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The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) want to build an off-road busway from Cambourne to Cambridge (C2C), at an estimated cost of at least £200 million.
We fully support the development of much-needed infrastructure and better transport links from the west of Cambridge into the city and other key destinations. But it is clear that, for many reasons, the GCP's off-road scheme is not a good solution. The proposed route will cut through Green Belt land and the county's largest traditional orchard. It will irreversibly damage landscape, views and habitats. It does not provide direct journeys to most key destinations. It is extremely poor value for money. But there is a viable, cost-effective alternative route, which:
September 2026: Transport and Works Act Order Approved
The application for this scheme was the subject of a Public Inquiry. The Inquiry opened on 15th September and concluded on 21st November 2025.
On Tuesday 8th September, we learnt that the Planning Inspectors overturned objections, recommending that the Secretary of State approve the scheme. The Secretary of State has accepted the recommendation and given approval for the CtoC Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) granting permission for Cambridgeshire County Council to build a road-based sensor-guided busway. You can read the letter and the Inspectors' Report here. The County Council and Greater Cambridge Partnership’s next steps will be to complete the tendering process and move on to detailed planning of the proposed busway. In the next few days the CBAG Committee will meet to discuss whether there are grounds for objection to the order and what actions we might now take, for example when the costed proposal goes to the County Council for approval. Running and being part of campaigns of this nature is vital in attempting to preserve our green spaces and wildlife. We have always known that, statistically, the majority of these campaigns fail, and in the face of the government’s growth agenda for Cambridge it was always an uphill struggle. To all of you who have so generously given your time, effort, hearts and minds to the campaign over the last 12 years in the fight to save the natural environment that surrounds Coton, we are profoundly grateful and share your disappointment. Many people have given very generously to a cause they believed in. What next? Whilst the decision was extremely disappointing, this may not be the end of the story for any of several reasons, including: • The GCP's costs were always under-estimated, and rising oil prices may render the scheme ultimately unviable. • As a much-needed overall city transport strategy is developed by the Cambridge Growth Company and the Combined Authority, it may be that the busway no longer fits with the plan. • The critical question of whether the Mayor and the Combined Authority will permit buses to run on the busway remains unresolved. • Coton Parish Council, with whom we have worked closely, has identified possible grounds for a Judicial Review or other statutory legal challenge to the decision. No decision has yet been made, but the issues are being carefully investigated. You can read Coton Parish Council's Press Release, including the possible issues at stake, here. How the case was made The case against the scheme was led by Cambridge Past Present and Future with Coton Parish Council. Their barrister and legal team were supported by an ecologist, two transport professionals, an engineer and an academic with an interest in carbon emissions. In his closing statement, the barrister representing CPPF and CPC began: "Given that the scheme involves the need for compulsory purchase, there must be a compelling case in the public interest. Given that the scheme is acknowledged by the Applicant to cause ecological harms up to county level and will cause obvious harm to the openness of the Green Belt, there must be very special circumstances to justify it. CPPF/CPC is firmly of the view that such justification is lacking." The full closing statement, together with closing statements from Coton Orchard and the Mayor, and other offical documents relating to the Inquiry, are here. It is hard to overstate what was at stake in this inquiry. As well as having massive implications for the environment and the use of public money, the eventual decision comes at a crucial moment for the city of Cambridge. As the scale, direction and approach to future development is determined, the outcome of the Inquiry sets a precedent. It now appears that city is prepared to expand by riding roughshod over its natural resources, its cultural heritage, and the views of local people – rather than working with intelligence and sensitivity to develop in ways that protect and promote the natural environment and the good relationships on which we all depend.
The on-road alternative would:
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The GCP's C2C busway scheme would be a disaster:
For the environment
For local heritage and landscape
For people in and around Cambridge
Moreover, the GCP and the County Council have failed to take into account:
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For background information, more of the detail behind the argument, and links to key documents, see our longer briefing document
The on-road alternative will save millions of pounds, cause minimal environmental damage,
and provide more direct journeys to most key destinations.
and provide more direct journeys to most key destinations.
What our supporters are saying
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"You can put a bus route anywhere you like, but you can’t mitigate for cutting down hundreds of trees like this."
Chris Packham on ITV News “The threat to the historic orchard at Coton is a sign that the urge among planners in the country to override environmental concerns in order to promote GDP growth remains undiminished.” Sir Partha Dasgupta GBE FRS FBA Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Cambridge “The National Trust continues to object to the proposal for an off-road busway between Madingley Mulch and Cambridge city centre because of its impact on a valued landscape which has intrinsic visual, historic and cultural significance, and which is fundamental to preserving the setting and special character of the historic city of Cambridge in accordance with its Green Belt purpose.” The National Trust "The open green spaces of Cambridge need protection." Sir David Attenborough "These ecosystems are developed over many many decades, and you can’t replant your way out of this kind of destruction." Joel Ashton, wildlife gardnening expert and TV presenter "Leave Coton Orchard alone!" Iolo Williams, wildlife expert and TV presenter Vertical Divider
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"“The climate crisis requires careful analysis before any investment into future-proofing our country is made. Where we need better public transport, care must always be taken that existing facilities are adapted before adding additional infrastructure across greenbelt land. In this case there is a far less destructive alternative, making better use of the nearby existing N-S highway. I join those who have stated very clearly that the proposed investment would prove to be a costly environmental tragedy.”
Sir David King, Founder & Chair, Centre for Climate Repair, University of Cambridge "Coton Orchard has such enormous riches. I can’t think of anywhere else quite like it. And it’s big enough to be significant, and its connected to the surrounding countryside – and that connectivity is absolutely vital." Brian Evesham, CEO Wildlife Trust BCN “These veteran trees in Coton Orchard are protected through the National Planning Policy Framework, and are a vital and treasured part of the UK’s natural and cultural landscape.” Jack Taylor, Lead Campaigner at the Woodland Trust "The proposed C2C busway might, in the fullness of time, make a small contribution to combating the global climate crisis, but it would be a great shame if this could only be achieved at the cost of worsening the biodiversity crisis. It is not in our long-term interests to remove the trees of Coton Orchard, and the irreplaceable habitats in and around them, which, once lost, are lost forever." Clive Anderson, TV and radio presenter, former barrister, President of The Woodland Trust |
