The busway will be delivered in part on the Cambridge Green Belt. It faced substantial opposition, with over 300 objections to the application, many of which were heard during the eight-week inquiry into the application last autumn.

Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council (“the Councils”) provided the principal evidence on the need for the Order Scheme as an important element of the current and emerging spatial strategy for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire. This strategy seeks the protection of the historic core of Cambridge and its surrounding Green Belt while also promoting the city’s world-leading University and (inter)nationally important economy, particularly in life sciences.

The Secretary of State accepted the Councils’ evidence regarding the link between the Scheme and the emerging and adopted spatial strategy. In particular, she found that this strategy is dependent upon the provision of sustainable transport infrastructure to support major planned development west of Cambridge and that the Scheme would directly facilitate the implementation of that development. On the benefits of the Scheme she highlighted the Council’s submission that “transport connections facilitate in-person encounters which drive innovation”.

Overall, the Secretary of State found that matters weighing against the Scheme were outweighed by its benefit. Therefore, very special circumstances existed to justify inappropriate development in the Green Belt, and the less than substantial harm to designated heritage assets was outweighed by the public benefits. She also found that there was a compelling case in the public interest to authorise compulsory acquisition of land for the purposes of the Order Scheme.

The Secretary of State’s decision letter and the report of the Panel can be found here.

Esther Drabkin-Reiter acted for Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council, instructed by Richard Pitt of 3C Shared Services – Legal Practice.