Agenda item

The New Communities portfolio holder

AGREED

A)     That the Council respond to the proposed mineral sites as laid out in table 1 of the report, with the exception of Land at Hinxton (South of A505 near Whittlesford Bridge) which the Council should object to, due to the additional traffic it would place on roads that were already busy.

B)    That the Council respond to the proposed waste recycling and recovery sites as laid out in table 2.

C)    To request the County Council to review whether the Minerals and Waste Development Plan is the appropriate vehicle for providing borrowpits for the A14 upgrade and consider how the borrowpits should be restored after the A14 work has been completed.

D)    That the Council should object to the proposed Railhead at Waterbeach, due to the proximity of the access road to Denny Abbey and the extra traffic that it would add to the A10.

The Senior Planning Policy Officer introduced this report which sought the Council’s response to consultation being carried out by Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council on a number of new or amended proposals for mineral and waste development.

Land at Hinxton for sand and gravel extraction

Councillor AG Orgee, as the local member for Hinxton, raised concerns about the proposed sand and gravel extraction site south of the A505 at Hinxton on the grounds of the extra traffic it would put on the A1301 and the A505. He highlighted the fact that the roundabout where the two roads met was already congested with traffic backing up to the M11 at busy times. For these reasons he requested that the recommendation to support in principle be changed to object.

Land at Pampisford for proposed Waste Transfer Station

Councillor Orgee, as the local member for Pampisford, supported the recommendation to oppose the Waste Transfer Station south of Worsted Lodge, Pampisford due to its rural location.

Land at Hauxton for proposed household waste recycling centre

Councillor Orgee, as the local County Councillor for Hauxton, supported the recommendation to oppose the household waste recycling centre west of the A10, Hauxton due to the distance from residents who would use the facility. He suggested that the proposed site at Trumpington would be a far more suitable location.

Borrowpits for A14 upgrade

It was noted that it was possible that not all the proposed borrow pits for the construction work on the A14 would be required, which made assessing their environmental impact difficult. It was hoped that it would be unnecessary for any of the vehicles from the pits to drive through existing villages. It was agreed that the restoration of the borrow pits after the A14 work had been completed needed to be considered. It would be inappropriate to fill them with inert waste, but there were concerns that although it might be acceptable for some to be restored as areas of open water it would not be appropriate for all of them since this would create a string of wetlands adjacent to the A14.

Railhead

The New Communities Portfolio Holder expressed concern at the proposed railhead at Waterbeach due to the additional traffic it would put on the A10 and the proximity of the site to Denny Abbey.

The New Communities Portfolio Holder

AGREED

A)     That the Council respond to the proposed mineral sites as laid out in table 1 of the report, with the exception of Land at Hinxton (South of A505 near Whittlesford Bridge) which the Council should object to, due to the additional traffic it would place on roads that were already busy.

B)    That the Council respond to the proposed waste recycling and recovery sites as laid out in table 2.

C)    To request the County Council to review whether the Minerals and Waste Development Plan is the appropriate vehicle for providing borrowpits for the A14 upgrade and consider how the borrowpits should be restored after the A14 work has been completed.

D)    That the Council should object to the proposed Railhead at Waterbeach, due to the proximity of the access road to Denny Abbey and the extra traffic that it would add to the A10.