Anglian Water’s Phase two consultation on Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant Relocation (CWWTPR)

Completing your Anglian Water Phase 2 Feedback Questionnaire

Dear Resident,
Only one feedback questionnaire has been delivered to each household. However, all adults wishing to complete a questionnaire are entitled to do so.

  • You can request more questionnaires from Anglian Water, from SHH
  • You can complete it online.
  • Email address: info@cwwtpr.com
  • Freephone CWWTPR: 0808 196 1661

The Phase 2 feedback form is forcing you to answer in a certain way, but you can have your say in any of the ‘Other’ sections. The bullet points, below, are all merely suggestions. You may have your own points that you wish to raise. Now is the time to do it. The consultation ends on 18th August 2021.

Some suggested points you may wish to raise

PART A

What’s most important to you?

Q4)
  • Loss of Green Belt with the potential for further development in the future
  • Traffic disruptions.
    • 200-300 HGV movements daily during the peak 2.5 years of construction1.
    • Then an estimated 146 daily when the site is fully operational. Too much for our local roads2.
  • Proximity of Fen Ditton Primary School to site with odour and pollution issues
  • A huge change in the character of our rural heritage.

    Sign at temporary entrance for construction
    Sign at temporary entrance for construction

PART B

People

Q5
  • Natural countryside cannot be bettered by manmade ‘recreational space’
  • AW’s graphic shows odour will affect the whole site including the recreational area3.
Q6
  • The Discovery Centre and huge Gateway means more building, traffic, and car parking, adding to the concrete footprint and cost of the site
  • A waste of money.

Places

Q7
  • Four shorter digesters would require less screening and help prevent the site being such an industrial eyesore in a flat fenland setting
  • Natural, effective screening is needed but with our landscape you won’t be able to screen 26m towers.
Q8
  • Choose a more suitable site where the digesters can be sunk and the possibility of screening would be more attainable
  • Leave the site where it is – built on clay which provides a good barrier to any pollutants or contaminants.

    Map showing groundwater contamination risk
    Map showing Honey Hill is at high groundwater contamination risk
Q9- Deliver on all these priorities
  • Are they really part of your project, within your budget and not dependent on external landowners?
  • National Trust should be left to develop this area as part of the Wicken Fen Vision without an industrial development of 26 m high towers, night lighting, noise and a constant stream of HGVs4.
Q10
  • Option 3: A new junction on the north side of the A14 is the only option that will not impact hugely on the lives of local communities
  • Options 1 and 2 involve the use of B and C class narrow country roads with disruption for vehicle users, pollution for pedestrians, cyclists and residents.
Traffic on small county lane near the Low Fen Drove entrance
Traffic on small county lane near the Low Fen Drove entrance
Q11
  • There is no public value in relocating a perfectly functioning wastewater plant to precious Green Belt and destroying local communities in the process
  • AW has stated that there is no operational need to move. In 2015, over £21m was spent on upgrading the current site and this could be further upgraded5 .
  • The adverse carbon footprint of moving the site far outweighs the benefit of moving it
  • £227 million could be far better spent in our current times.

Climate

Q12
  • Based on Anglian Water’s own figures, at least 1 million tonnes of concrete, equating to approximately 80 million kg of CO2 will be used during construction
  • The environmental impact of dismantling and decontaminating the current site at Cowley Road has been totally ignored and needs to be compensated
  • All HGVs, worker and associated traffic etc. should be electric to reduce CO2 emissions.
Q13 Other measures
  • Use a dedicated access from A14 for construction traffic to prevent adverse effects on mental and physical well-being from pollution, noise, and traffic congestion.
Q14 Emerging proposals
  • Oppose them – turning part of the Green Belt into an industrial site at the cost of £227 million is not necessary to provide housing which will not complete before 2048. Other sites are available for good quality, affordable housing in a shorter time span.

Part C Consultation process

Q18
  • Both consultations have taken place over summer holidays and with little chance of face-to-face meetings because of Covid restrictions
  • In the phase 1 consultation, 53% of respondents voted for the sewage works to remain where it is. Only 27% responded that they wanted it to move6. Anglian Water is not really listening
  • The only reason for the sewage works to move is to accommodate the NECAAP (North East Cambridge Area Action Plan) development. We don’t need more office and retail space or 13 storey tower blocks. Better affordable housing can be built elsewhere on more appropriate sites more cost effectively and can be delivered on a much timelier basis. NECAAP is now dis-located. Leave the sewage works where it is.

Make sure your voice is not lost

Save Honey Hill Group encourages as many people as possible to respond to the CWWTPR Phase Two Consultation, for example, by:
Emailing questions to Anglian Water.
– Making lots of comments on its interactive map.
– Completing a feedback form per person not per household
– Asking at least two friends to do all of the above.
You will find lots of information on this website on our campaign and hopefully inspiration that will help you craft your questions and feedback.

Financial Contributions

Please contribute to the Save Honey Hill Campaign

  1. p33 Phase Two Consultation leaflet https://cwwtpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/210616_Anglian-Water-CL-A4-AW-WEB.pdf []
  2. CWWTPR 2021-Site-Announcement-Webinars-FAQ-Summary Q1 Traffic and Transport section https://cwwtpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CWWTPR-Site-Announcement-Webinars-FAQ-Summary.pdf []
  3. https://cwwtpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Phase-Two-Odour-Factsheet.pdf []
  4. National Trust Wicken Fen Vision (2009)
    https://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/wicken-fen-nature-reserve/documents/wicken-fen-vision-strategy-document.pdf []
  5. “Water Briefings” trade journal 2014 https://www.waterbriefing.org/home/company-news/item/9110 []
  6. p9 Phase One Consultation Summary Report https://cwwtpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CWWTPR-Phase-One-Consultation-Summary-Report.pdf []
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