Cllr Elisa Meschini, chairperson of the Greater Cambridge Partnership executive board said:

“It is great that these key projects, which in some cases are well overdue, are progressing. The Cambridge South East Transport project in particular will be vital for the delivery and success of the new children's and cancer hospital. Sustainable transport solutions are required to enable access to the crucial, life-saving work being carried out in our great city.”

Cambridge South East Transport (CSET) project – phase two

The proposed CSET busway – alongside a new travel hub and walking and cycling route – is back on track after the executive board formally agreed to resume phase two of the project.

The GCP will ask Cambridgeshire County Council to submit a Transport & Works Act Order application to the government for permission to build the project, which will provide fast, frequent and reliable buses between communities to the south-east of Cambridge and the city.

It would take people from Cambridge to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Granta Park and Babraham Research Campus, providing direct links to employment and health sites.

The scheme was paused by the board last September subject to identifying new funding streams. The chancellor announced in the Spring Budget that £7.2m would be allocated towards the scheme to support the proposed expansion of CBC and thousands of new homes.

Cambridge Eastern Access

The board agreed to the submission of a planning application for a new and expanded travel hub to replace the existing Newmarket Road park and ride.

The preferred location, referred to as site P1, is immediately south of Newmarket Road and east of Airport Way and was the most popular among respondents to a public consultation in 2022.

It forms part of the Cambridge Eastern Access project which aims to significantly improve walking, cycling and public transport journeys to the east of the city including Newmarket Road.

Greenways

Early work on Adams Road in Cambridge and in Coton village to make walking and cycling safer will also begin following board agreement at the meeting.

The upgrades in Comberton would be part of the Comberton Greenway linking the village to Coton and Cambridge with a spur to Hardwick and would include traffic-calming measures and new landscaping.

A new zebra crossing and the 20mph zone will be expanded in Barton to improve journeys and road safety as part of the Barton Greenway project. Works are already underway to widen the existing path along Barton Road between the city and Haggis Farm roundabout.

Members also noted the greenways green and blue infrastructure strategy which will ensure the designs for each of the 12 new walking, cycling and wheeling routes are sensitive to the different landscapes and communities the greenways will travel through.

You can watch our executive board meeting back in full on our YouTube channel.