West Cambridge Fields Threatened By university's dire development proposal
The last piece of remaining green belt on the western edge of Cambridge, to the north of Barton Road, is under threat. Called South West Cambridge Vision, the proposals for a 15 year building programme will seriously affect the quality of life for residents and cause irreversible loss of wildlife and historical farmland, increase pollution, place major strain on local infrastructure and resources, as well as massively increasing flooding risks.
End of the greenbelt
The final destruction of one of the last remaining areas of the green belt is being encouraged by Cambridge University’s greedy and uninspired vision for South West Cambridge. Rather than focusing on education, the University, along with four other wealthy Cambridge colleges (Corpus Christi College, Downing College, Jesus College, St John’s College) and the North Barton Road Land Owners Group, plan to dramatically boost their already substantial profits by infilling this unique area with housing, thereby destroying huge areas of open space as well as habitats supporting a huge number of birds and animals, many of which are endangered.
The plan proposes obliterating woodland that was specifically planted to aid conservation, disrupting public rights of way and access that locals have been enjoying for centuries.
Conservation woodland due for clearance on the edge of University farmland
Despite trying to promote the plan as green, it is only necessary to look to the North, to see the real vision, where the University continues with its endless building program of high density and expensive flats at Eddington as well as dominant new buildings as part of Cambridge West.
High density vision
The developers’ vision shows similarly large blocks of flats situated close to Gough Way which will dwarf neighbouring houses that ironically were limited to a maximum height of two stories when built in the 1970s by restrictive covenants by one of the very colleges that proposes this development.
The proposal puts the whole area at risk of surface and river flooding, since this area is critical for the absorption of rainwater from land to the west of Cambridge which flows towards the river Cam along Bin Brook which has flooded on several occasions in the last 50 years, damaging housing and prompting the construction of a relief drain.
Cambridge already has some of the most inappropriate and expensive accommodation in the country and this type of vision only perpetuates the same overpriced flats and housing that people are coming to realise are not good for wellbeing.
The development will put intolerable strain on local infrastructure – local roads are already at a standstill with traffic for much of the day and demands on water supply will hasten the destruction of rivers such as the Granta and Cam, which is already regularly running short of water during dry periods with very low flows and poor water quality.
