New transport projects to improve journeys along the A10 corridor and to unlock thousands of homes proposed at Waterbeach New Town have been taken to the next stage.
On Thursday (7 November), the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Executive Board progressed three transport schemes to provide frequent and reliable public transport journeys between Waterbeach New Town and Cambridge.
Cllr Elisa Meschini, Chair of the GCP’s Executive Board, said: “These vital transport projects aim to take thousands of vehicles off the busy A10 corridor to give people faster, more frequent, and reliable journeys into Cambridge and key employment sites such as Cambridge Science Park and the city centre, helping to cut congestion and improve air quality
“Our investment will not only give people new options in how they travel, but we are also helping with the delivery of thousands of homes at Waterbeach New Town which would have been at risk without our proposed infrastructure projects.
“Our schemes will not only make it easier to travel around the area they are also helping to people to find an affordable place to call home.”
Waterbeach to Cambridge
The board agreed to ask Cambridgeshire County Council – the highways authority – to submit a Transport & Works Act Order (TWAO) application to the Government for permission to build a new busway between Waterbeach New Town and the north Cambridge via Landbeach.
The plans include a new travel hub to give people travelling along the A10 the option to leave their cars outside the city and continue their journey on public transport.
There would also be a maintenance track running alongside the busway to be used as a new walking and cycling route – which would link in with other active travel routes and transport hubs – to make it easier for people to travel around the region to enable them to get to work, school or to meet friends.
Waterbeach Greenway
A revised route for the northern section of the Waterbeach Greenway was approved by the board after further evaluation of a previous alignment found flooding concerns.
Last October, the GCP held a consultation on the newly proposed alignment which follows a route behind the A10 and through Milton Village.
Additional spurs linking the greenway to Denny End and to improvements being delivered in Waterbeach by developer Urban & Civic were also included.
The scheme will provide new and improved walking, cycling and – where appropriate – equestrian links between Cambridge and villages to the north of the city, as well as links to employment sites and public transport hubs. It is one of 12 greenway routes in development.
Further work with local stakeholders will be undertaken to develop proposals through Milton.
Improvements to Cowley Road, which forms part of the greenway, are already under way.
Waterbeach Station relocation
To unlock the delivery of thousands of new homes as part of the Waterbeach New Town development, the GCP is supporting the relocation of Waterbeach Station.
Members agreed the business case and an increased budget of £43.35m to cover the cost of the new station and a new haul road.
This additional funding will be provided by Homes England, with a grant of up to £23.35m released to forward fund the projects.
An application for up to 4,500 new homes as part of the new town development was approved by South Cambridgeshire District Council in 2021, however the scheme is subject to the delivery of a new station, and it cannot be delivered under a traditional planning gain arrangement.
You can watch the executive board meeting back on our YouTube channel.
