Readers have slammed the plans with overpopulation and water fears

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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.

Business is at a ‘tipping point’ as costs being piled on by Labour risk sending jobs and investment into reverse, the boss of high street chains Monsoon and Accessorize has warned.

Nick Stowe said the company behind the two brands had already cut the number of new stores it is investing in this year to 10, from 25 last year.

Writing for the Daily Mail, Stowe said: ‘It’s because rising costs mean the investment case doesn’t add up.’

It comes after Labour hiked employer national insurance and minimum wages as well as enacting a botched business rates reform. Firms are also facing a sharp rise in energy bills.

Stowe said: ‘Retailers are not asking to be insulated from every increase in the cost of doing business. We have already navigated significant shocks and cost increases, and are paying more tax than ever.

‘But Government does need to recognise the cumulative impact its decisions have on whether businesses invest and hire and recognise when those decisions reach a tipping point and employment and investment goes into reverse. We’re at that point.’

The company behind Monsoon and Accessorize invested in fewer stores this year

The comments come after figures last week from the British Retail Consortium showing a fall in consumer confidence, which will add to pressure on the high street.

Separately, a survey from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) revealed that a persistent downturn in sales had prompted retailers to cut back order volumes at the fastest pace on record since the poll began in 1983.

Stowe urged Chancellor John Healey to use next month’s Budget to cancel business rate hikes next year. And he echoed a calls from across the sector to spare larger stores from a shake-up of the rates system that is designed to level the playing field between physical retailers and online rivals.

Many fear that a reform targeting larger premises – that is designed to target huge warehouses used by the likes of Amazon – could backfire on big ‘anchor’ stores.

Stowe said: ‘Larger stores are significant investments in town and city centres, they are the anchors around which other retailers build their businesses.

‘Making them disproportionately more expensive risks discouraging exactly the kind of investment Government says it wants and threatens the core of our high streets.’

It comes after the bosses of B&Q owner Kingfisher and department store chain John Lewis also urged Labour to avoid targeting larger stores.

Mike Ashley, the billionaire behind Frasers Group, has said the Government would be ‘simply delusional’ to heap more pressure on big retailers.

We are already seeing what happens when costs go up 

By Nick Stowe, chief executive of Monsoon and Accessorize

Andy Burnham has made reviving Britain’s high streets a priority for his Government. But unless next month’s Budget tackles the rising cost of running a store, that ambition is going to be very hard to achieve. 

For retailers deciding whether to open stores, invest or walk away from locations where the numbers no longer add up, cost is the make-or-break factor.

So to help revive the high street, there is one obvious place where the Government can have an immediate impact: business rates.

Monsoon chief executive Nick Stowe

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At Monsoon and Accessorize, we want to keep investing in physical retail. 

We are continuing to open stores because we believe in the high street and know that, when the right ingredients are there, everyone wins: our business grows, we create jobs, and we play our part in creating thriving town centres.

But every decision to open a store ultimately comes down to whether the numbers add up. And in too many parts of the country (mainly those most in need of jobs and investment) that calculation is becoming harder.

We’re now rejecting more stores than we’re moving forward with. Last year we invested in 25 new stores; this year we’ll invest in 10.

That isn’t because we don’t have the capital to invest. It’s because rising costs mean the investment case doesn’t add up.

Retailers have already shouldered £6.5 billion in additional employment costs over the past two years, alongside rising energy bills and spiralling transport costs. With business rates rising as well, the cumulative cost burden is becoming unmanageable.

At the same time, customers are becoming more cautious. Latest BRC figures show consumer confidence weakening ahead of the Budget.

Confidence in the economy fell six points in September, with people more pessimistic about their own finances and expecting to spend less as a result. As spending declines while costs increase, retailers are squeezed even harder.

Business rates are particularly difficult because they are a fixed tax on having a physical presence. Whether a store is thriving or struggling, the bill still needs to be paid.

Rates are also set centrally, so mayors and local authorities have no say in the level of tax, and no way to encourage businesses into their area to support jobs and redevelopment.

What can be done now? Most important: stop the situation from getting worse. The Chancellor should cancel next year’s inflation-linked increase and freeze the business rates multiplier, ensuring no shop sees its bill rise in April simply because of inflation.

The Government should also remove shops from the higher multiplier, the higher level of rates that ratchets up the tax.

Larger stores are significant investments in town and city centres, they are the anchors around which other retailers build their businesses.

