Busway plans progress despite fears for countryside

The new busway will link Cambridge to sites south of the city, including the Biomedical Campus

Plans for an off road busway are progressing despite claims it will "carve up the green belt".

Cambridgeshire County Council has agreed to apply to central government for permission to start work on the scheme in south-east Cambridge.

The busway will link the city to the new Cambridge South station as well as the Biomedical Campus, Babraham Research Campus and Granta Park.

But almost 7,000 people have signed a petition opposing it, claiming it would be a "tragedy for the local area".

The Cambridge Past, Present and Future Society, which set up the petition, said it would impact the lower slopes of the Gog Magog Hills, bisect the River Granta and "ruin the tranquility" of the Stapleford Farm Track.

The charity’s CEO, James Littlewood, said councillors should "listen to public opinion and protect the countryside" at a meeting this week.

The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP), behind the project, said it is important to connect the city with "growing communities" in the south-east.

Elisa Meschini, chair of the GCP’s executive board, said alternatives have been assessed but an "on road" solution would not work.

Last year, the GCP agreed to pause work on its Cambridge South East Transport Scheme, which includes the busway, as well as work on a "travel hub" in Foxton.

It said inflation and rising construction costs meant it could not continue with the £500m schemes, but it has since been promised more than £7 million by the government to continue them.

A new segregated walking and cycling route is also planned alongside the busway.

'Vital' for hospital delivery

Dr Mike Moore, chair of the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH), spoke in support of the busway at the council meeting.

He said the trust had around 13,000 staff who see more than a million patients each year, "many of whom rely on public transport to get to our hospitals".

"CUH therefore has a strong interest in the effective and timely delivery of improved public transport, which also supports access to more affordable housing within a reasonable, reliable and affordable commute," he said.

Mr Meschini said it was "vital" for the delivery of two new hospitals in Cambridge.

The Cambridge Children’s Hospital will be built opposite the Rosie Maternity Hospital on the same Hills Road site that houses Addenbrooke's and Royal Papworth hospitals.

The Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital is planned for the city’s biomedical campus.

CUH said it would bring together clinical expertise at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and world-class scientists at the University of Cambridge to transform cancer care.

But it is part of the previous Conservative government’s New Hospitals Programme, which the Labour government has brought under review to put it on a “realistic, deliverable and affordable footing”.

Cambridgeshire County Council will next put together an application for a Transport and Works Act Order that will authorise building the busway.