Changes to the Sunday Busway timetable will see buses run every 15 minutes from Impington to Cambridge City Centre, but there will be cuts to services to Cambridge North station.
Currently, three buses an hour leave St Ives Park & Ride after 9am on Sundays, routed via Histon to Cambridge City. Two of these are on ‘B’ routes past Cambridge North station.
From Sunday 20 April, the frequency and capacity from St Ives will be increased, with four buses per hour into the city. Three of these will be on ‘A’ routes via Orchard Park, but the number of buses on the ‘B’ route will be reduced to one per hour.
The new timetable will apply to Sunday buses during the day, but not early mornings or evenings. A Stagecoach East spokesperson told HI HUB: “…when coming out of Cambridge New Square the extra services will start at 10.36am and finish at 6.31pm.”
As the changes will take place over the Easter weekend, when Sunday services apply on the public holidays, the current timetable will run on Good Friday, but the new timetable will be in place on both Easter Sunday and Monday.
Congestion changes
Other Busway changes coming into service from 20 April are being made to give more time to allow for traffic congestion in Cambridge.
Service B will see minor timetable updates at peak times and Service A will travel to St Ives via Park Terrace instead of Gonville Place.
Ross Barton, Operations Director at Stagecoach East, is calling for more action to tackle congestion. He said: “We only ever make changes to our timetables after considering every option, but the fact is that congestion in and out of Cambridge means that our buses just cannot meet the times set on existing timetables.
“We know what an important artery the Busway is for people needing to travel into Cambridge, so I would call on everyone concerned with our local roads to continue to work together to avoid delays.
“We live and operate in a dynamic, forward-looking city, and the Busway is an essential part of that, so we need to make sure that buses are able to get through.”
A health and safety investigation is now underway after a 13-year-old boy was injured in a collision on the Busway. The incident happened on the afternoon of 4 March near Orchard Park.
The boy, a pedestrian, was struck by a single decker bus travelling in the direction of Cambridge. He was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital by ambulance in a “serious condition”. An update from Cambridgeshire Police today (13 March) explained he “remains in a serious but stable condition in hospital” and his injuries are “not life-threatening”.
‘Aware and investigating‘
Meanwhile, the Health and Safety Executive has confirmed the collision is on its radar. “We are aware of the incident and are investigating,” its spokesperson said.
Stagecoach East previously acknowledged one of its vehicles was involved but a spokesperson explained it would not be appropriate to say anything further at this stage.
Cambridgeshire County Council, which is responsible for the Busway infrastructure, said it is working with the emergency services and other partners as “a full investigation is underway”.
Parish council discussion
Ros Hathorn, H&I’s councillor for Cambridgeshire County Council, has included Busway safety in her update for the Parish Council meeting on Monday (17 March).
In it, she said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends involved in the tragic incident on the Busway in early March.
She said: “I am pushing for local safety issues to be listened to and have heard rumours about new safety measures including fencing off ‘break throughs’ which will reduce the connectivity between the two sides of the Busway.
“So far I haven’t been able to get a clear response on what is planned.”
Histon & Impington residents would be able to use a new off-road route linking Histon and Cottenham if proposals for a new Greenway are approved.
Plans for the new route – which starts in St Ives – include a 3m-wide hard path being built parallel to the Oakington Road from Westwick to Cottenham, plus a 2m-wide grass verge for soft surface users such as horse riders.
This would mean that pedestrians could use the popular Gun’s Lane footpath to start an off-road walk to Cottenham. The proposed Greenway also links with the Cambridge-St Ives Busway at Westwick.
This is one of 12 proposed Greenways, which aim to make local walking, cycling and horse riding journeys safer and easier – connecting villages along the route to each other and Cambridge.
A consultation on the plans has been launched by Greater Cambridge Partnership, with an online survey that will remain open until midday on Friday 31st March.
Proposals for a new busway and active travel route connecting Waterbeach and Cambridge include two potential route options, both of which would pass through Histon & Impington to join up with the existing Guided Busway.
This would be one of four new busways around the city linking Cambridge with the surrounding areas, all aiming to take buses off the road network to avoid congestion. The need for this is particularly pressing around Waterbeach New Town, where planned employment and housing growth will see around 9000 new homes in the coming years.
