‘Worst traffic in Cambridgeshire’ fears as residents concerned about developments

Residents of one Cambridgeshire area have raised concerns about the impact on traffic of potential developments, with one saying increased traffic would make life a 'living hell'

05:00, 27 Jan 2026Updated 07:52, 27 Jan 2026

Hinchingbrooke residents fear traffic could get worse if future developments are built(Image: Hinchingbrooke Residents Association)

Residents fear facing the "worst traffic[1] in Cambridgeshire[2]" due to new developments proposed for land around Huntingdon[3]. These include the Hinchingbrooke Logistics Park[4], proposed for a site on the edge of Huntingdon, and Brampton Cross[5], a proposed employment park near the A1 and A14[6].

John Greenhalgh, a founding officer of the Hinchingbrooke Residents Association (HRA), said if Hinchingbrooke Logistics Park goes ahead, the area could experience the "worst traffic in Cambridgeshire".

He said: "Having lived on the estate for 25 years, I have seen it change from a small estate with about 250 homes that had no traffic problems. Then, to one that has approximately 2,000 residents in over 800 homes where residents, hospital staff and visitors regularly take around 30 to 60 minutes to get off the estate at peak times.

We have one road in and out and each time, and it gets worse with new developments."

John believes the proposed logistics park is "not an appropriate site for a development of such size and scale". He added that people on the estate are "already considering moving" as a result of the proposals.

John said: "Residents on the estate have concerns over increased journey times, noise and pollution, increased risk of flooding in the area, a worsening of their quality of life and potential devaluation of their homes. The building of a logistics park with 13 huge warehouses that will generate 2,500 HGV and LGV movements per day will inevitably lead to greater traffic congestion for those using Hinchingbrooke Park Road."

Traffic in the Hinchingbrooke area(Image: Hinchingbrooke Residents Association)

John is also fearful that Huntingdon will become more known for warehouses, rather than its history.

He added: "I fear Huntingdon will become known not for its history, beauty and proximity to the countryside, but because of the view of warehouses that people will see for miles around. It's going to overshadow all of the positive things."

Brampton Parish Councillor Chip Colquhoun, who is also a representative for a multi-parish working group concerned about Brampton Cross[7], said he is concerned about traffic and potential flooding.

"Even at present, our roads are running at full capacity," he said. "You only need to have a single accident and traffic gets diverted to the smaller villages. There is no capacity within our traffic system for one development, let alone several.

It's going to make people's travelling lives a living hell."

The proposed site for Brampton Cross is on flood 3 risk land, which means it has a "high probability of flooding". In 2024, Brampton was hit with severe flooding. Chip said developers "do not consider the surrounding area" for potential flooding.

He added: "They only look at the ground area and look at the flooding impact.

We have seen just in the last few years the devastation in and around Brampton that flooding has caused."

Alconbury parish councillor Lynne Pinn initially spearheaded the multi-parish working group for Brampton Cross. As well as campaigning against Brampton Cross, she supports other groups like HRA against these developments.

She said she is "extremely concerned" with the "volume and concentration" of developments being proposed in the area, adding that the potential impacts are "significant". Huntingdonshire District Council's draft local plan for 2046 identifies north Huntingdon as already having an "overloaded transport network", Lynne pointed out.

She added: "Traffic around Huntingdon, the A14 and the A1 is already struggling and there are no realistic solutions in place that would cope with the amount of growth implied by the growth cluster.

We are hugely at risk of long-term consequences for residents and therefore it is crucial that planning authorities robustly assess the cumulative impacts of strategic growth, rather than on an individual basis, using the developers' own evidence."

Lynne formed the multi-parish group concerned with Brampton Cross in June 2025 to "recognise the impacts of major development that extend far beyond an individual parish boundary". It is now steered towards a "widened response" in relation to Hinchingbrooke Logistics Park as well.

She is also concerned about the impact on traffic for Hinchingbrooke residents. She said: "That single access route, Hinchingbrooke Park Road, is part of critical infrastructure used for Hinchingbrooke Hospital, two schools, and the police and fire headquarters.

"Any deterioration in traffic conditions on this road raises serious consequences for emergency response times, public safety and the day-to-day operation of essential services."

The planning application for Hinchingbrooke Logistics Park was submitted by Newlands Development.

The developers propose 205,000sqm of employment floorspace, which could create around 2,000 jobs.

John Barker, senior development director at Newlands, said the developers have undertaken "extensive community engagement" for its proposals. Mr Barker added: "Our engagement has included a thorough programme of meetings and written correspondence with stakeholders including Huntingdon Town Council, Brampton Parish Council, the Stukeleys Parish Council, Alconbury Flood Group and Friends of Hinchingbrooke Country Park and most recently the Hinchingbrooke Residents Association since its formation in December 2025."

Mr Barker said the park will bring "much-needed employment space" to the area. He added: "It will deliver upgrades to the A141 in the form of a new roundabout and new and improved active travel routes, benefitting the wider community.

"We understand local concerns around visual impact, which has been assessed as part of our pre-application engagement with Huntingdonshire District Council officers.

One of the changes that we made as a direct response to comments has been to reduce the heights on Plateau A2. By combining high-quality employment space, sustainable design, and major investment in local infrastructure, Hinchingbrooke Logistics Park will play a defining role in Huntingdonshire's future prosperity."

A planning application has already been submitted for the logistics park, but one has not been submitted for Brampton Cross. Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) has responsibility for local planning decisions.

An HDC spokesperson said: "The Hinchingbrooke Logistics Park proposal will be reported to the Development Management Committee in due course, where it will be debated and determined.

The application is being assessed on its own merits, and consultation has taken place with statutory bodies, including Cambridgeshire County Council as Local Highway Authority and Lead Local Flood Authority.

"All representations received, including public comments, will be considered and are available to view on the Council's website. No planning application has been received to date for Brampton Cross.

"In relation to future development, consultation on the Preferred Options Draft Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2046 closed on 17 December 2025. All responses are being considered to inform the next stage of the plan, supported by a range of evidence, including an infrastructure delivery strategy to identify mitigation needed over the plan period.

Further information on the Local Plan 2046 is available online."

A spokesperson for the Brampton Cross project team said: "Last year, we held an extensive public consultation and met with representatives from 16 neighbouring parish councils as part of our commitment to open dialogue and listening to local voices throughout the design process for Brampton Cross - a project that has the potential to deliver around 15,000 new jobs for the region in line with the emerging CPCA Local Growth Plan and HDC Local Plan.

"We will continue to work closely with our technical consultants, local stakeholders and flood groups to ensure that the proposals address the feedback we have received throughout our consultation.

This collaborative approach will remain as the plans evolve, furthermore, there will be another round of public consultation before any planning application is submitted.

We remain committed to developing a scheme that responds responsibly to local needs and delivers long-term benefits for the area."

References

1. ^ traffic (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
2. ^ Cambridgeshire (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
3. ^ Huntingdon (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
4. ^ Hinchingbrooke Logistics Park (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
5. ^ Brampton Cross (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
6. ^ A14 (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
7. ^ multi-parish working group concerned about Brampton Cross (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)