Comment
Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options
Representation ID: 56834
Received: 07/12/2021
Respondent: Save Honey Hill Group
Endorse the general principles of the policy but they are not reflected in the rest of the Local Plan which claims that only four areas of development have been taken out of Green Belt without referencing the relocation of Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant (CWWTP) to Honey Hill. That proposal is contrary to Policy BG/PO: Protecting open spaces (p183 ) which states that a Local Green Space is required to be demonstrably special to a local community and hold a particular local significance. Honey Hill has been used for recreational purposes, as well as farming, for hundreds of years.
The objectives of the Policy:
preserve the unique character of Cambridge as a compact, dynamic city with a thriving historic centre
maintain and enhance the quality of its setting
prevent communities in the environs of Cambridge from merging into one another and
with the city.
Endorse the general principles of the policy however they are not reflected in the rest of the Local Plan which claims that only four areas of development have been taken out of Green Belt without referencing the relocation of Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant (CWWTP) to Honey Hill. Relocating the CWWTP to Green Belt in order to create a brownfield site to develop housing for NECAAP does not meet these objectives above. The Green Belt Assessment 2021 considered that the Cambridge Green Belt Purposes of 2003 and their inclusion in subsequent Local Plans, including the 2018 LP, were still relevant and they were used to assess the potential harm of new development. However, this 2021 Local Plan fails to include the incursion in the Green Belt at Honey Hill in order to release a commercial site (Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant at Cowley Road) in order to produce a brownfield site on which to build housing, retail and offices.
The relocation of the CWWTP to Honey Hill is contrary to Policy BG/PO: Protecting open spaces (p183 pf Greater Cambridge Local Plan First Proposals) which states that a Local Green Space is required to be demonstrably special to a local community and hold a particular local significance. Honey Hill is important to the local communities of north east Cambridge, Horningsea and Fen Ditton where it is used for recreational purposes by walkers, runners, cyclists and equestrians and is good quality agricultural land with rich mixture of fauna.
It is also contrary to Policy BG/EO: Providing and enhancing open spaces which states that open spaces are often fundamental to the character of the area. Honey Hill is flat fenland close to the SSSI at Quy Fen and therefore the relocation of the CWWTP will change that character.