大象传媒

Tell us your views about new housing, airport proposals and other developments in the county. What do you think should be done?

Building more houses is fine - they are obviously needed. But where are the plans to improve the present dire lack of road infrastructure? The recent crisis - after a snow fall caused a few accidents - seems to suggest that the road network is already near breaking point. We are 50 years behind the times - money for foreign wars id found at the drop of a hat - but what about road and rail development? Shamefull!
Richard King, Cambridge

We live in Ramsey St Mary, very rural, few amenities, small school. They are building 85 houses on a single track cul de sac! It is going to be nightmare for the existing villagers, and for the incomers who will think they are going to move 'to the country'. There is nowhere to walk dogs, nothing to do and the school is full. We already have at least three drug dealers, there have been armed police confrontations in the last year. How can the planners let these developments take place with no planning gain for the village, no more police in the area, full school, pathetic shop, pub, very poor bus service? Several of the houses are going to be housing association, some of those residents are not going to have a car, it will be a prison.
Resident, Ramsey St Mary, Ramsey St Mary

I totally agree with the other two comments made about St Neots. It is all very good with the continued development of St Neots. But what is there to show apart from houses. The town centre seems to lose another retail outlet every week and is replaced by either another phone shop or spectacle store. It is about time the councillors and local government supposedly representing St Neots got their fingers out and started looking to attract new businesses. Therefore creating new jobs. Therefore making St Neots a more attractive prospect for people and other businesses to come to. Therefore bringing more money into the town. Therefore generating more revenue for the town to plough into projects. Such as youth development, leisure projects etc. I have grown up in St Neots and it is a sad state of affairs to admit that I amongst others have always looked for a way to get out of the town, to look for something "better." If the ball is not started rolling by local government, giving it a little push, it will stay rooted and rot.
Steve Parnwell, St Neots

Ref: Clare,St Ives and others: As a matter of fact far from being sorry that Cambourne was put here the developers' consortium have just applied to increase the number of dwelling from 3,000 (for which planning permission has been granted) to 5044. No increase to the footprint but rather to the density of dwellings per acre. Needless to say the current residents of Cambourne are predominantly (if not totally) opposed. Traffic problems are but one of our concerns. Cambourne was 'sold' to potential purchasers of properties as consisting of 3 distict Villages of around 1000 properties each and with a typically traditional feel. A perusal of the glossy literature we were given in the sales presentation makes interesting reading. However I must add that in spite of everything we quite like living here. Mike Jocelyn, Cambourne
Mike Jocelyn, Cambourne

I do so agree with Keith with regards to his comments on the lack of development, other than houses, for St.Neots. Whilst it is true that the HDC has a district wide development programme, its remarkable that most of the people friendly attractions are built around Huntingdon. When challenged the Conservatives maintain that more people visit Huntingdon ergo that's why they develope the attractions in Huntingdon. Obviousley Huntingdon will continue to be visited by everyone if other towns are not developed in line with their population!
John Grosvenor, St. Neots [edited]

I'm moving to North Cambridgeshire next month to get away from spiraling development at Stansted. I've lived in Bishops Stortford most of my life and have watched Stansted grow. There are plans afoot to expand capacity from 14m passengers per annum to a massive 122mppa (three new runways option), should the nutters at BAA get their way. Hardly 'sustainable growth', and figures that make a mockery of the Governments green credentials. The cost to the environment in terms of air pollution, urbanisation, noise and the destruction of homes and communities would be devastatating. Reading these pages, It seems to me that many of you have very little concept of just how massive an airport twice the size of Heathrow would be. You would be wrong to think that communities in areas like Huntingdon, Cambridge and St Neots wouldn't be affected by Stansted expansion, let alone Alconbury. Maximum expansion at Stansted means the total urbanisation of the M11 corridor and would signal the biggest building project this country has ever seen. Get real- oppose Airport expansion now!!!
Jim, Bishops Stortford

