A screening opinion application has been submitted

A developer is hoping to build up to 170 homes in a Cambridgeshire village. Carter Jonas has been instructed by developer, Redrow Homes South Midlands to submit a full planning application for the development of land south of High Street in the village of Hauxton.

Hauxton is a small village located around five miles from Cambridge. A formal planning application has not yet been submitted but full planning permission will be sought for the development for up to 170 homes, access, open space and associated infrastructure. A screening opinion request has been submitted to South Cambridgeshire District Council to see whether an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required for the proposed development.

The new homes are proposed to be built across a 12.44 hectare site which is currently an agricultural field. Large parts of the site are proposed to remain as open space. New homes would be provided in development parcels in the central and western parts of the site while the eastern section would be left as public open space.

The site is close to existing homes, allotments and Hauxton Primary School and according to a screening letter, pedestrian and cycle access would be from High Street, with a potential link to Jopling Way currently being explored.

The screening letter states: “The views experienced across the Site have a rural character and open quality. However, the features of the views are typically unremarkable and are influenced by transport infrastructure, the settlement edge and electricity cables.

“The quantum of development is still to be determined but for the purpose of this screening opinion the redevelopment will not exceed an upper parameter of 170 new homes.”

Once a planning application has been formally submitted, the district council will consider the plans and decide whether the development can go ahead.

Some areas of the county will see bigger rises than others

Council tax bills are set to rise for most households in the country from April. The bulk of councils are set to increase bills by the maximum amount. This stands at 4.99 percent without town halls having to trigger a referendum.

Peterborough council falls into this category. It means Band D bills in the city will be increasing by £88 a year to £1,851. That’s not including any extras like parish precepts or police and fire services.

Increases vary across the rest of Cambridgeshire. The County Council is upping its bills by 4.99 percent. Huntingdonshire District Council are increasing their bills by 3.01 percent, while Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire are increasing theirs by 2.99 percent. Both East Cambridgeshire and Fenland are set to freeze their portion of people’s bills.

It means people in Cambridge will see their Band D bills rise by £92 to £2,025 when including the county council increase. In Huntingdonshire, Band D bills will be up by £90 to £1,956, in South Cambridgeshire by £90 to £1,966, in East Cambridgeshire by £85 to £1,928, and in Fenland by £85 to £2,040.

Some local authorities in England were given special permission by the government to go beyond the maximum. North Somerset and Shropshire will both be increasing bills by 8.99 percent. Worcestershire County council, meanwhile, will be putting up bills by 8.98 percent.

Both Trafford and Windsor & Maidenhead will be increasing by 7.49 percent, and Warrington by 7.48 percent.

You can find out how much your bills will increase by using our interactive. Simply enter your postcode to see the increase by your council.

The percentage increases have been collected thanks to extensive research by the Mirror. They cover the rises in every lower tier and upper tier council. They do not include, however, police and fire increases, parish council precepts or mayoral increases.

South Cambridgeshire District Councillors called on the Government to help improve infrastructure in the area.

Councillors shared concerns over the creation of a Greater Cambridge Urban Development Corporation and plans to remove some local planning powers. An Extraordinary Full Council meeting was held on Tuesday (March 17) to discuss the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) plans to establish a Development Corporation for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire.

The proposals being consulted hope to create the largest corporation of its type to “enable a transformational long-term approach to delivering high-quality sustainable growth”. South Cambridgeshire District Councillors said at the meeting that already approved or proposed developments across Greater Cambridge are forecast to create more than 100,000 new jobs and up to 77,000 new homes.

Councillors believe these new homes and offices should be created in partnership with local councils. They raised concerns about a lack of funding and slow delivery of transport and utility improvements.

They said these problems don’t stem from the local planning system, but rather from wider infrastructure challenges and national regulations. The new Development Corporation would remove the responsibility of local planning authority for major planning decisions above a certain threshold from the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning service.

If the Development Corporation were created, decisions about where new homes and jobs across Greater Cambridge would be made by the Development Corporation – not by communities through local authorities. The most recent consultation into the joint Local Plan received 5,000 comments and was built on feedback from earlier rounds.

The meeting also heard that Greater Cambridge’s infrastructure challenges needed national Government’s support. This involves ensuring utilities such as water and power and essential facilities like health provision and education are properly funded.

Councillors said good skills, affordable homes, and reliable transport are necessary. Councillors want the Government to work with local authorities to tackle funding and delivery problems that affect residents’ quality of life. They said that the consultation has a lack of justification for the new proposals and it creates uncertainty among communities and developers about the future of the area.

The Leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cllr Bridget Smith, said: “We have long talked about the need for Government support to help tackle challenges around growth. However, their proposals, which will remove local voices from important decisions about the future of Greater Cambridge, have not been convincingly justified by the evidence presented so far.