The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) is running a consultation on their busway proposals, including an in-person event in Histon on 21 February, for residents to learn more about the proposals and ask questions of the project team.
The two route options for the busway both start at a relocated Waterbeach Railway Station, which will serve Waterbeach New Town as well as the existing village. They would then head across the A10, potentially to a new Park & Ride site.
The ‘Western Option’ busway would then run south west, significantly to the west of the Mere Way boundary that marks the border between Histon & Impington and Milton.
The route would cross fields to the west of Landbeach to reach a signalled crossing at Milton Road, Impington. After that it would pass behind the residential properties around St Andrew’s Way, and cross fields again to connect with the existing Guided Busway. A new junction would be created on the Busway to the east of the Impington bus stops on Station Road.
Buses could then continue on into Cambridge via Histon Road or Milton Road.
Busway option – Revised central route. Image: Greater Cambridge Partnership
The ‘Revised Central Option’ would start on the same route from Waterbeach, but continue to the east of the Mere Way boundary and east of Landbeach, until it reaches the Milton Park & Ride site.
At that point some buses heading south towards Cambridge would turn onto Butt Lane and continue towards Impington on Milton Road.
Before reaching the residential edge of the village, the route would turn off south towards Cambridge, across fields, to meet the existing Guided Busway.
Common characteristics
For both options the route would be mainly off road, only interacting with other traffic at junctions and a short section along Butt Lane/ Milton Road. These roads would be widened and improved to make space for the buses and become more suitable for active travel.
Junctions with Butt Lane/Milton Road – Revised central route. Image: Greater Cambridge Partnership
Junctions between existing roads and the new Busway would be controlled by traffic lights, with bus priority built in.
New bus stops bus could be provided around Landbeach and on Butt Lane.
GCP envisages that both routes would be integrated with existing bus services to provide good connections, including through the Darwin Green development.
Duplication
Both of the proposed busway routes would run very close to Mere Way, where controversial improvements to this Public Right of Way were due to begin last year.
Safety concerns about the plans for Mere Way – especially the absence of lighting – were raised by County Councillor Ros Hathorn, but no resolution was found. So given that new infrastructure for walking and cycling would be developed alongside both busway options being considered, is there still a need to convert this rural route to be used for active travel rather than leisure?
Mere Way. Photo: Brian Whitehead
HI HUB asked GCP about plans for lighting the active travel route. A spokeperson said: “We are in discussions with Cambridgeshire County Council’s Street Lighting Team to confirm the lighting strategy for the busway.
“The current assumptions are the busway will be lit at junctions and that the active travel route may have some form of lighting, such as solar studs, along its length. The nature of the lighting is to be confirmed at the next stage of the study.”
As for plans for a joined-up approach to the use of Mere Way and the Busway, they said: “This is not a GCP scheme, but we have had regular engagement with Urban and Civic as they have developed their plans for Mere Way. We see the two projects as both compatible and complementary to each other.”
Have your say
The consultation is now live and will run to midday on Friday 24 March. The findings from this will go back to GCP’s Executive Board in June, together with recommendation for a preferred route option.
Histon & Impington residents are being encouraged to take part in the consultation by reading the consultation proposals, attending an event – either online or in person – and completing an online survey.
The Histon & Impington event will take place at the St Andrew’s Centre on Tuesday 21 February from 4.30pm – 7.30pm.
Other related documents, including detailed technical drawings of the proposed routes through Histon & Impington, can be found here . (See the Revised central corridor and Western corridors sections 1 and 2)
Anyone wanting to complete a hard copy of the survey, rather than the online version, should call 01223 699906.
As our brand new busway brunch stop welcomes its first customers this week, Amanda Borrill has been checking out what we can all expect to find inside.
In the space of less than a fortnight, two new independent brunch venues have opened their doors here in Histon & Impington. The latest of these arrivals, Histon Station House Café, is the venture of local man David Harrison and its opening on Wednesday this week has brought with it an added buzz of activity to the area around the Guided Busway. The lure of a refreshment stop here for cyclists and walkers alike is likely to be strong and dog walkers will be delighted to hear that well behaved dogs are welcome at the café – with water bowls readily available.
