COUNTY COUNCIL PLANNERS SAY NO TO NEW TOWN AT WILBURTON

Concerned County Council planners have said that proposals to build a new major settlement near Wilburton are unacceptable and will pose a road safety risk.
Cambridgeshire County Council has written to East Cambridgeshire District Council urging the authority to refuse the planning application for the major 5,000 home development.

County Council planners have criticised the proposed site as being unsuitable for major development of this nature – the area having been fully investigated under the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Structure Plan Examination in Public.

Safety experts have also criticised the plans to widen the A10 from just over 7 metres single carriageway to 10 metres – which would encourage high speed overtaking, possibly into oncoming traffic.

The Council also say the site would detract from the economic development of Ely.

Planners have also criticised the transport proposals for the site and say that the main highway scheme is an unacceptable highway safety risk. The plans suggest all vehicles will leave Mereham and travel on the A10 to Cambridge and do not take into account the fact that traffic may use the already busy Twenty Pence Road route.

The developers Transport Assessment makes no mention of journey times to key facilities such as health, education and shopping and no business case is made for the proposed Park and Ride.

Proposals to build a bus and cycle bridge over the A14 near Milton have been criticised as technically unfeasible.

Cambridgeshire County Councillor Mac McGuire, Lead Member for Highways and Transport, said: “The County Council supports the views of local people that this plan must be refused. It is totally unacceptable, is ill thought out and could harm nearby Ely. But what is more worrying is the A10 proposals are unsafe and could encourage accidents. The County Council has assessed these plans and we have written to East Cambridgeshire District Council strongly urging them to refuse this proposal.”

Cambridgeshire County Councillor William Hunt, Local Member for Haddenham, including Wilburton, said: “I am glad the County Council are urging planners to turn these proposals down. These plans would ruin the local villages and have caused great concern for residents. It would swallow up Stretham and Wilburton and cause chaos on our local roads. This would be disastrous for the area and I urge everybody to write to the District Council with their views. This can not be allowed to go ahead.”

Cambridgeshire County Councillor Michael Williamson, who represents Waterbeach which would be effected by changes on the A10, said: “Simply widening the A10 will make this already very busy road even more unsafe. Residents are concerned by the accidents on the A10 and these plans would just make that problem worse. The proposals to remove the Milton Cycle Bridge and replace it with a bus and bike bridge is just plain ridiculous and unworkable."
ENDS

Notes for Editors:

For further information contact: Joseph Whelan Head of Service for New Communities on 01223 718390 or Cambridgeshire County Councillor Mac McGuire, Lead Member for Highways, on 01487 831494. Call Cambridgeshire County Councillor William Hunt, Local Member for Haddenham, including Wilburton, on 01353 663732 or Cambridgeshire County Councillor Michael Williamson, who represents Waterbeach on 01223 860899 or 07836 748587.

For further political contacts for Environment and Community Services: Liberal Democrat spokes Alexander Reid on 01223 356537; Labour spokes Elizabeth Hughes on 01223 313764.

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