ECO-MADNESS: Waterbeach new settlement proposals recycled (South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats)

South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats <info@secambslibdems.org.uk>

ECO-MADNESS: Waterbeach new settlement proposals recycled

March 10, 2008 7:03 PM

Tom Mead and Cllr Michael Williamson think Waterbeach is the wrong location for a eco-town

Back in 2003, we thought we had seen off plans for a new settlement on the Waterbeach Barracks site. A team which included Michael Williamson who is now your Liberal Democrat County Councillor, and representatives from Landbeach and Milton Parish Councils put forward a strong case against the developer's plans. This was accepted by the County Council and by the government inspector at the subsequent planning inquiry.

Now the plans are back again but dressed up to try to take advantage of a new government initiative called eco-towns. As Liberal Democrats we are, of course, in favour of sustainable development. However, we oppose these plans because we believe they are not sustainable and will greatly damage the local quality of life. In addition:

The site is low lying, prone to flooding, and building new houses will make matters much worse.
With 10,000 houses and just 4,000 jobs, most of those who live there will have to commute down an already congested A10 which, even if dualled, will not be able to cope. We need development much closer to where the jobs are.
Building next to the railway line will make the site particularly attractive to people who work in London and will not help the Cambridge housing shortage.