Residents fear 'mega-sheds' will dominate horizon

Residents near a soon-to-be major logistics park with "mega-sheds" up to 24m (78ft) tall fear it will "dominate the horizon" and exacerbate traffic issues near a hospital, school and police headquarters.

Plans for the Hinchingbrooke Logistics Park in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, which is due to have 51 acres (205,000 sq m) of floor-space, were approved by Huntingdonshire District Council last month.

Joe Corrall, from Hinchingbrooke Residents' Association, said the park would be 150m (492ft) away from the nearest front door and locals will "fight the height of the buildings".

The developers said the scheme would "help meet an identified need for logistics and manufacturing space in the region".

It added there were "several prospective local occupiers interested in coming to the development".

The area stands to the north-west of Huntingdon in a field between the racecourse and Hinchingbrooke Country Park.

Those behind the plan hoped it could create between 2,400 and 3,300 jobs when open and have an "economic contribution estimated at £212-£476m" per year.

But Corrall said the field would be flattened "for these 13 mega-sheds to dominate the horizon".

"I believe they are putting some green land around the site, but it doesn't distract from the dominance of these massive buildings right on our doorstep," he said.

There are also concerns around traffic, with those locally claiming it can already get congested in the area around Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Hinchingbrooke School and Cambridgeshire Police's headquarters.

Sarah Palios, from the residents' association, said: "Once the logistics park is built there will be an increase in traffic flow of some 25,000 vehicle movements, I believe, and some of that is going to end up on an already full-to-capacity road."

She said they had been "pleading" with the council "for many, many weeks and months and years" to "put in suitable and appropriate road infrastructure so that these additional developments can be managed and can be accommodated".

"We also want to see new jobs in Huntingdon. We're not against that, but put the infrastructure in first," she said.

Sharon Lewis lives on Flamsteed Drive in one of the houses closest to the park.

She is concerned she may have a "regular view every single day, opening my curtains in the morning, [the park] will be the first thing that I see over the top of the trees instead of sky".

Corrall said the association did not have the funds for a judicial review, and unless that changes "all we can do now is prepare for reserved matters and fight the height of the buildings, fight that it's going to be a 24-7 operation, lights, noise, trucks, while our kids are trying to sleep".

An application for "reserved matters" is the next stage after outline planning permission has been granted. It will often include more detail around appearance, means of access, landscaping, layout and scale of the development.

A statement from developers Newlands Park, Huntingdon said there would be "significant publicly accessible green space, a new five-year subsidised bus service, a new safe crossing under the A141, and footpath and cycleway improvements".

"Cambridgeshire County Council, as highways authority, had no objection to the scheme. We recognise that some residents have concerns about the proposals, and Newlands will continue to engage with them through detailed planning, construction, and operation."

The county council said it had "assessed the potential traffic impact of the proposed Hinchingbrooke Logistics Park and, where possible, secured mitigation from the developer in line with planning guidance".

Huntingdonshire District Council said the recent decision by the development management committee was originally deferred from March to "allow further clarification, particularly in relation to highway impacts and access for emergency services".

It said the material was provided and reviewed and brought back to the committee on 20 April, during the pre-election period, when it was approved by six votes to five.

The council said it sought legal advice "which confirmed that the timing of elections is not a material planning consideration and cannot be used as a reason to delay or avoid determining an application".

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