Representation by Dr Mark Geoffrey Harrison
- Date submitted
- 19 July 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
The proposed relocation of the Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant is not operationally necessary because the existing site at Cowley Road was recently upgraded to serve for at least another 25 years beyond the current date. Relocating it to a Green Belt site to make the current brownfield site available for housing is no more acceptable than building houses on a Green Belt site, something which is contrary to the National Planning Policy Framework. I also note that the proposed Honey Hill green belt site is not marked in the Local Plan interactive map as an area of planned major change, so this appears to be either an omission or a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and central government into thinking that the existing site at Cowley Road is vacant or derelict - and while the existing site at Cowley Road is marked on the Local Plan interactive map as an area of planned major change, the Local Plan provides no explanation about where that essential waste water treatment plant should be displaced to, to enable such major change to happen. Can the Local Plan even be considered credible with such a major omission? In a time of climate crisis, it is completely reckless and irresponsible to demolish an existing functioning waste water treatment plant and build a new one elsewhere, since this demolition and reconstruction will cause unnecessary emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that is causing global heating and more extreme weather conditions. No public money should be used for such an irresponsible project. I am also concerned about potential risks of contaminating the groundwater in the principal chalk aquifer, noting that the area to the east of the river Cam (including Honey Hill) is noted by DEFRA as having high groundwater vulnerability, whereas the existing site at Cowley Road has low-medium risk of contaminating groundwater. I also note that the proposed Honey Hill site is part of the area marked within the southern end of Wicken Fen Vision map, as published by the National Trust. The Wicken Fen Vision is a plan to extend the area of Wicken Fen nature reserve to provide greater protection for fenland flora and fauna as well as a 'green lung' for Cambridge. Such industrial development at Honey Hill and potential for groundwater contamination is surely incompatible with the Wicken Fen Vision. The geology of the Honey Hill site is not as well suited as the existing location at Cowley Road and there is no opportunity to safely bury the digesters deep below ground level at Honey Hill. I therefore have concerns that the smell from above-ground digesters on the Honey Hill site will not be well contained and is likely to cause problems for residents of Stow-cum-Quy, Lode, Bottisham, Swaffham Bulbeck as well as visitors to Anglesey Abbey and Quy Mill Hotel & Spa. The Honey Hill site would also result in additional traffic during construction and during operation. I am particularly concerned about the potential for accidents when many heavy goods vehicles emerging from the A14 slip road would need to cross Horningsea Road to access the proposed site at Honey Hill. This is particularly problematic since there should be a safe walking or cycling route for schoolchildren in Horningsea walking or cycling to/from the Fen Ditton Community Primary School. If the waste water treatment plant were to be relocated at Honey Hill, the increase in HGV traffic crossing Horningsea Road increases the risk of accidents unless the junction is extremely carefully controlled, ideally with no HGV crossings permitted around the start or end of schooldays or during school lunch breaks.