Cambourne to Cambridge busway campaigners alarmed by trenches
Deep trenches dug in the countryside show the scale of the devastation the Cambourne to Cambridge busway would cause, say opponents, and there has been a legal warning from a University of Cambridge college about the £160million plans.
The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) is carrying out surveys in fields to the west of Cambridge Road, Coton, in advance of submitting an application to build the controversial off-road busway.
Debbie Whitton Spriggs, of Coton Busway Action Group, said: “It’s truly shocking to see these trenches, which show the sheer scale of the devastation. It’s one thing seeing lines on a plan, but this really brings home the impact it will have on this rural location.”
Campaigners have called on the GCP to rethink its plans and build a bus lane next to the A1301/A428 instead.
They fear the excavations are “jumping the gun” and have been shocked by what they have seen. The GCP says the trenches will be filled in after the surveys are complete.
The busway plans could also be subject to a legal challenge, with the University of Cambridge’s Clare Hall stating any application based on the current environmental impact assessment would be “legally flawed”.
The graduate college says the construction of the busway has the “potential to have significant implications for the character, hydrology and biodiversity of the area” with “substantial disturbance to the wildlife site creating irreparable damage to a long-established habitat”.
Debbie continued: “We really would like people to understand that we are not against buses, and completely agree on the need for better, sustainable transport solutions for Cambridge.
“We are all for solutions that improve air quality and make our city a greener, healthier place to live. And that is precisely why this section of off-road detour makes no sense. It will all but destroy Coton’s 100-year-old traditional orchard, which is the largest in the county and a designated priority habitat.
“It’s not only the fact that it’s home to a rich variety of rare species, but the value of this site as a whole that means it will be impossible to compensate for its loss. The GCP claims to increase biodiversity net gain in this are simply desktop, box-ticking exercises that cannot begin to mitigate the damage.
“The devastation caused by the busway will have an impact far beyond the two hectares of orchard that are actually dug up. Coton Orchard does not have the visibility of Wandlebury – that is both what has made it so ecologically valuable and also what has made it easy for the GCP to virtually ignore it. But if it is allowed to survive, it has the potential to make a significant contribution to the biodiversity that is so depleted in this county.”
Anna Gazeley, of Coton Orchard, added: “My father was evacuated to Cambridge from London as a baby. Growing up in the 1940s he remembers scrumping for apples and held fond memories of the Chivers family and the time he and his siblings spent in the many orchards that dotted about the Cambridgeshire of his youth. In 1995, when he saw that Coton Orchard was being sold, he bought it as a way to preserve a piece of his childhood and an important part of Cambridge’s history.
“When I saw the diggers literally at the gates of the orchard it was like a punch to the guts. This powerful visual an undeniable realisation that this incredibly precious habitat, both to my family and to Cambridgeshire, could imminently be laid waste. Lost to future generations.”
The GCP’s executive board will discuss the work under way to achieve a 20 per cent biodiversity net gain across its programme and the proposals for the next stage on Thursday.
It points out that this goes above and beyond the minimum requirement of 10 per cent under the Environment Act.
A GCP spokesperson said of the trenches: “We are carrying out surveys in fields to the west of Cambridge Road to record any archaeological features within the land. We are undertaking these surveys so that any buried heritage can be understood and, if need be, investigated further, in advance of the scheme proceeding.
“The archaeological team and contractor have taken all measures to minimise disruption and mitigate the impact of their work. The trenches will be filled in after the surveys are complete.
“The Cambourne to Cambridge (C2C) project is a new public transport route to link Cambourne to Cambridge via the new Bourn Airfield development, a new travel hub at Scotland Farm, Hardwick and the West Cambridge campus.
“The project is one of four new busways being developed by the GCP which form a core part of the future bus network to reduce congestion, improve air quality and create more sustainable, accessible and reliable ways to travel into and around Cambridge.”
The GCP’s executive board agreed to ask Cambridgeshire County Council to seek a Transport and Works Act Order for the busway from the Department for Transport. If approved, it could open in 2026. The county council is expected to discuss the plans early next year.
“It’s not only the fact that it’s home to a rich variety of rare species, but the value of this site as a whole means it will be impossible to compensate for its loss. The GCP claims to increase biodiversity net gain in this are simply desktop, box-ticking exercises that cannot begin to mitigate the damage.
“The devastation caused by the busway will have an impact far beyond the two hectares of orchard that are actually dug up.
“Coton Orchard does not have the visibility of Wandlebury – that is both what has made it so ecologically valuable and also what has made it easy for the GCP to virtually ignore it. But if it is allowed to survive, it has the potential to make a significant contribution to the biodiversity that is so depleted in this county.”
Anna Gazeley, of Coton Orchard, added: “My father was evacuated to Cambridge from London as a baby. Growing up in the 1940s he remembers scrumping for apples and held fond memories of the Chivers family and the time he and his siblings spent in the many orchards that dotted about the Cambridgeshire of his youth. In 1995, when he saw that Coton Orchard was being sold, he bought it as a way to preserve a piece of his childhood and an important part of Cambridge’s history.
“When I saw the diggers literally at the gates of the orchard, it was like a punch to the guts. This powerful visual and undeniable realisation that this incredibly precious habitat, both to my family and to Cambridgeshire, could imminently be laid waste, lost to future generations.”
The GCP’s executive board will discuss the work under way to achieve a 20 per cent biodiversity net gain across its programme and the proposals for the next stage on Thursday.
It points out that this goes above and beyond the minimum requirement of 10 per cent under the Environment Act.
A GCP spokesperson said of the trenches: “We are carrying out surveys in fields to the west of Cambridge Road to record any archaeological features within the land. We are undertaking these surveys so that any buried heritage can be understood and, if need be, investigated further, in advance of the scheme proceeding.
“The archaeological team and contractor have taken all measures to minimise disruption and mitigate the impact of their work. The trenches will be filled in after the surveys are complete.
“The Cambourne to Cambridge (C2C) project is a new public transport route to link Cambourne to Cambridge via the new Bourn Airfield development, a new travel hub at Scotland Farm, Hardwick and the West Cambridge campus.
“The project is one of four new busways being developed by the GCP which form a core part of the future bus network to reduce congestion, improve air quality and create more sustainable, accessible and reliable ways to travel into and around Cambridge.”
The GCP’s executive board agreed to ask Cambridgeshire County Council to seek a Transport and Works Act Order for the busway from the Department for Transport. If approved, it could open in 2026. The county council is expected to discuss the plans early next year.
