Representation by Ian Harvey
- Date submitted
- 15 July 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
My principal objection is that this is building on the Green Belt around Cambridge. All the reasons for preserving a Green Belt apply here: - loss of arable land, especially in an age when 'food miles' are of concern - loss of outdoor space accessible to urban residents - encircling and eventually destroying the character of surrounding villages - impact on air quality and other environmental pollution In essence, this is a hugely expensive and wasteful way of creating a sneaky end-run around planning policy: we can't build houses here, but if we can move some city infrastructure here we can build houses in the gap it leaves! There's literally no other motivation for this project - its proponents admit this openly. The site isn't even a good place for the proposed plant. Its proximity to the chalk aquifer means building structures above ground which would normally be below it. In turn this means extensive efforts to mitigate the visual impact - all money spent, and CO2 emitted, for no good reason. If the Planning Inspectorate is not willing to defend the Green Belt, it's time to be honest and abandon Cambridge to urban sprawl: fill the fields with houses - it would be vastly preferable to this folly.