As you may know, in response to rapid economic expansion, we may have to find space to build 45.000 new homes by 2016 within the Cambridge area. The debate is where and how many in any settlement.

Three possible locations would be on disused land owned by the Ministry of Defence at Waterbeach, Oakington and Wyton (Hunts.) Between them there would be 16 - 17.000 homes plus firms to offer jobs. Infrastructure would be needed but there would be the prospect of using the disused St. Ives railway as a transport artery for two of the villages. All three would be popular with the Government as the land has been used before and qualifies for the description "brownfield" and does not mean taking farm land from the green belt.

Another suggestion coming from the local entrepreneur Peter Dawe would develop a large new town based on Oakington/Longstanton.

A further suggestion aims at the Six Mile Bottom area. I warned the author of that idea that nearby Hare Park had been rejected before and any reappearance of that on the list would raise a whirlwind of objections!

All the above ideas are only in a very early stage of discussion, but I warn us all that we should be watchful about what might happen in the Cambridge hinterland as the next millennium gets under way.

COUNTY LETTER MID-MAY 1999

Starting a new financial year coupled with better weather means an outburst of action on our highways.

Resurfacing and reconstruction works, already completed or soon to start include roadside (haunch) repairs along the Newmarket Road in Burwell up to the county boundary, similarly smaller scale repairs on Heath Road, Swaffham Bulbeck, patching and earthing up of the Great Drove area in Swaffham Prior, to re~surfacing of the Bottisham to Lode road. Burwell Causeway and part of High Street will receive attention shortly as will the remainder of High Street, Swaffham Bulbeck.

In the longer term I still hope for money to pay for work on the right-hand side (looking south) of Bell Road, Bottisham which gives at present a bad impression as one enters or leaves the village.

Turning to paths and footways, the weed sprayer is literally walking round our villages so as to pin-point sprouting weeds at their lushest. Later this summer he will return and, one hopes, put on the knock-out blow on any weeds trying to recover. I have asked for flattening of weed eruptions on tarmac paths, but our officers think cutting out the worst ones is the best treatment.