Residents fear being ‘ankle deep in sewage’ as more homes set to be built in Cambridge South

Readers have slammed the plans with overpopulation and water fears

Advertisement

Residents have raised fears people could be left “ankle deep in sewage” if more homes continue to be built. Readers have slammed plans to build more homes in a a Cambridgeshire area which already has “too many people” and is “slowly becoming a suburb of Cambridge”. These comments come after proposals for thousands of new homes, a new country park and local amenities south of Cambridge were submitted.

CambridgeshireLive readers have shared their views on housing development and expansion around Cambridge, with opinion divided over the way forward and who stands to gain. Pigeon and Lands Improvement are advancing proposals for ‘Cambridge South’ for the site which covers approximately 190 hectares and is bounded by the M11 to the west, the Cambridge railway line to the south, Great Shelford to the east and Trumpington to the north.

The proposed site sits within a 15-minute walk of Cambridge South station, the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (CBC) and the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway. According to the new Cambridge South website, the development would deliver a “mixed-use community located to the south of Cambridge”.

One of our readers, Poppythecat wrote: “We should be deconstructing as many houses as possible. Not building new ones!” Calumen Nomen adds: “You can see the master plan for Greater Cambridge taking form now, aided by the malign Development Corporation with its nonsensical talk of ‘partnerships’ and ‘consultations’. These apparently random plans for thousands of houses here, there and everywhere may look like developers attempting to cash in on the government’s brainless pursuit of ‘growth’. They are not. Greater Cambridge will encompass Sawston in the south-east, Cambourne in the west and Fulbourn, Teversham and Quy in the east. In the North, Waterbeach and Northstowe will ooze into Cambridge. The plan is for Cambridge to equal Birmingham in size.”

Almatt agreed saying: “Same the whole world over, 70 years ago world population was just under 3 billion, today heading toward 8.5 billion souls.” Southernvillager asks: “In what respect has the area been earmarked for development? It is not in the existing Local Plan and is not in the new, almost final one. It was submitted in response to the call for sites for the new one and was rejected by the planning authority due to the level of harm to the Green Belt, landscape and biodiversity. The planning authority also rejected the developer/land owners’ attempt to have the land classified as grey belt. This is speculative. It is also not within 15 minutes walk of Cambridge South station.”

Calumen Nomen replied: “Labour is an urban party. They neither understand nor care about the Green Belt or biodiversity. Look what they have already done to agriculture and farming, and, closer to home, the proposed bulldozing of Coton Orchards and many more acres of green belt to accommodate a bus service no one will use. They have an election promise to keep, and they are advised by nincompoops. I wish none of this was true, and I wish there was an opposition that thought otherwise – but there isn’t.

Feelgood66 added: “Wait until East West rail comes, then watch it fall apart.” with Aljan saying: “So 50% affordable homes then wait for the developers to come back with a statement that they a only afford to build a couple of hundred and the council will agree to let the reduce the number. We have seen it all before.”

Others felt the situation was inevitable and that there is nothing residents can do to stop it. Cogwheel said: “No place is how it used to be. Building has been going on everywhere ever since it began. No good being a nimby, it will still eventually happen, but if you can slow down the building, then good luck to you!

Over on our Facebook page, Keith M said: “Surely it has been a suburb of Cambridge for some time now?”

Some readers were particulaly concerned with the water situation. Alice H added: “The water situation is critical. And also if there are houses built, they should be medium density, not the silly tiny boxes on Wort’s Causeway/Babraham Road.”

Lynda F asked: “What happens when we are ankle deep in sewage on the roads and no water runs when we turn on the tap?” and Jacqueline F said: “Not just great Shelford, Waterbeach also, overpopulated.”

Do you think more homes are needed, and where would you build them? Comment below or HERE to have your say.