I think Keith should calm down a bit, you sound very stressed about living in St Neots and not having a voice!! Maybe you should put yourself forwards as the new MP. Cambourne was devised some time ago before the traffic problems were so bad and developers realise it should never have been put where it is!! Not much help now I know. The answer to the A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge is to provide alternatives to travellers, there should be more peak time buses as the ones at the moment are mostly packed and let's hope that the train/tram link actually takes shape!
Claire, St Ives

Geoff Hill (see last message) - Let's hope the flight path goes over your house and not mine!! Would it still be Ok then?
susan, stilton, P'boro

Why not please Keith and put the new airport in St. Neots, or in Cambridge for Neil, or Leicester for Hugh. I admit that I do not like the idea of Alconbury proposals because I live close by, but I believe I am typical. Keith, Neil and Hugh would soon change their tune if it impacted THEIR daily lives and property values.
John Ellis, Holme

The most deprived ward in Cambridge, Abbey, is home to part of Cambridge airport. Hangars, large aircraft and the runway are in close proximity to houses. Moving Cambridge airport would improve the quality of life for many local residents. Why do people forget how polluting aviation is, and that it is heavily subsidised? For instance, there is no tax on aviation fuel. If fewer people flew, using instead more environmentally-friendly methods of travel such as train, wouldn't the demand for airports decrease?
Heather , Cambridge

Wherever an airport is built or expanded there are are likely to be significant detrimental effects on the people living in the vicinity; financial, physical and mental. People should not confuse the limited environmental impact caused by the sporadic and relatively low number of military flight operations with the deafening, soul destroying and interminable freighter flights predicted for either Alconbury or an expanded Stansted. Additional flight capacity in the UK may be a necessity but everybody affected should (as they are in France and the Netherlands) be appropriately and generously compensated for any loss. This compensation should be paid early and in good faith by the airport development company - it is they who will be making the billions in the long run. I'm biased, I live within a mile of the end of the runway at the proposed Alconbury development - I'm not a Nimby but I won't stay here. I shall accept the severe financial burden of an uncompensated 50% reduction in my property price and take my family somewhere else; I won't stand by and let my young daughter's future health and well being be torn from her whilst BAA make their obscene profits.
John Fairbrass, Alconbury Weston

I like aircraft and I thing they're great. Why can't we have more? It would certainly improve tourism in Cambridge, rather than lots of housing. Why not build the houses somewhere else, like St Neots, where the other chap has been harping on about no inward investment. Kill two birds with one stone. Keep Cambridge Airport and preserve the Green Belt
Hugh G. Rexshun, Leicester

I live in Fen Drayton next to a nature reserve and at present we are subject to mainly military air traffic and small aircraft noise. The airport at Alconbury would be most unwelcome but I have additional concerns. Cambridgeshire is already heaving with the requirement for additional housing. The road and public transport infrastructure is wholly inadequate, especially the lorry choked A14. Do we really need an additional 5 million passengers a year on our road network (because the M11 / A14 corridor is an obvious route to this airport). Do we also need an additional 12,000 houses in addition to the tens of thousands required by the government already - I do not think so. We are surrounded by airports, Stanstead, Luton, Birmingham and East Midlands. The money could be better spent improving these facilities and the transport links to them.
Alex Rogers, Fen Drayton / Cambridge

The proposed use of Alconbury as a new regional airport is a fantastic idea. The shear size of the site will enable a wider variety of aircraft to use the site, compared to the much smaller current Cambridge Airport. I am sure the people of Cambridgeshire would welcome the increased job opportunities along with the ease of not having to travel to Heathrow or Gatwick, for long distance holidays and business trips.
Neil Scrivener, Cambridge

Before the proposed extension at Stansted Airport was publicised, concern had been raised about the fact that there is already a dangerously high amount of air traffic over the area. I feel that if the government and developers go ahead with expansion plans, they will knowingly be putting the safety of passsengers, staff and locals at great risk.
Alison, Cambridge

