Representation by Jessica Kitt
- Date submitted
- 19 July 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
It makes absolutely no financial, environmental or social sense to decommission a fully-functioning, recently upgraded sewage works, that is acknowledged to have capacity to serve this area for the foreseeable future, when the replacement will destroy beautiful Green Belt land, negatively impact on the flora and fauna we should be trying to protect for future generations and cause visual, auditory and physical pollution to all those who spend time outside in this area, including those who travel along the Horningsea road, especially the increasing number of cyclists (commuters, leisure plus children cycle to and from school). If this goes ahead it totally undermines the reason for having a Green Belt. It should not be built on - unless there is an exceptional need and reason to do so. There is not an exceptional need in this proposal. There is not even a need. We have an adequately functioning sewage works. This would break national and local planning policy which is there to protect the setting of our historic city and prevent urban sprawl. The Waterbeach development should be building their own new sewage solution on site and not destroying miles of farmland so that it can 'tap into' a new sewage works at Honey Hill. The only driver to move appears to be for financial gain by Cambridge City Planning and South Cambridgeshire District Council by developing the current site as part of the North East Cambridge Area Action Plan. This is not a good enough reason to destroy the Green Belt and waste £227 million of tax payers money to subsidise the relocation. That is nearly £7 for every working adult in the UK! There has not been enough thought on how clever technologies that are available today could be used to enable this development to proceed alongside the existing plant in Milton.