Labour calls on City Council to re-examine proposals to build 11,500 homes on Marshall's Airport

7 December 2007

Cambridge City Council yesterday refused to support petitioners seeking re-examination of proposals to build 11,500 homes on Marshall's airport.

The petition had been signed by more than 1500 local people. Similar views were reflected in an Evening News on-line poll published on on December 1st, in which  910 readers voted, with 63% of respondents opposed to development of the site and 37% supporting it.

Petitioners from Cherry Hiinton Petersfield and Romsey challenged the council to resist plans for guided bus routes across Coldham's Common and other open spaces in the east of the city,  which also threaten verges along Brooks Road and Perne Rd.  They demanded that councillors  sort out existing transport problems on Newmarket Rd , Mill Road and Coldham's Lane; and to consult local people on proposals which had only come to light as a result of Labour councillors using the petition to alert the general public.

In the debate which followed, Labour councillors stressed the serious weaknesses in evidence used by the County Council to support  the proposals to build on the airport. They pointed out that Liberal Democrat councillors had resisted ferociously any attempt to develop close to Grantchester Meadows, but appeared quite happy to sacrifice open space in east Cambridge.

Executive councillor Sian Reid indicated she had no intention of re-examining the Marshall 's proposals.  But she agreed to try to resist transport routes across Coldham's Common.

Labour Environment spokesperson and Abbey Councillor John Durrant commented: "We shall suffer because of a stitch-up agreed between city Liberal Democrats and County Council Tories to sacrifice east Cambridge . The debate this evening did achieve one small break-through: Councillor Reid agreed to resist transport routes on one particular open space.  But she refused stubbornly to even consider challenging the development of the site. And that means we can expect congestion on existing roads to become even worse than at present".

Contacts:

Cllr John Durrant
07767 837054

Cllr Ben Bradnack
07739 031691