New park and ride site off the M11 wins approval

A new park and ride site on the outskirts of Cambridge has been given final approval.

There will be 2,154 car spaces and 480 cycle spaces in Hauxton, just off junction 11 of the M11. Work is expected to start early next year.

The wider project will include new bridges for buses, pedestrians and cyclists.

The site will be on the opposite side of the motorway to the existing Trumpington park and ride site. Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) said that facility, which has 1,600 spaces, was often full.

Liberal Democrat councillor Brian Milnes, chairman of the GCP's executive board, said the site was "specifically designed to relieve traffic coming off the motorway or... from the A10".

It will also help people heading to Addenbrooke's Hospital or the biomedical campus site, he added.

The executive board approved the scheme at a meeting on Thursday.

Paul Bristow, the Conservative Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, criticised the £54m cost of the project.

"That's £25,000 per parking space," he told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

"Is that good value for money? I'm not sure it is."

However, there was support for the plans from residents living nearby.

Leigh, who lives in Harston, welcomed the construction of a cycle bridge over the M11.

He said it would make it safer for his family, including his three-year-old daughter.

"It takes away the fear of having to cross the road because there isn't really a good way of crossing," he said.

He added they may go into Cambridge "a bit more" than they do now.

Nadia Refioglu, who owns a cafe in Harston, also welcomed the move.

Her business is on the A10, and she said she hoped it would bring more customers to the village.

Construction work is expected to start next year.

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