Huntingdonshire growth must be done at 'sensible pace', warns group
Growth is one area that local councillors will focus on after the elections
With local elections taking place this week, people in Huntingdonshire are wondering if growth can be achieved.
There are plans to make the area a place for growth, both in terms of the number of homes and in the defence sector.
But a recent report from Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) shows the area needs more than 1,200 homes per year to cope with demand.
"I'm not suggesting it's (growth) easy, but that's the job of councils and Government to have plans that allow growth to take place," John Greenhalgh, chair of the Hinchingbrooke Residents Association, said.
Population to rise by 55,000 in 20 years
The HDC report said by 2046, the district's population is expected to rise by around 54,700, a 29.1% increase.
It also stated there is a need towards "rented affordable housing rather than affordable home ownership".
There are also plans to create the North Hunts Growth Cluster, making the area a centre for defence intelligence.
In his local growth plan, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor Paul Bristow highlighted the cluster as an 'opportunity zone' that can bring investment, skills and jobs to the county as part of what he said is "the most ambitious plan for local growth anywhere in the country."
HDC and the Ministry of Defence believe the cluster can help deliver more homes, space for employers and improved infrastructure, including better connections between Huntingdonshire, Cambridge and further afield.
Growth must be 'sensible'
John is against plans to turn 205,000 square metres of land near Hinchingbrooke Hospital into a logistics park, which were passed by councillors last month.
He does welcome the idea of growth, but feels there has to be better facilities to achieve it.
"To have growth is great, but you have to have the growth with the infrastructure to support it," John said.
"One of my concerns is that infrastructure isn't in place and there doesn't seem to be much intention to provide sufficient infrastructure for the development that is proposed.
"To have a reasonable scale of growth is something to be commended, but it needs to be at a sensible pace to be supported by the infrastructure to go with it."
Huntingdonshire is controlled by a 'rainbow coalition', made up of Labour, the Liberal Democrats, Independents and the Green Party.
That's after the Conservatives failed to secure a majority at the 2022 elections.