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Campaigners have vowed to continue fighting the scheme but council bosses say enough is enough and are calling on the Government to throw out the scheme now. Cambridgeshire's planning chiefs say the scheme is now completely different from the one people were asked to comment on and should be scrapped. Hanley Grange branded laughableThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view itCambridge Evening News25 July 2008HANLEY Grange has been branded a laughing stock as council bosses urged the Government to ditch the controversial scheme. Jarrow Investments and Tesco have announced they would not be pulling out of the race to build 10 new eco-towns across the country after major landowner the Wellcome Trust said it would not be part of the scheme. Campaigners have vowed to continue fighting the scheme but council bosses say enough is enough and are calling on the Government to throw out the scheme now. Jarrow Investments originally announced 8,000 homes would be built at Hanley Grange, the figure then rose to 12,800 but now it plans to put at least 6,500 homes on its 264 hectare site near Hinxton. Cambridgeshire's planning chiefs say the scheme is now completely different from the one people were asked to comment on and should be scrapped. Matt Bradney, Cambridgeshire county councillor with responsibility for growth and infrastructure, branded the scheme "laughable" and called for it to be abandoned. "This is now just a farce and if it wasn't for the devastating consequences this may have it would be laughable. "These plans are completely different to what Government saw at the start and what Cambridgeshire residents were asked about." Duxford Cllr Tim Stone, who launched the Downing Street petition, said: "The whole thing is becoming farcical. "The latest proposal bears no relation to the original one. Now we are talking about 60 per cent of the original land mass and yet they are still talking about 6,800 houses. This is just madness." Alex Plant, chief executive of Cambridgeshire Horizons, added: "Without seeing the revised plans we are unable to comment in detail. "However, the key issues surrounding providing and funding of sustainable transport solutions are still there - and indeed may be worsened by this smaller scheme." Cllr David Bard, South Cambridgeshire District Council's portfolio holder for new communities, said the development appeared to have sacrificed employment land and open spaces to make way for homes. Julie Redfern chairman of the Stop Hanley Grange campaign, said: "Obviously we are disappointed but not surprised and we know there is still a battle on our hands. Tesco have got a lot of money to throw at this." The campaign would like to hear from anyone with relevant technical expertise who can join their team. Martyn Postle, Director of Cambridge Healthcare & Biotech, has even written to Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy expressing his disgust at the decision. He wrote: "As you should be aware, the decision you have taken today will have a hugely damaging effect on the local environment, the local economy and on the state of the biotech sector in the UK." Jarrow Investments and Tesco said it could provide a viable settlement. Nick West, Project Director for Hanley Grange, said: "Although the Wellcome Trust's decision is disappointing, the reduced size makes the proposals easier to design and deliver. "With reduced housing numbers over a smaller site, we can now create an eco-town with sustainable densities that will deliver the environmentally friendly benefits of the original proposals while minimising the effects of the scheme on the surrounding communities." |
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