£180m Cambridge busway offer 'arrogant', campaigner argues
A decision on whether the busway should be built has not yet been made
A campaigner says council plans to find a deal to build a busway between Cambourne and Cambridge before a decision's been made is "arrogant".
Cambridgeshire County Council has put out an offer for contractors to come forward as part of a tender to build the busway, which stretches 8.7 miles.
It comes as the Department for Transport has yet to decide if the plans should go ahead.
"We've given it our all for 10 years," Anna Gazeley, whose father bought Coton Orchard, said.
"If it gets split in half, there will be a lot of damage done, (so) what can we try and do to make sure that fragments left of this already small fragment can sustain as much as possible?"
Coton Orchard is one of the areas of wildlife that lies directly in the path of the busway, which would be built via the Bourn Airfield development, Hardwick, Coton, and the West Cambridge site.
A pathway alongside the busway is also proposed for pedestrians and cyclists, while a travel hub is also planned at Scotland Farm.
Tender shows 'arrogance'
Anna gave evidence at a public inquiry into the scheme - known as the C2C busway - which closed in November, and has been vocal against the move.
In a tender notice online, the county council is offering a deal worth up to £180 million for a contractor from January 2027 to the end of 2030 to help build the route.
"There's an assumption that it (the busway) will be approved," Anna said.
"This scheme doesn't add up on any level, environmentally it's catastrophic, so to be quietly going forward I think is quite arrogant."
Previously, the county council estimated a contract for the building of the busway would cost around £168m, running from June this year to the end of 2028, with a possible extension to May 2031.
In its latest tender, the council said a contractor would be responsible for "sourcing and managing the appropriate specialist resources", as well as ensuring a "streamlined delivery, operational efficiency and effective contract management".
Busway could have 'far-reaching effects'
The authority said the scheme aims to improve capacity, journey times and reliability of passenger services that serve Greater Cambridge.
A spokesperson for the Greater Cambridge Partnership - which put together a case for the busway - has previously said the scheme would "support both existing and growing communities - helping residents to get where they need to be."
Anna said if the busway is built, it will have a wider impact on other communities for years to come.
"This decision has far-reaching effects, not just on people who are directly in the path, but knock-on effects to the environment and finances," she warned.
"Something that's blatantly a poor business case will put an enormous financial burden on an already wobbly council balance sheet.
"The timescale they've put on the tender could potentially go past the lifespan of the county council because of local government reorganisation, so how are we to believe these promises of these things happening?"