Making them disproportionately more expensive risks discouraging exactly the kind of investment Government says it wants and threatens the core of our high streets.

We are already seeing what happens when costs become too difficult to absorb. Retail has lost 122,000 jobs in just two years, while the number of part-time retail jobs is now at its lowest level on record.

Retail remains Britain’s largest private sector employer and, for many people, provides that vital first step into working life. When stores disappear, jobs and opportunities disappear with them.

Retailers are not asking to be insulated from every increase in the cost of doing business. We have already navigated significant shocks and cost increases, and are paying more tax than ever.

But Government does need to recognise the cumulative impact its decisions have on whether businesses invest and hire and recognise when those decisions reach a tipping point and employment and investment goes into reverse. We’re at that point.

Freezing the multiplier and removing shops from the higher multiplier would provide some immediate breathing room. We then need the hard work on meaningful reform of a system that places too much of the tax burden on retailers simply because they have a physical presence.

That reform must reduce the overall burden without leaving individual stores paying more as a result.

Andy Burnham has been clear that he wants to breathe new life into Britain’s high streets. Retailers are ready to play their part, investing across the country and creating good jobs.

But ambition alone is not enough: the Government needs to prove that it is committed to providing the breathing room it talks about, in this case by not making the rates burden worse.

Next month’s Budget is the moment for the Government to show that it really wants to partner with businesses, that it understands how to help revive local communities, that it is committed to creating jobs.

Police issued a statement after the incident in Pont Aur, Ystradgynlais

Armed police descended on a quiet residential street in Ystradgynlais after officers received a report that a firearm had allegedly been pointed in the direction of an individual.

Dyfed-Powys Police were called at around 4.25pm on Sunday, September 27, following an allegation that a firearm had been pointed towards a person outside an address in Pont Aur.

Armed units attended the address and arrested a woman on suspicion of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Images from the scene show armed police outside a residential property as officers dealt with the serious allegation. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here

However, following further enquiries, police found no supporting evidence to substantiate the allegation.

The woman was subsequently released from custody with no further action.

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More than 90 per cent of people say they follow one lucky superstition

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People in the UK re-wear ‘lucky’ underwear, salute magpies, touch wood and even refuse to wash in a bid to generate ‘good luck’, according to research. The study by tombola arcade found one in 12 admit they’ve avoided showering or bathing for ‘several days’ because they believed it could bring better luck.

A previous YouGov survey found that 34% of people in the UK describe themselves as either ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ superstitious. 92% in the new study said they follow at least one luck-chasing superstition. Touching wood is the most commonly followed good-luck ritual followed by crossing fingers and avoiding walking underneath a ladder.

One in six refuse to throw away an item they associated with good fortune, while one in seven said they’d changed their route to an important event.

Psychologist Dennis Relojo-Howell at Psychreg, said: “High pressure moments strip away our sense of control. Superstition offers a way to feel like we’re doing something, even when the outcome is genuinely out of our hands.

“It’s less about magical thinking and more about managing anxiety. Believing you’re lucky often works like a placebo for confidence. If you walk into an interview or a test convinced things tend to go your way, you’re likely to appear calmer and more composed, which can genuinely shape how others respond to you.

“Rituals like touching wood or crossing fingers survive because they’re comforting and low effort. They give people a small sense of urgency before big moments, and because they’re shared culturally, they also connect us to something familiar, even in a society that’s otherwise become quite secular and rational.”

Micala Sansom, social and community manager at tombola arcade said: “While luck means different things to different people, our findings show many superstitions are so deeply ingrained in our culture that we no longer think of them as superstitions at all. From wishing for a smooth journey to hoping for success in a job interview, it seems many of us would welcome a little extra luck when the stakes feel highest.

“At their core, superstitions are attempts to make sense of uncertainty or gain a feeling of control over situations that are largely beyond our influence. They often stem from age-old fears, beliefs or gaps in our understanding of the world.”

TOP 10 SUPERSTITIONS PEOPLE FOLLOW TO IMPROVE LUCK

• Touched wood – 38%
• Crossed fingers – 37%
• Avoided walking under ladders – 24%
• Avoided saying something for fear of jinxing it – 16%
• Carried a lucky charm – 16%
• Saluted to a magpie – 16%
• Wished on a star – 15%
• Avoided cracks in the pavement – 12%
• Worn a lucky item of clothing – 10%
• Avoided crossing on the stairs – 10%

Humberside Police said missing 61-year-old Alison was last seen in the area of Dolegate, near Skirpenbeck, a village close to the A166.