I am from St.Neots and I am sick and tired of all new developments getting proposed for Huntingdon. Cinemas, roads, Rail links... the list goes on and on. It鈥檚 about time that St.Neots got some development and its own MP. All St.Neots has got to shout about lately is a bowling alley and a huge town being built between it and Cambridge. After all Huntingdon has less people than St.Neots by about 4000 but the people of St.Neots are largely forgotten. The latest traffic census about traffic going to Cambridge excluded people leaving from Eaton Ford and Eaton Socon !! They then had the cheek to put an asterisk by it and point out that they knew that this would impact the local traffic. Why bother doing a survey then? They obviously had made their mind up about development before the survey was done; it was fixed to justify it - that's the only explanation. Come on people of St.Neots let's start sticking up for ourselves...lets get rid of the Huntingdon MP and start looking after our own backyard. And as for Cambourne.....who's bright idea was that? I know lets put a huge town on an already busy road with poor public transport, that's a great idea and really helps. There is more to this than meets the eye and a few pockets being filled I'll wager. Lets have some independent politicians in Cambs and sort some of this out once and for all.
Keith, St.Neots, CAMBS

As a frequent traveller, I have no difficulty getting to either Stanstead, Luton or East Midlands Airport. I live 1 mile from Alconbury but don't see the need for greater Airport capacity in this part of England. Having been brought up on the Heathrow flight path for 18 years I am used to air traffic but please do not build a 'white elephant' that is going to be underutilised. Why not let Marshall's move there and use it as an engineering base, this would then free up their Cambridge site for housing?
John Hemsley, Huntingdon

Now that air traffic control has been privatised it is inevitablt that we will have a Railtrack type disaster either in the sky or at an airport. How many people will be using airports then?
Pam Joyce, Wicken, Ely

I live in Soham, the USAF makes enough noise even here miles away from their air base! No more planes in East Cambs! (Please!)
Soham, Cambs, UK

I live in Upton, near Alconbury. I, like many others, enjoy holidays abroad. I also appreciate that to accommodate future demand then considerable changes must be made to existing services. However, I have no problem travelling approximately 1 hour to Stansted, Luton, Birmingham or East Midlands airports. To develop Alconbury as an airport seems unnecessary, unwarranted destruction of rural life. My family and I moved to Upton for a peaceful existence, not to be bombarded with the noise of jet engines etc. Please develop an existing airport to minimise the destruction of rural England (what little there is left).
Caite Guest, Upton, Cambs

Sounds like a good idea to me - both Stansted and Luton are hard to get to by public transport from Peterborough. We'd need to see some major rail expansion first to relieve congestion on the East Coast Main line and also the East-West link up and running (using the Cambridge-St.Ives trackbed). At the moment the transport infrastructure in the area is hopelessly overstretched.
Adam, Peterborough

1) If the government and councils didn't keep closing down existing airports (e.g. Ipswich and now it they have their hooks into Cambridge) then there would not be so much need to build new airports or expand existing airports. 2) Expanding Heathrow would be a nonsense. Having so many travellers funnelling into one place by car/train and bus and having the same number funnelling in by air doesn't make sense. In these days of congestion, it makes more sense to have regional airports, cutting down on land traffic and giving greater separation to aircraft.
Richard Bagnall, Cambridge

Where does Cllr Holley get his facts? I would be interested to hear of ONE low cost airline in the World that uses Jumbo Jets! This is typical of the misinformation put about by the nimbys and only illustrates the sterility of their argument. It can only make sense to put the airport where there is already an existing runway.
Tony Lowe, St. Ives (under the flightpath of the phantoms for many years)

No thank you!!!!! Haven't we suffered enough in the past with aircraft noise from both Alconbury and Wyton ( where at least the night time flying was restricted). A commercial airport would, I assume, be less considerate.
Sue Phillips, Huntingdon

So at last the government has seen sense and decided to use Alconbury as a new airport for our region. Of course the nimbys around will say No, but how soon memories of USAF flights & personnel fade. I seem to remember it has the longest runway in UK to cater for the huge transport planes of the USAF that previously flew regularly in and out together with the jet fighters. I have lived in Peterborough all my life and It has always seemed to me that with its accessibility by road and rail Alconbury was the perfect location for an airport once it closed as a military base. A new airport would bring with it a tremendous boost in the local economy in all of the surrounding towns and cities.
Geoff Hill, Peterborough