A group of over 30 parish councillors and organisations have grouped together to call on a council to look at its local planMembers of Pause the Plans. Left to right – Graham Campbell, Lynne Pinn, Chris Stening, Ruth Southworth and Paul Boothman(Image: Cambridgeshire Live)Locals have urged a council to “pause” its local plan as they fear the thousands of homes planned could lead to overdevelopment. Under Huntingdonshire’s District Council’s Draft Local Plan for 2026, more than 24,000 homes could be built in areas including Huntingdon and St Ives.Locals including residents and parish councillors said they are concerned at the impact this could have on infrastructure including roads and doctors. As a result, over 30 parish councils and organisations have joined together in the ‘Pause the Plan’ campaign.It asks HDC to thoroughly assess the impact it could have and to compile more evidence together before the plans are given the go-ahead.Several concerned parish councillors and a local resident have shared their thoughts on the local plan. Chris Stening, of Ellington Parish Council, said the proposed number of new homes is essentially creating a “new town”.He said: “When you put in a new town, you get all of the infrastructure considered. But what we’re seeing in this area is lots and lots of relatively small developments. But when you total them, it’s like creating three more St Ives all in this area.”Chris believes there has been “no consideration” towards the impact it could have on water and road infrastructure. He added: “That’s the real problem with the plan. That’s why we’re asking the local authorities to collect some evidence and fill the gaps to understand what infrastructure requirements are needed and then actually come up with a property community impact assessment.”Resident Ruth Southworth feels that St Ives could “lose its identity” if the homes are built. Ruth said: “In the local plan, there is no map of the cumulative effect.“I don’t think they properly thought through the infrastructure. We have issues with flooding, we have issues with water and water supply. To have a development of this size in such a small area means you’ve also got to consider roads.“Sometimes it can take an hour to just come out of St Ives. We have one river crossing in St Ives and one at Huntingdon. With the floods, that’s even more challenging.”Like the rest of the group, Ruth would like to see the plan paused. Paul Boothman, chair of Houghton and Wyton Parish Council, said the group is “not against development”.However, he added: “It’s really important we have it, especially affordable housing. This is an expensive place to live and not affordable. One of the other issues we have it we also need jobs. But, there seems to be an imbalance between the jobs that this will create and the housing numbers of the people that will actually be occupying those houses.“The risk we’ve got, or the worry we’ve got, is that if we’re not careful in building such a concentrated development in such a small area, we’re gonna end up with housing for people who won’t actually have jobs here.“There won’t be enough created and people will be commuting. That’s going to lead to even more gridlock and infrastructure issues that we already face, but it’s going to make the situation worse.”Graham Campbell, from the Great Ouse Valley Trust, is concerned about the environmental impact of the developments. He said: “We live in one of the most attractive and important landscapes. It’s not recognised in the local plan and it’s what gives our whole area identity. That’s very important to us.“Again, we’re not against development, that’s essential. But, the overall planning and concept [we want the council] to appreciate and reflect the value of this landscape for tourism, but also for local people to enjoy.”A HDC spokesperson has said the council is currently progressing the local plan. The spokesperson said: “We are progressing the Local Plan in line with current government legislation, which requires submission of the Proposed Submission Plan to the Planning Inspectorate, alongside all public comments, by December 31, 2026.”An independent Planning Inspector will then undertake a thorough examination of the draft plan and supporting evidence, including public hearings, to consider all representations and recommend any necessary changes.” The council is also aware of the Pause the Plan.The HDC spokesperson added: “We are aware of the concerns raised by the ‘Pause the Plan’ group and have reflected these in updates to our timetable. The next phase of public consultation will now begin in September 2026, providing additional time to consider the initial outcomes of local government reorganisation proposals and to finalise supporting evidence.”This includes ongoing work with partners such as the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority on key transport infrastructure, including the A141 and St Ives improvements scheme.”Starting consultation in September also avoids the main summer holiday period while ensuring we can still meet the national deadline. Failing to do so would require restarting the Local Plan under new legislation, delaying the delivery of an up-to-date plan for Huntingdonshire’s communities.”
Locals say plans for thousands more homes ‘like building new town’
