Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

Boxworth Parish Response to SCDC Local Plan
S/RRA/SAS Land to South of the A14 Services

Boxworth Parish objects strongly to the inclusion of this site in the Local Plan. In the development of the A14 it was always clearly stated that the site of the construction compound and accommodation block was a temporary permission and that at the end of the scheme the site would revert back to its original agricultural use. Therefore, the fact that part of the site has been temporarily used as a construction compound is irrelevant and the whole site must be classed as greenfield land. Otherwise, any permission granted for temporary use, on the clear understanding that at the end of the usage period it would revert to its original state, can be used as a Trojan Horse to obtain permanent planning permission on the basis that the status of the land has changed. This subverts the whole planning process.
Boxworth parish did not object to the construction compound because the parish received numerous reassurances from Highways England that their need was temporary and eventually the land would revert back to agricultural use. If the parish had known that there was a chance that the temporary use would become permanent then the parish would have probably objected. This latest proposal smacks of duplicitousness towards Boxworth Parish.
In addition to the issue of the construction compound the proposed site incorporates part of the neighbouring field which has never been developed. In a meeting with the developer it was stated that, if this additional land was not included, the site would still be viable so there is no rationale for extending the boundary of the site beyond the confines of the construction compound.
The entrance to the attractive, rural village of Boxworth has already been degraded by the development of Cambridge Services, the Buckingway Industrial Park and the expansion of the road infrastructure serving the A14 junction. This proposal would extend that industrialisation further up Boxworth Rd reducing the separation between commercial activity and the start of the village at Grapevine Cottages. It would appear more sensible, if there has to be further industrialisation around the junction, to use the ex-construction compound on the other side of Boxworth Rd. This would geographically constrain the commercial expansion closer to the junction and remove any creep up Boxworth Rd. The south side of such a development would match the southern extent of the Services providing a more balanced overall impression. In the call for sites this area was put forward for commercial development and although the proposed scheme was larger it is likely that discussions with the sponsor could have arrived at a similar sized project to that proposed now.
The main objection to this scheme relates to the total unacceptability of any further traffic accessing the Cambridge Services roundabout. Since the lorry park at the Services has been re-sited so that its entrance and exit is located so that it feeds directly into the entrance single carriageway for all traffic onto the site traffic mayhem has resulted.
The problem is that lorries are often delayed entering the narrow lorry park and lorries exiting the park have to cross across non-commercial traffic accessing their parking area immediately after the lorry park entrance. Both situations lead to significant tail backs to the roundabout and the slip roads off the A14. All of these roads are single lane carriageways and once blocked there is no access to Boxworth village. This has resulted in long delays for villagers trying to get back to their homes on numerous occasions. The access to the proposed site lies up Boxworth Rd and would increase substantially the volume of traffic entering the roundabout and thus would intensify an already intolerable situation.
Originally it was proposed that the exit from the new lorry park would pass behind the hotel and thus avoid the site entrance altogether. This would reduce a lot of the current congestion.
The strip of land behind the hotel at the services was included In the original call for sites and if this was included as part of this proposed scheme then this could incorporate an exit from the lorry park and also provide an alternative entrance into the site from the long slip road off the A14, thus obviating the need for the arriving traffic having to use the roundabout at all.
If the scheme proceeds then it is vital that there is strong visual and ecological mitigation to minimise the impact on the entrance to Boxworth. Within the constraints identified in the plan Boxworth Parish welcomes the requirement for a 25m landscape buffer on all site boundaries and the requirement for the preservation of the rural countryside character. The parish also supports the requirement that the density of the development reflects the density and pattern of non-residential development in the nearby village of Boxworth. It is assumed this relates to the number and height of any buildings proposed. It is very important that there is no dilution of these requirements if approval is granted.
One of the most important issues facing Boxworth is achieving a cycleway between the village and the new NMU bridge over the A14. If this major development goes ahead with its adverse impact on Boxworth village then the parish would ask that Section 106 funds be applied to the funding of the cycleway.