Friends of the Cam stands in solidarity with Save Honey Hill

The Public Inquiry on the relocation of Milton waste water treatment plant has concluded. In the Inquiry, Save Honey Hill exposed the weakness of Anglian Water's case, and Friends of the Cam submitted objections to the unnecessary and damaging development. The Planning Inspector was due to report to the Secretary of State by July 2024, but the Government has yet to announce its decision. The latest deadline of 12 January 2025 has now been abandoned, and an anouncement is said to be made in April, 2025, to take account of new planning legislation. 

The new planning legislation seeks to make it easier for developers, even though there are many approved developments which are currently shelved for when they can be more profitable. The 'Growth, Growth, Growth at all costs' agenda in Cambridge is alienating more and more residents in Cambridge and surrounding villages. Those in housing need do not benefit from the building which is mostly speculative, and often marketed overseas. High profile campaigns such as 'Save Honey Hill' and 'Save Coton Orchard' point out how environmentally UNsustainable development proposals are, while developments that do get through, do so on questionable grounds. The Environment Agency is now unable to give the assurance that planners need to go ahead with new developments on the grounds that there is insufficient water in Cambridgeshire to supply this growth. Friends of the Cam believe that if we can unite together then we have a better chance to challenge this growth in one of the most vulnerable parts of the country (precious and imperiled chalk streams and Fens, inadequate water, danger of inundation due to sea level rise, and valuable agricultural land).