Horningsea sewage plant plan branded ridiculous by residents

Long-time Horningsea resident Pat Mungroo questioned the need to move the wastewater treatment plant

People living near the site of a proposed new water treatment works have branded the £277m project "ridiculous".

Anglian Water wants to build the plant near Horningsea, close to Cambridge, to replace the current plant near Milton to make way for new homes.

But Horningsea resident Pat Mungroo was among a number asking: "If it is not broken, why mend it?"

Anglian Water said it was "committed to listening carefully" to concerns and had already amended its plans.

The company has submitted a Development Consent Order (DCO) to the planning inspectorate to ask for permission to build the new sewage works on land known as Honey Hill, south of Horningsea, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Anglian Water said the new plant was required because the current facility on Cowley Road, in Cambridge, is due to close to "allow Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council to create a new low-carbon city district [on the brownfield site] in north-east Cambridge".

It said the new residential site on Cowley Road would have space for 8,000 new homes and create 15,000 jobs over the next 20 years.

The proposed new site will be close to the village of Horningsea

However, the plans have not pleased those living in Horningsea.

Mr Mungroo, who has lived there for 22 years, said: "To me, if it is not broken, why mend it? It is not broken there, why spend millions of public funds to move something here - it is not causing any problems where it is.

"I do not like the plans to move it here, it is going to create a lot of problems, it will create a lot of problems for A14 traffic, not to mention the smell. Ridiculous."

Hannah Dalgleish also said she was not in favour of the plans, saying it seemed "ridiculous" to take down a "perfectly functioning plant" in order to move it to build houses.

Campaigners have been fighting the plans for the new plant

The government has allocated up to £227m to Anglian Water and Cambridge City Council to relocate the water treatment plant and use the existing site to build housing and commercial properties.

An Anglian Water spokesperson said: "We recognise the community's concern about the proposals.

"Throughout the process we have been committed to listening carefully to their feedback through three rounds of public consultation, and from this detailed process, we have published our plans taking into account their concerns in areas such as environmental impact, traffic and access routes and odours.

"These plans have now been submitted to the DCO for approval."

The application is currently being reviewed, with a decision expected to be made by 28 February.