paradisenaturereserve

Update about Queens’ building works

Dear Friends,

Living in the Croft, walking through Paradise or accessing the shops, we are painfully aware of the fact that once the Council passed Conditions 8 and 14 on July 23rd, Queens’ lost no time in starting their development on Owlstone Croft, with frequent HGVs accessing the site coinciding with the cable laying for the development through the Croft . 

It was a disappointing outcome, but very clear from the meeting that the Council had made their decision to pass the Conditions, and were not listening to the concerns of the community about the traffic dangers and chaos, nor the negative impact on the Reserve. 

Jean Glasberg gave a brilliant presentation but was ignored, as was Emma from N C School, our Consultants’ reports, and all of you who wrote, came to the meeting, and gave vital financial support. The report that we helped to fund through the South Newnham Neighbourhood Forum was excellent, and very clear on all the ways in which the Transport Plan was deficient, but that was also ignored.

It is as bad as we feared, but now we have to move on and do our best to survive and ensure that the rules are kept (e.g. providing banksmen for all HGVs as they access the site). 

Our aim is to do our own monitoring of the wildlife and biodiversity of Paradise over the two year (or more) building period, and continue once the building is complete. 

We have started with a talk on Tuesday by ecologist Dr Olwen Williams on ‘Trees and other natives of Paradise’, which celebrated the rich biodiversity of the Reserve whilst showing what will be at risk. 

The new interactive website is a way that you can record what you see on your walks in the Reserve and will be useful for our record-keeping and  monitoring, so do please use it.  Here is the link again:

https://paradise-community.vercel.app/

With best wishes,

Pam

P.S. See attached documents which we submitted to the Planning Committee.

__Owlstone Submissions 22 July 2025.pdfDownload
Owlstone Croft Review of CTMP v12 July 2025 FINALDownload
paradisenaturereserve

UPDATE on Owlstone Croft: Please read

Queens’ Transport Plan going for Approval 

The Construction and Transport Management Plan is now due to go to the Planning Committee on the 23rd July, and if it is approved they plan to start work on the 28th July.

This Plan was the first time that we had been able to see what vehicles will be used, how many each day and for how long – it is quite shocking, and would have a huge impact on our whole community. 

Many of you have already written, and there are over 100 objections to the plans, but there is now a revised version which:

  • Proposes even more HGVs – 30 a daytravelling between the  playing field and the site at Owlstone Croft every day between 9 30 am and 2 30pm every weekday including Saturday  – 6 per hour – for at least 2 years. The contractor has said HGVs could take at least 12 minutes each to travel between the site and the Grantchester Street junction.
  • Has unspecified numbers of other construction and delivery traffic accessing the site all day from 8am to 6pm throughout the day, including large minibuses taking workers and equipment to and from the site.
  • Proposes using the diversion route along Eltisley Avenue and Grantchester Meadows while UK Power Solutions is carrying out cabling work in Grantchester Street and Owlstone Road over the summer holidays. 
  • Still has the ‘depot’ for vehicles and equipment at the Queens’ playing field on Barton Road, but now has only HGVs exiting onto Barton Road. Other traffic is now routed out of the back entrance,, using Fulbrooke Road and Grantchester Road to access Barton Road.
  • Has a Traffic Regulation Order approved to ban parking on the Owlstone Track and Short Lane, and proposes cutting back the verges and raising the crowns of trees to a height of 4 meres to allow access for construction traffic.
  • Will probably also mean banning parking on Grantchester Street given the concerns that have been raised about safety there.

With widespread parking restrictions and a large number of HGVs trying to negotiate our narrow streets in addition to all the usual traffic these plans would mean gridlock in Newnham Croft and the wider area for most of the day every weekday. 

 You can see the plans here:

22/02066/CONDR | Submission of details required by condition 14 (Traffic Management Plan) of planning permission 22/02066/FUL | Owlstone Croft Owlstone Road Cambridge Cambridgeshire CB3 9JJ

Even you have written before, please write again ASAP if you are concerned about these revised plans to the planning officer tom.gray@greatercambridgeplanning.org You need to give your name, address, and quote the planning reference number 22/02066/CONDR  

Please copy if possible to ward councillors:

cameron.holloway@cambridge.gov.uk.  hclough2@gmail.com.  jean.glasberg@cambridge.gov.uk  Peter.Rees@cambridgeshire.gov.uk  and Chair of the County Highways Committee  alex.beckett@cambridgeshire.gov.uk  

It will also be important for as many people as possible to attend the meeting of the Planning Committee on Wednesday 23rd July – please put the date in your diaries!

Finally, there are two surveys that seem particularly relevant to this issue:

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY SURVEY

The University of Cambridge is conducting a survey about the relationship between the university and the local community and has a survey open to find out more about residents’ views. 


COUNTY COUNCIL QUALITY OF LIFE SURVEY

Cambridgeshire County Council also has a survey on Quality of Life with topics such as life and community, transport, health and wellbeing, children and young people, the council, and its services. Find out more and have your say before Monday 21 July..