Representation by Florian Urmetzer
- Date submitted
- 16 July 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I would like to object to the proposed construction of a sewage plant on the Honey Hill sites, for multiple reasons: 1) The site is greenbelt land, and building on green belt land is contrary to national and local planning policies. By doing this as well, a precedent will be set for further such developments on green belt land across the country. 2) The land is curranty used for food production, which is important in a time of high food inflation and for food security. 3) There is a perfectly good pre-existing, modernised sewage plant on the Milton site. The case for demolishing the Milton site (and using the space for housing) and building a new one at Honey Hill has not been made. 4) In particular, there is significant embedded carbon cost in the Milton sewage plant, and Anglian Water has not justified the carbon cost of creating an entirely new substitute plant at Honey Hill. 5) Anglian Water has not provided an appropriate comparison with other alternative solutions, such as upgrading the existing site at Milton. 6) The economic rationale for both moving the sewage plant and for building new housing on the Milton site has been compromised by much higher interest rates and substantial construction cost inflation (and falling house prices), meaning the plan is not financially viable. Anglian Water Services Limited made a loss of £132.6m from continuing operations in the year to March 2022 (the latest for which data is available) and has borrowings of over £6bn. Rising interest rates and inflation rates, coupled with thin profit margins, means that Anglian Water can ill afford a development of this scale. 7) Environmental restitution of the existing Milton sewage works has not been addressed or costed. 8) The development of the Honey Hill site would have numerous adverse effects on the environment, including odour for the local school & residents, the impact on Quy Fen, the impact on Wicken Fen, the impact on the Fen Ditton and Horningsea conservation areas, and the impact on the Cambridgeshrie Dykes.