving it further would be more carbon efficient.