Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 21:11 +0100 (BST)
From: chair@miltonvillage.org.uk (Paul Oldham)
Subject: Waste Local Plan Inquiry
To: council@miltonvillage.org.uk

Today Jane and I presented MPC's objections to the Waste Local Plan Inquiry. 

The morning session, which I attended as a spectator, was devoted to another 
objector to the same site: Anglian Water (AWA), and this was by far the most 
significant part of the day. We already knew that AWA were opposed to the 
designation of their land as a major waste management facility but they 
dropped a bombshell at the start of their evidence: not only are they 
opposed to the designation, but they are looking into moving the existing 
sewage works to a new location[1], freeing up the whole of their site for 
housing. Hence they are strongly opposed to it being designated for any 
other (lower value ;-)) purpose. The County Council team were somewhat 
thrown by this one but proceeded gamely, however by the end of the session 
when their witness has being grilled by the barrister acting for AWA they 
really had no answer to the question "why, given what you've heard today, is 
the AWA site still in the Waste Local Plan".

I should add that Railtrack are similarly opposed to their land being 
included, although they have only made a written submission. This is 
unsurprising: the land is worth far more as residential land and the 
Cambridge Northern Fringe (East) proposal calls for precisely this use of 
the land for a new community with school, shops etc.

In the afternoon it was our turn and we put our case and said that although 
we may sound like NIMBYs *our* back yard was already blessed with a land 
fill site and a sewage works, both of which smell, and to our mind it's time 
someone else's back yard got a turn.

Whether we did any good I doubt somehow, I'm sure the inspector has heard it 
all before, but given that both of the landowners are now opposing the 
designation of the site as a major waste processing facility it seems to me 
that this blows the whole plan out of the water. Finger crossed anyway.

Regards
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[1] of course if it's true, and the County Council officers were rubbishing 
it afterwards so do take it with a pinch of salt, then moving the sewage 
works opens up another bag of worms as the new site would have to be close 
to the Cam and relatively close to the existing works. A site in Milton Fen 
therefore seems very likely. Although on the plus side it would have the 
merit of being downwind most of the time ;-)