So, what exactly can we expect to find behind this attractive new facade? Owner, David Harrison, reveals: “Lots on offer! We will be serving brunch all day from 8:30am until 3:30pm with the doors closing at 4:30pm. There will be healthy brunch dishes on Fitzbillies’ sourdough & English muffins, sweet treats including waffles and cakes, Hot Numbers coffee, milkshakes and smoothies. It will be table service throughout with a take-away option also available.
The new menus. Available to view on Instagram and Facebook. Photo Jemima Borrill.
“Our menus can be found on Instagram or Facebook and a website is currently under construction – just awaiting a few photos before launching.
“For now, I have taken the decision to open six days, with us being closed on a Tuesday. As a new business with a new team, I wanted to make sure I prioritised a good working balance and one of my team, quite rightly, pointed out that this includes me. We will review things after the first month; with an extension on the opening hours on the cards too when the time is right”.
One person who has been finding it especially hard to contain her excitement about this week’s opening is David’s five-year-old daughter Mila who, David tells me, has spent the duration of the building works playing ‘spot the difference’ as things progressed and now has David’s entire staffing problems resolved with the recruitment of her year 1 classmates!
Early experiences
Station House Café’s arrival has been equally eagerly anticipated within the community and I tracked down a couple of visitors happy to share their early experiences.
Setting a record at four visits in this opening week, is Impington resident Nick Wood. Nick went along for David’s pre-opening trial run on Monday and now seems to be single-handedly striving to ensure these doors stay open. I asked Nick how he feels about having this inviting new coffee stop just a few minutes walk from home:
Tea for one. Photo Nick Wood.
“At the pre-opening trial day I ordered the ‘modern breakfast’ as opposed to the traditional one – salmon, poached eggs, avocado and some other stuff. Well presented, tasty and well priced. My brunching partner had a raspberry macaron, which she declared ‘delicious’. The coffee was also very good. The staff were very helpful and courteous and, considering it was their first day on the job, did brilliantly.
“It’s a splendid setting and it’s been so good to sit outdoors watching the world go by. My wife has told me I need to spend less money in cafés but, with quality like this, I suspect I’ll be in even more trouble than usual. A great addition to the south of the village. Expect house prices in South Impington to rise exponentially. I’ll be back!’”
Also there for the pre-opening was Impington resident John Gooch:
Tomato, chickpea and egg stew, as enjoyed by John Gooch this week. Photo John’s own.
“I went along with three friends to the soft opening on Monday. The service, the coffee and the brunches were really tasty and not your ordinary food – great work by David and his team! We tried their bruschetta, overnight oats (to die for and so simple) and a tomato, chick pea and egg stew – which had a hint of spice and was delicious. We all loved it – now if only he could get Fitzbillies Chelsea buns there…”
Across the community
Amid the excitement of recent new arrivals, this weekend sees long time resident, The Geographer, closing its doors after eight years here in our village with their business taking a change in direction and heading online. COVID and its restrictions has certainly challenged the hospitality industry right across the UK and here in Histon & Impington we have seen our village venues, including Vision Park’s d:licious and Histon Smokehouse, forced to continually evolve and adapt to survive over the last sixteen months.
Newcomer Stir CB24 is continuing to attract new regulars and has now submitted its application for the creation of an external drinking/dining area behind its School Hill unit. You can view the application and submit your thoughts, here.
Planners have firmly rejected proposals for demolishing Kendal Court – the buildings around Station Stores on Cambridge Road, Impington – and redeveloping the area with high density residential accommodation.
Developers had applied for permission to develop the whole site with a building containing 28 apartments and two commercial units, in an L-shaped configuration at the corner of Cambridge Road and the guided busway.
But planning officers for South Cambridgeshire have provided 7 grounds for planning permission to be refused.
Objections
The Parish Council has been a vocal objector to the proposals. On behalf of the community, it made 27 objections to the original plans, and 24 objections to the revised version submitted to planners when it became clear that the initial proposal failed to adequately address local needs and concerns, or meet the requirements of the Village Design Guide.
Among the issues it raised were the absence of affordable housing; inadequate parking provision; and the density of residential accommodation that would be created in the area surrounding the former railway station, where more than 50 new properties have either been built or are under construction on the former Bishop’s site opposite. It also commented on the strain a development of this scale would place on the already-overstretched doctor’s surgery, and the loss of business premises in the area, which was formerly home to Anglia Fireplaces as well as Station Stores and Richard Stebbings Funeral Service.
