How the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway came to Trumpington

Peter Dawson
November 2011

Ordnance Survey map showing the route of the Busway, November 2011.
The former railway cutting in hoar frost, looking east from Shelford Road bridge, 1995.

Photos: Peter Dawson.

A test run on the Busway, early 2011.

From 2003-11, Peter Dawson, with Ken Fletcher, coordinated the response of residents of 31 houses next to the railway cutting to the east of Hauxton Road to the development of the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway (CGB) around Trumpington village. This report describes the protracted process to plan and construct the Busway through Trumpington.

Background

Hailed by its promoters, Cambridgeshire County Council, as a vital contribution towards easing traffic congestion, especially on the A14, the concept of the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway was first presented in 2003 to a surprised and somewhat sceptical public, many of whom regarded it as a “white elephant” and the “misguided busway”.

The longest dedicated concrete guideway in the world, it was intended to provide rapid, comfortable and affordable transport between Huntingdon and Cambridge, utilising old railway tracks, except through Cambridge, and terminating at Trumpington Park & Ride.

Designated a County Wildlife Site, the cutting where the line ran alongside the Trumpington allotments then under Shelford Road and Hauxton Road bridges had, over 50 years, become overgrown with dense undergrowth and many mature trees. Residents of Cranleigh Close and Lantree Crescent, north and south of the cutting between the two road bridges, placed great value on this amenity, both as a screen providing a quiet, secure environment and as a wildlife haven. Following the closure of the railway, their gardens extended down the embankments to the track base.

Looking over the railway cutting from the garden of 7 Cranleigh Close, summer 2006.

In August 2003, residents’ anger and anxiety was voiced by the Trumpington Environmental Action Group (TEAG) in a letter to Cambridgeshire County Council. The Council replied in January 2004, confirming the use of the cutting, the need to stabilise embankments and to protect the gas main buried in the track bed.

Despite further objections by residents, the Council voted to proceed with the Busway scheme and served Compulsory Purchase Order notices to acquire the embankments and the ends of gardens.

All residents along the deep cutting, except one, agreed to be represented by TEAG at the forthcoming Public Inquiry and throughout ongoing liaison with the Councils and constructors.

Formal objections from TEAG and individuals were submitted to the Secretary of State in March 2004 without the help offered by the County Council. A draft Agreement on land purchase was rejected on TEAG’s advice at a residents’ meeting on 1 September 2004, with guest speaker County Councillor Anne Kent present. It was agreed to appoint a legal representative in matters leading to a compensation payment.

Costing £2.2m, the Public Inquiry into the Busway began in St Ives on 28 September 2004, later transferring to Cambridge where it ended on 1 December 2004. TEAG made representation through its chairman, Ken Fletcher, on five key topics: needs and transportation; engineering; construction and capital cost; Public Rights of Way; ecology and landscape and environment.

Throughout the Inquiry, Ken Fletcher emphasised the concerns of residents about possible damage to property through vibration, risk of damage to the high pressure gas main beneath the trackway, loss of screening, seclusion and safety caused by the removal of trees and other growth, impact on the green character of the area and drop in property values. Destruction of the important wildlife green corridor and loss of habitat would cause a drastic reduction in the wildlife population and the status of the cutting as a County Wildlife Site would be jeopardised as a result. The proposed land-take, involving in some cases the removal of sheds, greenhouses, etc., would diminish the amenity value of the smaller gardens. Single-track restriction through the cutting rendered impossible the target of four minutes for buses to run between the Park & Ride site and Cambridge railway station (when the line opened in 2011, this was timetabled as 13 minutes via Addenbrooke’s Hospital).

Having received the Inspectors report in June 2005, the Secretary of State, Alistair Darling, approved the scheme in December that year. The suggestion by residents to use the proposed Addenbrookes Access Road as an alternative to the cutting had been rejected, partly because delivery of the road was expected to be later than completion of the Busway. (In fact, the road was delivered nine months before the Busway opened.)

In January 2006, residents met to agree that the acquisition of land should be by a new Agreement, rather than through statutory enforcement. This was on the advice of their appointed legal representative, Jonathan Stiff of Chartered Surveyors, Smiths Gore.

In August 2006, the Council announced the Busway would cost £116.2m and open at the end of 2008.

TEAG submitted comments on the Ecological Management Plan and gas main protection proposals. Residents were being kept informed of developments through TEAG newsletters.

