Plans for 540 homes and medical centre approved

Developers say they plan to invest £70,000 in enhancing the Soham commons

Proposals for a housing estate that some locals fear could be "the end" of a natural habitat have been approved by councillors.

East Cambridgeshire District Council voted on Tuesday in favour of building 540 new homes and a medical centre on the edge of Soham.

One objector argued the application would be "the end" of the "culturally valuable" commons that surround the town.

The developer, This Land Development Ltd, said the project would provide "social, economic and environmental benefits" and that £70,000 would be invested in protecting and enhancing the commons.

There are plans to build a new medical centre in Soham, where the existing GP surgery is oversubscribed

The homes are proposed to be built on land west of the A142 between East Fen Common and Qua Fen Common, and east of Brewhouse Lane.

The development received more than 280 formal objections but one councillor suggested it would be "welcomed with open arms" in other areas.

Part of the plans include building a new medical centre.

Dr Louisa Wood, from Mereside Medical, which runs the town's GP surgery, said they had spent 13 years trying to get a "fit for purpose building".

She said the existing medical centre was built to cater for around 13,000 patients but currently had about 24,000, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The developer said it had taken time to "find solutions" to concerns raised by people

Conservative councillor Julia Huffer said she recognised the anger from some people, but felt other parts of the district had seen developments "inflicted on them without all the benefits" proposed in the Soham plans.

“We would have loved to have a doctors surgery, anything like that would be fantastic and welcomed with open arms, and if it had come with more housing we would have taken it,” she added.

As an outline application, more detailed plans will need to be submitted and approved by the council before building can start.

Richard Seamark, from estate agent Carter Jonas, representing the developer, said that the land had been allocated for new housing since 2015.

He said the developer had made several changes to the proposals since the original plans were submitted in 2019, and that it had been "worth taking the time to understand and find solutions for concerns raised".