“Councillors came together last night to make clear their feeling that Government should be working in partnership with local councils, not punishing them. The transfer of planning powers away from councils and communities to an unelected body is unacceptable and unnecessary.

“We already have an outstanding track record of delivering ambitious, evidence‑based plans and sustainable growth with our residents at the heart of decision‑making. Any new arrangements must support us in addressing the systemic, national barriers to growth – not override local voices or undermine our ability to shape the future of our own area.”

When new measures come into effect, anyone violating the rules could be prosecuted and fined up to £1,000

Antisocial driving at a park and ride site in Cambridge has made “people feel unsafe”, according to a councillor. A total of 22 separate incidents were recorded at Babraham Road Park and Ride between April 2024 and mid-January this year.

Babraham Road Park and Ride, between Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, is facing ongoing issues of inconsiderate vehicle use, dangerous driving behaviour and vehicle stunts, as well as playing loud music, according to South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridge City Council. Many of these issues are said to happen in the evening or late at night, and often continue past midnight.

Intelligence from the two councils also suggests that further gatherings are being planned, and that despite reports being made to police, cars often return after being dispersed,

Now, the councils want to implement new measures to stop the antisocial behaviour. They are proposing to introdice a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) covering the Babraham Park and Ride site. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and already existing CCTV would be used, meaning that councils can track vehicles and issue fines without physically needing to be there.

The new measures would make it a criminal offence to do any of the following within the park and ride:

• Speeding or reckless driving that risks causing harassment, alarm or distress
• Revving, racing and disruptive vehicle behaviour, including unnecessary acceleration, loud engine revving, horn misuse and amplified music causing nuisance
• Dangerous stunts such as drifting, doughnuts, burnouts, wheel spins, J‑turns or wheelies
• Organised meets or racing‑style activity, including entering the site for vehicle display or performance driving
• Threatening or abusive behaviour towards other Park and Ride users

If the PSPO is introduced, anyone violating the rules could be prosecuted and fined up to £1,000 or get a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £500.

South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Lead Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Natalie Warren-Green, said: “Residents have told us just how disruptive and intimidating this behaviour has become, especially late at night. Nobody should have to put up with dangerous driving, excessive noise or large organised meets that make people feel unsafe. “

“We’re proposing this PSPO so we can take stronger action – but it is vital local people help shape it. I would really encourage anyone who uses the Park and Ride, or lives nearby, to take part in the consultation and share their views.”

The consultation, asking for views on the issues, runs until Friday, March 27.

Cambridge City Council’s Cabinet Member for Safety, Wellbeing and Tackling Homelessness, Cllr Mike Todd-Jones, said:“This is not a one‑off issue – it’s been happening repeatedly, and residents deserve better. The proposed PSPO is an important step in tackling these problems, and your feedback will help ensure we get it right. Please take a few minutes to have your say during the consultation. Your voice will make a real difference.”

The developers want to help ‘meet local needs’ for housing

Developers want to build up to 75 new homes in a Cambridgeshire village. Gladman Developments is proposing to submit a planning application to build the homes on land off Back Road in Linton.

The developers also propose a large green space for the public to use. They want to build the homes to “help meet the needs within Linton and south Cambridgeshire”, as stated on the proposal website.

The applicants added: “The proposed site is currently used for agriculture, and therefore is home to few species and plants. With the creation of new homes and gardens and the introduction of new trees and hedgerows, the living environment will be enhanced for the benefit of residents and wildlife alike.

“The proposal will seek to deliver 10 percent biodiversity net gain.” If approved, the development would create over 200 jobs.

This would be around 100 jobs for construction, and 136 jobs in supporting industries. Local businesses are also expected to benefit from the development.

The developers said: “Local businesses will benefit from the additional custom that the development will generate. There is an indication that the gross spending power of new residents could be in excess of £2.1 million each year, a proportion of which will be spent in the local area.”

A highways consultant has undertaken surveys of the development and concluded that an additional number of car journeys would “not make a significant impact on the current network”.

Gladman is seeking comments from the public on the plans. It will then submit an outline planning application to South Cambridgeshire District Council.

The sweeper was carrying out a routine clean along a Cambridgeshire street

A street sweeper had to be “freed” after it got stuck in a cycle and footway. While trying to clean along Yarrow Road in Cherry Hinton earlier today (Thursday, February 19), the wheel on a street sweeper became stuck.

The wheel got stuck in a cycle and footway along the street. South Cambridgeshire Council, which runs the sweeper, had to free it from the footway.

A council spokesperson said: “A wheel on one of our small street sweepers unfortunately got stuck in a cycle and footway. This happened during a routine sweep of the cycleway and pavement along Yarrow Road.

“The sweeper has been freed, and we let Cambridgeshire County Council know – and they’ve told us their crews are already on the way to carry out repairs.”

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