Others who objected to the plans included the Local Highway Authority, which expressed concerns about vehicle manoeuvring from the site to the road, and the Local Flood Authority, unhappy about surface water drainage arrangements.
35 residents responded to the public consultation, commenting on issues including inadequate provision for cyclists and the visual impact of the four-storey development on the area.
Planners also felt that the private and communal outdoor amenity space available to residents in the properties would be inadequate.
The developers who own the site are now faced with choices about how to proceed.
While they could appeal the decision, success seems unlikely given the number of reasons given for rejecting the proposed scheme.
They could adjust the proposal and resubmit, or alternatively – unless they choose to sell the site on to someone else – they will need to go back to the drawing board to come up with a scheme that addresses the points raised by planners.
Parish Council chair Denis Payne commented: “We are delighted that this particular scheme has been rejected. The site is designated as an area for mixed development, so that the area around the guided busway stop could become a gateway to the village, with destination businesses creating a lively 7am to 10pm area.
“The proposed plans would have added a significant amount of residential accommodation but not provided the associated amenities and facilities that a growing village needs, and did nothing to address the serious problem of affordable local housing.
“It seems likely that the developers will offer an alternative scheme, and we hope they will take this fully into consideration before resubmitting ideas for the site.”
The recently renovated Station House on Histon Busway will soon be reopening its doors in the form of a funky new brunch venue. Amanda Borrill has been chatting to founder, David Harrison, to find out more.
Histon Station House Cafe logo. Graphic courtesy of David Harrison.
The community of Histon & Impington has a deep affection for its station and the renovation of the area around what is now the Guided Busway, including a stylish revamp of the derelict Station House building, has been watched by many with great interest. This summer, local entrepreneur David Harrison is set to breathe new life into the neighbourhood with Histon Station House – a brand new independent brunch stop. I asked David what led him down this road and how he sees his new venture fitting in amid our existing abundant cafe scene.
How it all began
“I grew up in Girton but now live here in Histon. I was a student at IVC too so my connection to the area goes back all the way. In fact I used to cross the fields back to Girton using the train line long before the guided busway was built. Having also opened The Boot for White Brasserie and been part of the street coordinator scheme this last year, I feel a very strong connection to the village!
Mila’s vision. Photo David Harrison.
“I was out walking with my five year old daughter, Mila, while homeschooling in January and she asked me what the building site was going to be by the busway. I replied it would be a cafe, to which her immediate response was ‘can it be our cafe?’ Later that day she decided her art work for the day would be designing a cafe for me. That night it was mounted on the wall by her bed where it still sits today”.
From childhood imaginings to reality
“On a whim, I emailed the agent, Bidwells, to find out who was going to be running the cafe. A few days later I was having a meeting with the landlord. The former owner of the site, Ken Hart, had passed away and the family wanted the building to continue as a cafe, as he had intended. I had happened to email at precisely the right moment thanks to my daughter’s imagination! She is insisting that she has a job at weekends washing dishes as it is most certainly “our” cafe to her and she wants to be fully involved”.
What’s in store
Open seven days a week, the cafe will be a table service brunch cafe. There will be a variety of healthy brunch dishes, sweet treats in the form of waffles, Hot Numbers coffee and homemade cakes. There will also be smoothies and milkshakes, a kids menu and plenty of vegan options. From Monday to Saturday they will be open from 8:30am – 4:30pm with food finishing at 3:30. Laid back Sundays will see them open a little bit later at 9:30am – with the same 4:30pm closing time.
David’s new venue will bring the total number of cafes within the community of Histon and Impington to six – all of which are independently owned. I asked him whether he thinks there is sufficient demand for another coffee stop and, from his response, it is clear he has no intention to throw neighbouring business owners under any busway buses:
“I think this end of the village will easily support a wider offering. I will be steering clear of the retail side of things as well as the sandwich trade to limit crossover with the The Geographer and d:licious. The guided busway provides passing trade from a wide range of people including cyclists, walkers, business commuters and students. Added to that we have around 100 new flats being built around the Station House. I believe Station House Cafe will be a positive addition to this end of the village and bring a little vibrancy”.
David hopes to open in mid-July. Keep an eye out here on HI HUB and on local social media for up-to-date news. You can also read more about his venture on the Station House Cafe Facebook page, here.
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