Representation by Major Thomas Michael Daniel
- Date submitted
- 18 July 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I wish to protest very strongly against the proposed removal of the sewage works from its present site to Honey Hill, Fen Ditton. As a Fellow of the Chartered Institute in Environmental Health I have in the past been involved in investigating problems arising from the operation of sewage treatment works. In no case has a totally satisfactory conclusion been reached. Even with the proposed up-to-date technology problems will still arise. Honey Hill is prime agricultural land and to lose it is unacceptable in these days when home production of foodstuff with its lower carbon footprint is likely to become more important. There is also a possible threat to a principal aquafer that would be open to possible contamination. Additionally it is becoming increasingly apparent that the Cambridge area is suffering from a reduced raw water supply. Building on Green Belt land is contrary to both National and Local Planning policies. Apart from the aesthetic aspects of the proposed construction there would be an impact on the approach to Cambridge from the east and the villages of Fen Ditton and Horningsea. There would be a considerable impact on Quy Fen (a Site of Special Scientific Interest) and on The National Trust that a has a long term project to extend Wicken Fen in this part of Cambridgeshire. Anglian Water’s consultation process has been flawed. During Covid it was not possible to consult properly for example poorly run webinars and websites crashing, possibly leading to less input and involvement from the public than would normally have been expected Studies have indicated an enormous increase in the carbon footprint both of the demolition of the present site and the building of the new works. If Planning permission is authorised it would be impossible to measure the adverse impact on (a) vehicular traffic between Horningsea and Fen Ditton (b) the impact on walkers and cyclists in this area