Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

New infrastructure should be designed to complement existing networks. This requires a joined up cooperative approach to strategic infrastructure decisions. West Suffolk Council would like to work with the Greater Cambridge Councils, Greater Cambridgeshire Partnership and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority on cross boundary infrastructure and network projects, including the A14 junctions 37 and 38, re-doubling the Cambridge to Newmarket rail line in order to provide half-hourly passenger rail services, and bringing the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro scheme to Haverhill and Mildenhall. Pg. 69 para 5 states, “The Councils are also involved in a project to improve rail services between Cambridge and the east.” Please could future documents reference the East West Rail Eastern Section, which is working to deliver improved services from Cambridge to Ipswich and Cambridge to Norwich. Both Cambridgeshire County and South Cambridgeshire are members of the Eastern Section group, which recently received £100k from the East West Rail Consortium to commission a pre-Strategic Outline Business Case. West Suffolk welcomes the inclusion of Newmarket to Cambridge track doubling.

Locating a new development on a transport corridor needs careful consideration. The proposals should include appropriate mitigation to ensure there is no adverse impacts particularly on strategic infrastructure. New developments should not jeopardise existing settlements’ relationships to the transport corridor or create undue pressure on the transport link. The capacity of the transport corridor should be safeguarded, with potential for it to be enhanced as a result of additional proximate growth. More specifically the ability to redouble the Cambridge to Ipswich rail line should not be compromised by future development.