As construction of the southern section of the Busway was about to begin, the first of a series of Local Liaison Forum (LLF) meetings was held on 6 December 2006, chaired by Councillor Anne Kent and attended by Ken Fletcher, Peter Dawson, other residents and – from 2007 – representatives of the Trumpington Residents’ Association, with Council and constructor’s representatives present.

In December 2006, the Busway construction company, Nuttalls (later BAM Nuttall), began building their site compound and factory near Longstanton.

In early 2007, designs for the Long Road side track underpass and the main line rail bridge were received and comments returned. Work on these began later in the year.

Constructing the tunnel for the busway cycle path beside the Long Road railway bridge, September 2007.
Constructing the busway bridge to Addenbrooke’s Hospital over the main railway line, autumn 2007.

As part of the compulsory purchase procedure, the County Legal representatives, Bruton Knowles, sent each resident a Notice to Treat and Notice of Entry. These were completed and returned via Smiths Gore’s office.

In August 2007, after 21 active years, TEAG closed down, its functions now being performed by the Trumpington Residents’ Association (TRA). Ken Fletcher and Peter Dawson continued to act as residents’ representatives on Busway matters, the latter being a member of TRA.

In October 2007, Savills, for the Council, conducted independent surveys of properties as part of the compensation process. Survey details were sent to residents in 2008.

Confusion about clearance of the cutting, extent of land-take and alignment of fencing were voiced and the County’s responses received.

Initial clearance of the lower part of the embankments began in February 2008 but was stopped by City Councillor Philippa Slatter when residents strongly protested about the nature and extent of the work. A meeting of all parties concerned was held in the cutting. Smiths Gore sent details to residents plus a notice about a meeting in the Village Hall on 21 February. At this acrimonious meeting, residents expressed their dismay to Council and constructors representatives in strong terms.

Initial clearance of the railway cutting embankment, February 2008.

A revised programme for cutting work was presented at the Local Liaison Forum on 5 March 2008. Clearance would be far more extensive than originally stated, especially on the north embankment. A system for updating residents on progress of cutting work was initiated.

Work on protecting the gas main came to a halt in January 2009 when National Grid decided further inspection and pipe wrapping were necessary. This was not completed until March 2010, causing a serious delay to Busway construction in the cutting.

Warning sign for the gas pipeline through the cutting, spring 2008.

Meanwhile, construction was going ahead from Cambridge station and on into Clay Farm, the 53ft long concrete guideway ‘beams’, produced at the Longstanton site factory and stacked at Clay Farm, being laid by a giant purpose-built gantry.

Construction of the busway track, looking north and south from the Long Road bridge; beams in hand for the construction of the busway track, spring 2009.

In March 2009 came the bad news that much greater clearance would be necessary along the Cranleigh Close embankment on the north side of the cutting, to facilitate the removal and re-structuring of the slope and construction of a stabilising gabion wall at the base. A meeting in the cutting confirmed this and the clearance work was put on hold.

Further clearance of the railway cutting, spring 2009.

As the landscaping was a City Council responsibility, Simon Payne, City Director of Planning, having arranged and led the cutting meeting, wrote to BAM Nuttall on 6 April 2009 urging improvement in their relationship with residents. Consequently, full details of the works programme were sent to residents, some details of which still caused concern.

On 15 April 2009, Ken Fletcher and Peter Dawson experienced a short demonstration trip in a guided bus.

Demonstration trip by the busway buses, 15 April 2009.

BAM Nuttall reassured residents that not all vegetation needed to be removed. On 26 November 2009, all parties walked through the water-logged, muddy cutting to identify trees for removal or pruning and to look at land-take probabilities with a view to residents retaining as much of their gardens as practicable.

Site visit to the railway cutting, 26 November 2009.

As authorised by the City Arboriculture Officer, further tree clearance began in February 2010.

From March to June 2010 gas main protection slabs were laid and the cutting drainage system installed.

Looking east along the railway cutting from Shelford Road bridge, after clearance, January-February 2010.
Laying slabs along the railway cutting to protect the gas main, looking east from Shelford Road bridge, January-February 2010.

Busway construction, including the spur leading to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, a new bridge over Hobson’s Brook and the village bus-stop near the allotment site, was proceeding rapidly towards the cutting.

Laying the busway beams through Clay Farm, spring 2010.

On 26 April 2010, an amended Landscape Plan was received by residents. Their concern about clearance along the north embankment, security planting and risk of damage to trees and shrubs within gardens was conveyed to the City Council.

On 20 May 2010, the Cambridge News reported that the cost of the Busway was expected to reach £161m.

