Other Villages

The proposed development goes into details about the A10 changes - and sheds some light on changes at Milton - but seems to be lacking and details or consideration of the knock on effect that building a town bigger than Ely over 10 miles from Cambridge will have.

Such concerns wre raised by the Parish Councils of many local villages, and are reported in the Planning Committee minutes (PDF document - page 25). Here are a few summaries:

Cottenham Parish Council

The A10, as it is, is totally inadequate to the current demands, continued housing developments at and around Ely have already added considerably to the number of vehicles daily using this route. Cottenham also has an increased number of vehicles using the B1049 as people seek a quicker route to the A14 and the M11. Cottenham Parish Council are also concerned that there would be additional vehicles using the Twentypence Road as an alternative to the A10 again leading to additional traffic flow through the village.

Haddenham Parish Council

Haddenham Parish Council observe that the road infrastructure and network is completely inadequate to cope with the amount of increased traffic this `community' would generate. The proposed widening of the A10 would also be a very dangerous action to take.

Impington (and Histon) Parish Councils

Impington Parish Council have responded jointly for themselves and neighbouring Histon Parish Council in recommending refusal of the application. The Councils are unable to support it in any way due to incompatibility with the Structure Plan and totally inadequate infrastructure.
The Council would further comment that there is no demand for B1 and B2 with others in area remaining unlet.

Little Downham Parish Council

Little Downham Parish Council objects to the proposed development as it believes it would have a serious effect on its parishioners who travel to Cambridge for work or otherwise. The Council does not believe that a simple widening of the road would suffice to accommodate the increase of traffic that the development would generate. It also believes that the proposed development would not be sustainable.

Mepal Parish Council

Mepal Parish Council are very concerned at the traffic pressures such a new settlement would impose, especially given the down grading of the A10 and at the resultant effect on the quality of life and business opportunity of the present population of much of the district, including our own residents.

Stretham Parish Council

Stretham Parish Council object in the strongest terms. Having seen the response given by Wilburton Parish Council they agree with those objections. They feel that the proposed alterations to the A10 will in no way alleviate any of the existing problems with congestion on the road. There is a proposal for only one exit from the Town onto the A10 but there will be two onto the already overloaded A1123, one for cars and one designed for buses and cycles only which will severely impact on the congestion at the existing roundabout on the A10 at Stretham and this will inevitably lead to cars travelling through Wilburton village and onto the B1049 Twentypence Road in an attempt to avoid the A10. The Twentypence Road cannot cope adequately with the existing traffic and no assessment of the impact this will have on Cottenham, Histon and Impington appears to have been made. Haddenham and villages beyond will also be severely affected by any further development and the provision of traffic lights at the junction near the village green at Haddenham will only exacerbate the current problems experienced at this junction.

Wicken Parish Council

Their primary concern was the transport links to the settlement. The existing A10 is already inadequate for the volume of traffic and, even with widening, would still not be capable of taking the extra volume of traffic generated. Similarly, the A1123 that passes through the centre of our village is becoming busier and busier particularly with heavy lorry traffic. This new settlement will exacerbate the problem.