Decision on new Cambridge sewage works delayed again

A decision on whether a new Cambridge sewage works can be built is facing further delays.

Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has pushed back the decision to April 2025, because of new planning policies.

A decision was expected in October 2024, before the deadline was extended to January 13 2025, to give officials more time to consider the plans.

Now, a decision has been delayed for a second time, with ministers publishing a new date of 14 April 2025.

What do we already know about the proposed new Cambridge sewage works?

• Anglian Water applied for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to ask for permission to build the new sewage works on land north of the A14 between Horningsea and Fen Ditton, known as Honey Hill.
• The plant is proposed to replace the existing sewage works in the north east of the city, in order for the land it sits on to be redeveloped as part of the North East Cambridge development, which is proposed to include around 8,000 new homes and new commercial buildings.
• The government has committed £277million to the project to build the new sewage works, with the overall cost estimated to be around £400million.
• The plans for the new sewage works have been met with backlash from people in the area, with some campaigners fighting the scheme for four years.