Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) – why we’re saying no to its relocation to Honey Hill

Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) – why we’re saying no to its relocation to Honey Hill

Posted on Dec 12, 2023 by jsw  | Tags: Cambridge, Green Belt

Honey Hill by Andy Field

In November we wrote to the Planning Inspectorate outlining our objections to Anglian Water’s proposal to relocate the Cambridge WWTP from Milton to Honey Hill, which is in the Cambridge Green Belt. We’ve previously responded to Anglian Water’s consultations on this issue, and this latest letter set out our objections and the points we raised during the Public Inquiry.  Our concerns include:

• The impact on the Cambridge Green Belt, which is already under attack. This relocation would set a precedent that would make it difficult to resist further encroachment into the Green Belt;
• The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) Section 13, indicates the obligation to protect Green Belt land, and we believe that a reason to make changes to the boundaries of the Green Belt cannot be justified; Anglian Water has publicly stated that the existing CWWTP has sufficient capacity to meet the needs of the Cambridge area it serves, including planned expansion, until 2050. It has also been demonstrated that a modernised CWWTP using the latest technology could be built on the existing Anglian Water site if increased capacity is needed;
• The impact on Protected Sites and Projected Wildlife Improvement Plans – including the Wicken Fen Vision area;
• The impact on our “best and most versatile agricultural land” – particularly at a time when we need to produce more locally-grown food in order to combat the impacts of climate change and food shortages;
• The effects of increasing flood risk;
• CPRE is concerned by the apparent plans of Anglian Water to disrupt navigation on the River Cam, which is a significant public waterway.

You can read about these concerns, and others, in more detail in our letter.

In brief, we believe that the Cambridge WWTP should remain on the existing site at Milton where there is room for a smaller, modernised facility, using new technology to be implemented when required and where the existing plant can be safely used until 2050. This is the least cost, least risk option.

Friends of Save Honey Hill is a community group formed to reject the proposal to relocate Cambridge sewage treatment works from Milton to Honey Hill.  You can find out more at https://www.savehoneyhill.org/.