Residents in the historic village of Cherry Hinton on the outskirts of Cambridge are opposing plans for a 1,200-home housing estate, warning that the community is already at capacity and cannot cope with further expansion.
Building work to create Springstead Village on a 138-acre site between Cherry Hinton and Cambridge Airport is already well under way, with around 200 homes already constructed.
The development is scheduled for full completion by 2030, but many villagers complain that additional traffic will turn local roads into a nightmare.
While some residents acknowledge the need for new housing, others claim that Cherry Hinton lacks the necessary infrastructure and question the need for a proposed Waitrose convenience store when Tesco and Sainsbury's supermarkets are already located nearby.
From Domesday Parish to Silicon Fen Tech Hub
Cherry Hinton was a tiny parish when it was recorded in the Domesday Book, commissioned by William the Conqueror following his 1066 victory over King Harold at the Battle of Hastings.
The village had just 1,254 inhabitants in 1931 before being officially incorporated into Cambridge three years later in 1934. It has since grown rapidly over the past 50 years through the construction of several housing estates.
In recent years, Cherry Hinton has developed a thriving high street and become a major employer. The concentration of hi-tech computer businesses near the edge of the Fens has earned the area the title of Silicon Fen or the UK's Silicon Valley, a reference to the global tech hub in California's San Francisco Bay Area.
Among the major employers based in Cherry Hinton is the global headquarters of microprocessor manufacturer Arm, a semiconductor and software design company.
However, after recording a population of 9,343 in the 2021 UK census, many local residents believe the village has no remaining room for expansion.
Residents Raise Alarms Over Traffic Gridlock
Plans for Springstead Village to feature its own primary and secondary schools, a range of shops, community facilities, a village green, cycling infrastructure, and allotments have done little to allay local fears.
Emma Hyde, 54, said: "Cambridge is a small city and really is no bigger than a town. The Springstead Village is just one of the new developments being built in the area which is fantastic, but we have not got the roads to cope."
Hyde added: "The roads are choc-a-bloc all the time. People end up sitting in stationary traffic, especially at busy times and if they are on a school run. All the new houses round here have doubled the amount of traffic especially in the rush hours and you wonder how we are going to manage."
Another local dog walker questioned the overall necessity of the building work in the area, saying: "I don't like all the building that is going on. It is making Cambridge way too big and I question the need for it. I have lived here most of my life and the demographic has really changed in recent years. There is so much more traffic. Luckily for me, I cycle to work so I am not really affected, but others at my workplace have a real problem getting in."
Lynda Nicholson, 77, a retired hairdresser living in neighboring Teversham, also criticized the new estate's design and parking provision. She said: "I hate the new estate. I think the new houses look horrible. There is nothing appealing about them. You are lucky if each house has a single car parking space while these days most families have a couple of cars. Where are they all going to park? It just seems like they want to build on every bit of spare land around here. There is enough traffic on the roads already and all these new homes just make it worse. I dread to think what it is going to be like when it is finished."
Commuters Describe Daily Congestion Struggles
Simon Wisbey, 59, a bricklayer, raised similar concerns about traffic bottlenecks caused by construction work. He said: "It is bad enough at rush hours as it is without adding God knows how many more houses. They put in temporary traffic lights when they were creating the new entrance to the development and that led to traffic snarling up. The trouble with Cambridge is that everywhere you look, they are building new houses, but nothing is done to improve the roads. We have enough houses without adding even more."
Kelly Anstee, 40, an accountant from nearby Fen Ditton, described a recent journey driving her 11-year-old daughter Mia to Cherry Hinton to play netball. She said: "It is only a two or three mile journey, but it took for ever. It is not worth my while going home, because I would have to set off again ten minutes later to pick up my daughter. The traffic here is already a nightmare and I can only imagine it will get even worse with all this building work. Everyone wants to live here because it is really safe and a nice place, but there are too many people and too many developments."
Michelle Andrews, 40, a learning support mentor who has lived in Cherry Hinton since she was five, said: "We need more housing, but it impacts on everyone. I have lived here since I was five and in the last couple of years the new housing has become a nightmare. The traffic has become really dangerous. There are just too many of these developments. The new Springstead Village is on the edge of Teversham, and it's a shame because it is not really a village any more."
Support for Housing and Developer Commitments
Despite the opposition, some local residents expressed support for the project. Johan Victor, 52, a South Africa-born business development manager who has lived in the UK since 2020, said: "The new houses are a good thing and they are a sign that the place is thriving and getting bigger. The homes seem to be of good quality. But you have to make sure the roads can handle the extra traffic because the area is already very busy."
Ricky, 39, a security guard waiting at a bus stop outside Cherry Hinton's Nisa Local store, also supported the growth. He said: "I don't drive so I am not bothered. People need to live somewhere and growth is needed to build them homes."
Labour councillor Mark Ashton voiced support for the estate, which is being constructed by developer Bellway alongside social housing builder Latimer, part of the Clarion Housing Group. Ashton stated that the developers had been very cooperative, funding traffic measures including two new entrance junctions, one of which cost 3 million pounds.
Ashton noted that the site had been included in the local housing plan for around 30 years and underwent full public consultation. He said: "There will always be people who moan, but Bellway are doing their best to ensure facilities are being met. They are using two homes as a community centre and there is a playground. I also think there will be 1,500 trees planted. There will be around 40 per cent social homes. I think the houses look good. They have pitched roofs and are more attractive than the flat roof style houses elsewhere in Cambridge which look like prison blocks or Lego."
A spokesperson for Bellway Latimer defended the project as a sustainable neighborhood delivering needed housing and public space. The spokesperson said: "Springstead Village is a sustainable new neighbourhood delivering much-needed new homes, community facilities and public open space on the edge of Cambridge. The development's anticipated impact on traffic volumes was assessed as part of the planning application process and deemed to be acceptable by the local highways authority. The planning process included extensive consultation with members of the local community."
The spokesperson added that Bellway Latimer is executing multiple road and travel improvements alongside financial contributions exceeding 16 million pounds for local infrastructure under the planning agreement. The spokesperson said: "As part of the construction work at the development, Bellway Latimer is carrying out a number of road improvements. This has included junction improvements into Teversham village, new cycle lanes and improvements to existing cycling routes along with financial contributions to the local authority to undertake other off-site improvements."
The spokesperson concluded: "Footpaths, cycleways and bus routes are also being incorporated into the development. Bellway Latimer is also providing funding of more than £16 million towards local services and infrastructure through the planning agreement for Springstead Village. This includes more than £11 million for education and £1 million for bus services. Contributions are also being made towards pedestrian and cycle route improvements which will encourage the use of car-free travel."