The force described her as white, with short dark hair and around 5ft 5in tall.

The force said anybody with information which can help to locate Alison, or have seen her, should call 101 quoting the log 466 of Sunday, September 27.

“The trap door should be open, First Minister should be out of post, no ifs, no buts.”

The Northern Ireland deputy First Minister is facing calls to bring down the Stormont institutions by resigning from her post following the ongoing dispute at Drumcree.

TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said the DUP should withdraw Emma Little-Pengelly from her role over Sinn Féin’s presence on the Garvaghy Road over the weekend.

“The court has ruled, a number of times, that this parade should take place and there is an onus on the Chief Constable, the Secretary of State and the justice minister to ensure law and order applies,” Mr Gaston said. “No parade, no Stormont.

Follow our live blog here for the latest updates on this ongoing story

“We cannot continue to have a First Minister (Michelle O’Neill), a new style First Minister for all, we also have a minister for no alternative, well we also have a new definition – we have a first minister for lawlessness. The First Minister can only hold the position if there is a deputy First Minister. The line has been crossed.

“The actions of Michelle O’Neill being present on the road and encouraging others to stay and stand on the road is enough to breach her pledge of office.

“The trap door should be open, First Minister should be out of post, no ifs, no buts. The DUP cannot sustain these institutions that allows a First Minister to brazenly ignore the law to continue to hold office in Northern Ireland.

“She has shown she is not First Minister for all. She is more interested in First Minister for the Garvaghy Road residents. The line is crossed. I believe at this stage the Executive is unsustainable.”

TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said Sinn Féin’s response to the parade was “nothing short of a disgrace”.

Speaking at Stormont on Monday, he said: “It very much puts these institutions beyond repair.”

He also said that Portadown Orangemen have been “dignified, respectful” and claimed that they have “taken into account those residents on the Garvaghy Road”.

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“The Sinn Féin hysteria that has followed shows that that they are still unfit for office,” Mr Gaston added.

“Put this into context: 35 law abiding men have a right to return home after 28 years, have been denied that right. The Parades Commission, in its determination, restricted the numbers. Portadown Orangemen were happy to comply with that. They done so.

“What they received following that was Sinn Féin upping the ante on the streets, saying there will be no parade, gaslighting the Garvaghy Road residents for one reason and one reason only – for election purposes.

“They are using this issue to deflect away from the crippling immigration problems that is engulfing their communities.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

This applies to Virgin Media TV customers who use the Virgin Media Store to buy films and TV shows.

Anyone who has used the store will no longer be able to do so from Sunday, November 1, as it is set to close, with Virgin Media TV warning its customers to move their purchased content over to a Rakuten TV account to keep it.

If you don’t make the switch, you can expect to lose access to your purchases since the Virgin Media Store will be closed and no longer work for customers in just over four weeks’ time.

Five TV channels scrapped in 2026

Virgin Media said: “Virgin Media Store is closing.

“Rakuten TV is the new home for the movies and TV box sets you’ve bought from us.”

How to buy films and TV shows on Rakuten TV account

If you make the switch to a Rakuten TV account, you can buy your films and TV box sets via the app, which can be accessed on your Virgin TV box.

You can set up an account and transfer content now, and Virgin Media TV urges you to do this “as soon as you can”.

However, customers can still use the Virgin Media Store to buy films and box sets until the cut-off date on November 1.

If you want to rent content from the Virgin Media Store, you still can as rentals will not change, Virgin Media has reassured customers.

How to transfer content from Virgin Media TV to Rakuten TV

To transfer your content to Rakuten TV, you’ll need to sign in to the Virgin Media Store and choose the ‘transfer to Rakuten TV’ option.

Follow the instructions given on screen to transfer the content and then a Rakuten TV account will be created for you if you haven’t already got one.

If you do have an account, you’ll be able to log in to access the transferred films and box sets.

Once you’ve followed the above steps, you’ll be able to watch the transferred content via the Rakuten TV app on your Virgin TV.

Recommended reading:

Does this change affect all Virgin TV customers?

If you have never bought any films or TV box sets from the Virgin Media Store, you won’t need to do anything.

The changeover only concerns customers who have bought content from the store.

Will you need to make the change to Rakuten TV? Let us know in the comments below.