GCP’s Cambourne to Cambridge busway plan ‘could force us to move parents’ graves’

A farmer fears the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s plans for the Cambourne to Cambridge off-road busway will ruin the site of his parents’ grave.

John Sadler, 77, whose family have run a farm in Coton for four generations, explains that urns containing the ashes of father Frank and mother Eileen are buried in farmland on top of a hill that overlooks the village.

The viewpoint is marked by a memorial bench and flowers and is passed by family members throughout the day because the privately-owned land is next to a footpath that connects his home with those of his two sons, Robert and Stuart.

But the GCP plans to build the Cambourne to Cambridge busway through the field and a map seen by the family appears to show the route ploughing through the burial area.

The GCP denied that the busway would cross the burial site but the family remains unconvinced, saying they have had no written confirmation of this despite years of trying to get clarity, have not seen a detailed plan showing the route bypassing the burial site, and no one from the GCP has been to stake out the route.

Frank, who lives at Littlefield Barn in Coton, explained: “My father chose this place to be buried because he loved this land and from here he could see his farm, the village and all his neighbours – he said he wanted to keep an eye on them. He was buried here in 1990 and my mother Eileen’s ashes were buried with him in 1994.

“We had a blessing here by the vicar after the ashes were interred and ever since it has been a special place for our family – my sons and grandchildren – with a bench here so we can enjoy the view that my dad loved, and flowers to mark the burial.

“Now I am absolutely horrified that this could be destroyed by the busway cutting through our field.

“From what we understand by looking at the maps, the route will cut through the burial site – meaning the urns will have to be dug up.

“And even if it ends up being a couple of metres away from the grave it still completely destroys the place where we remember my parents and then perhaps we will be forced to move them anyway.”

John’s wife, Wendy, said: “We have never had a clear answer about what is happening with the burial site. It’s just been swept under the carpet.”

The family has asked for advice from the church and has been told that ashes cannot be dug up without a formal consent from the Ministry of Justice, and for an application to be approved.

John’s son, Rob Sadler, said: “We think it’s likely that the ashes are within the line of the busway. It’s difficult to be 100 per cent sure as we have no dimensions provided by the GCP. However, we know the busway is a dead straight line and we know where it starts and crosses a point further down.

“And we know that including the busway, cycle path and earthworks and landscaping will be between 35 and 40 metres wide, so using those facts we think it crosses the burial site.

“I think a very helpful next step would be if the GCP could mark out the route on site and show us where the edge of the busway and all the other works associated with it will go.”

John says: “We want to fight this. It’s absolutely not right to move my parents’ remains.”

The family is also concerned that the busway would cut across the footpath between the three family homes and that the new access point being suggested by the GCP is much further away.

Wendy says: “I am disabled and if the access is moved it will make it almost impossible for me to visit my grandchildren in the houses across the field.”

The Cambourne to Cambridge busway plan would see a dedicated off-road route cut through Coton Orchard and Green Belt land to provide a new transport link to the city.

The busway would serve Cambourne and the proposed Bourn Airfield development, as well as Hardwick, Coton and the West Cambridge campus. It would also feature an ‘active travel path’ alongside it for pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians. A new Park & Ride site is also proposed under the plans.

The route, originally priced at £220million but which may now cost considerably more, has faced enormous opposition, with particular concern raised over the plans to plough through the orchard, which would mean felling about 500 veteran trees.

Conservation charity Cambridge Past, Present and Future (CPPF) commissioned a report which argued that there are other on-road solutions that would deliver similar transport and economic benefits.

The report said this could be achieved quickly, at significantly less cost, with less impact on the environment, green belt and local communities.

But councillors voted down the motion to consider CPPF’s alternative after hearing on-road options had been examined by the GCP.

A GCP spokesperson said: “We understand this is a difficult situation for the Sadler family and we have been talking to them about this matter for some time.

“The proposed route for the busway and active travel link avoids the burial site, but we understand the family’s concerns about the scheme travelling through an area that is important to them. We continue to talk to the family about this.

“The Cambourne to Cambridge scheme – which has been subject to detailed public consultation – would need to be approved by the Secretary of State for Transport.”