In May and June 2010, with all parties represented, each garden was surveyed to settle disputes over land-take and to identify structures to be moved or removed. Copies of the resulting reports were vetted by Peter Dawson, corrected and finally signed by residents as being acceptable.

Restructuring the embankment and constructing the gabion wall on the north side of the railway cutting, summer 2010.

With gas main protection slabs and the drainage system virtually complete, the gabion wall was built by the end of August 2010. Excavation and re-building of the Cranleigh Close embankment was completed during the summer.

Unstoppable water flowing from a mysterious pipe emerging under Hauxton Road bridge from the Park & Ride site had to be fed into the new drainage system to prevent continued flooding in the cutting.

A mysterious water pipe in the railway cutting under Hauxton Road bridge, June 2010.

With Smiths Gore representatives and Peter Dawson present, visits to gardens took place in September 2010 to agree the alignment of the Busway boundary fence.

The giant gantry was slimmed from its double to single guideway format and its height reduced in order to squeeze through Shelford Road bridge and continue its work along the deep cutting.

Laying the busway beams in the railway cutting, looking east from the Shelford Road bridge and under the west side of Shelford Road bridge, September 2010.

During September and October 2010, the side track base was laid with cable conduit pipes set inside.

The boundary fence was erected along the top of both embankments according to an alignment agreed by residents. A new chain-link fence was erected along the footpath leading from Shelford Road.

Laying the side track base in the railway cutting, looking from Cranleigh Close, September 2010.
Erecting the boundary fence on the north side of the railway cutting, September-October 2010.

During autumn 2010, remedial work was carried out on Hauxton Road bridge and, to a lesser degree, on Shelford Road bridge. Metal traffic safety barriers were installed on both bridges.

Remedial work on the brickwork of Hauxton Road bridge, September 2010.

On 3 November 2010, Ken Fletcher, Peter Dawson, Jonathan Stiff and Annabel Mason (Smiths Gore) met to discuss aspects of claims for compensation to be paid by the County Council to residents for loss of land and amenity and devaluation of property. Annabel Mason and Peter Dawson visited every garden on 18 November to measure areas of Compulsory Purchase land to be retained inside the new fence by residents.

Extensive work to construct the end of the Busway from Hauxton Road bridge up to the Park & Ride site was completed.

Constructing the exit from the busway to the Trumpington Park & Ride site, under Hauxton Road bridge, September 2010.
The completed busway under Hauxton Road bridge, early 2011.

With the guideway completed along its full length from St Ives to Trumpington, test runs were made by buses.

The completed busway through the former railway cutting, looking east from under Hauxton Road bridge, with a the car trap to prevent illegal or accidental use of the guideway, early 2011.

Planting along the embankment began in December 2010.

On 10 January 2011, an independent safety audit of the entire Busway was undertaken.

The Local Liaison Forum on 20 January 2011 received notification that the public art time capsule, filled with Trumpington artefacts collected by Peter Dawson, had already been placed beneath the north side village bus-stop platform without the ceremonial event promised by the authorities. It is marked by a slab bearing the image of a stylised ‘green man’.

A slab covering the time capsule buried under the east-bound platform of the Trumpington bus stop on the guided busway, early 2011.

The last of the meetings of the Local Liaison Forum was held on 26 January 2011. Throughout the meetings, Ken Fletcher and Peter Dawson acted as a direct line of communication between the cutting householders and the Guided Busway Team. They had provided essential information about residents and ownership of properties. All parties concerned expressed appreciation of the value of the meetings.

In January 2011, the final tree-work was carried out in the cutting.

The final phase of tree clearance in the railway cutting, early 2011.

Procedure for claims for compensation began in April 2011.

The Busway was officially handed over to the County Council by BAM Nuttall on 21 April 2011. Certain unfinished work, including defects and black-topping the side track, would be undertaken by the County Council.

The dispute between the County Council and BAM Nuttall over cost of lateness and a budget overspend of £9.0m remained unresolved.

Driver training took place in early 2011 and in the build up to the opening.

A test run on the guided busway, looking east along the railway cutting from Shelford Road bridge, early 2011.

The Busway officially opened on Sunday 7 August 2011, over two years late and reportedly costing £180m. Services started on the Trumpington route on Monday 8 August 2011.

Cover of the Busway timetable. Cambridgeshire County Council, August 2011.

Services on the Busway through Trumpington, October 2011. Photos: Andrew Roberts.

The ‘brick wall’ on the Busway, at the junction of the railway route and the Addenbrooke’s spur, 24 November 2011. Photos: Andrew Roberts.