Secretary of State approves plan for new Cambridge sewage works in green belt at Honey Hill

Plans for a new Cambridge sewage works in the green belt have been approved by the government today (Tuesday).

The government has granted consent for the project despite the examining authority recommending that it be withheld.

Anglian Water had applied for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to ask for permission to build the new sewage works on land north of the A14 between Horningsea and Fen Ditton, known as Honey Hill.

The plant will replace the existing sewage works in the north east of the city, in order for the land it sits on to be redeveloped as part of the wider North East Cambridge development.

Overall the North East Cambridge development could see around 8,000 new homes and new commercial buildings built on the edge of the city. The sewage works site itself is proposed to be part of the Hartree development where developers have been working on plans to build over 5,000 homes.

The plans for the new sewage works have been met with backlash from people in the area.

During the six month examination process objections questioned why green belt land should be “sacrificed” in order to build the new sewage works.

The examining authority which looked at the application recommended that a Development Consent Order should not be granted to Anglian Water for the project.

The examiners argued that they did not think the case for the principle of the development has been “adequately justified in either infrastructure or wider policy terms”.

However, Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, disagreed on this issue.

In a letter he said the proposed development had been justified.

The letter said: “The Secretary of State considers that the relocation of the existing waste water treatment plant will unlock a long-held ambition to redevelop North East Cambridge and enable the delivery of thousands of new homes and new jobs in a highly sustainable location development has been frustrated for decades by the presence of the existing waste water treatment plant.

“Approval of development consent is consistent with the government’s objective of significantly boosting the supply of homes and consistent with the achievement of sustainable development.”

Reacting to the announcement, Catherine Morris, of campaign group Save Honey Hill, said: “We are disappointed that the Secretary of State has approved the relocation of the Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant, despite the planning inspectors’ clear recommendation to refuse the application.

”This decision follows five years of work by local residents, experts, and community groups, during which we presented a detailed and credible case against the proposals. The Planning Inspectorate’s report reflected many of the concerns we raised.

”This is a major development on prime agricultural land within the Cambridge Green Belt, with significant local and regional impacts. It involves the use of £277million of public housing infrastructure funding to support a project that even Anglian Water has acknowledged is not operationally necessary. The current plant is fully functional and has capacity to support Cambridge’s future growth.

”We will now take time to carefully review the decision letter and its reasoning, and will be seeking advice from our legal team. While our resources are limited, we will consider all available options, including the possibility of Judicial Review.

”This development would affect not only our villages, but also communities in North Cambridge and users of the A14, who face years of disruption. If the project proceeds, Save Honey Hill will continue to monitor it closely, working to ensure that environmental and community impacts are minimised, and that Anglian Water complies with all conditions set by the Secretary of State and local authorities."

The government has committed £277million to the project to build the new sewage works, with the overall cost estimated to be around £400million.