About £80m already spent to move Cambridge sewage works
Cambridge City Council hoped to create a new district made up of 8,600 new homes to the north-east of the city. Of those, 5,600 would have been part of a development known as 'Hartree', which would also have included offices, workplaces and schools.The council committed to moving a depot used by its staff out of the area on the understanding that it would be built. Holloway said he had been "excited about the project", which was in the works for around seven years and was "disappointed" it was cancelled. "However, I understand that the government's got a lot of pressures on their spending, and the expenditure required had gone up significantly," he said.The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) had committed £227m towards the plans, but said "cost projection increases have made the relocation proposals unaffordable".
The plans would have seen a new sewage works built on Honey Hill, near the village of Horningsea, just outside Cambridge.According to a 2023 consultation leaflet, it would have been a 22-hectare (53-acre) 'integrated wastewater and sludge treatment plant'. The tallest structure would have been a chimney stack up to 24 metres high, with two anaerobic digesters no bigger than 20 metres. Earthworks and trees would have encircled the plant.Anglian Water said the decision to pull funding was "disappointing" and that its teams were "reviewing all options to increase capacity to support growth at our existing treatment works in Cambridge".However, the news was welcomed by Catherine Morris, who helped lead the Save Honey Hill campaign and said the group was "absolutely thrilled" after years of fighting the new development. In a statement, MHCLG said: "It is vital that taxpayers' money is used responsibly, and cost projection increases have made the relocation proposal unaffordable, with the additional £400m now required beyond the budget available."We are committed to ensuring Cambridge has the housing and water infrastructure it needs to reach its full growth potential as we deliver on our Plan for Change."
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