We are writing to you to express our concern, as residents of Great Shelford, about the adverse impact this proposal could have on our village and the high handed way in which the so called consultation is being conducted by EWR. Whilst a range of routes, to the north and south of Cambridge were initially considered, it now appears that this has been narrowed down to route option E which is to the south and joins the Kings Cross line in the vicinity of Great Shelford. I would argue that this has ignored the benefits of the routes to the north and in particular the route advocated by the CamBedRailRoad group (CBRR). This alternative route, developed by CBRR, presents a very powerful case in favour of the northern approach and would better serve the needs of the whole region as well as local communities on the edge of Cambridge. The forthcoming non-statutory consultation, which considers just route E, should be cancelled and replaced with a wider ranging public consultation to compare the relative merits of both the northern (CBRR) approach as well as the southern route E. I would urge you to consider and promote this alternative consultation.

An application for this project has not yet been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (the Inspectorate). With regards to the proposed Bedford to Cambridge route, the Inspectorate understands that the Applicant ‘East West Railway Company’ (EWR), is currently undertaking detailed design work to define the preferred alignment of the tracks, following a non-statutory consultation in 2019. The Inspectorate also understands that EWR will be holding a further non-statutory consultation exercise in 2021. EWR will then conduct a statutory pre-application consultation in advance of submitting their application to the Inspectorate. The purpose of the statutory pre-application stage is to allow the developer to consult on their proposals so that they can be shaped with the input of communities and others before being finalised and submitted as an application. As the project is still at the pre-application stage, I would strongly encourage you to contact the Applicant directly with regard to your concerns, as they have a statutory duty to have regard to all consultation responses, which should be demonstrated in the Consultation Report as part of their DCO application. If you feel your comments are not being taken into account, I would advise you to also write to your local authority and set out why you think the Applicant is failing to conduct its consultation properly. Your comments will be considered by the local authority when sending the Inspectorate its representations on whether the Applicant has fulfilled its consultation duties which will be taken into account when deciding whether the application can be accepted for Examination. The Applicant can be reached in the following ways: By email: [email protected] By phone: 0330 1340067 By post: FREEPOST East West Rail The Planning Inspectorate has produced several Advice Notes to help provide an overview of the Planning Act 2008 (PA2008) process and the opportunities to get involved. They are available at the following link: attachment 1 The following are particularly relevant: Advice Note 8: ‘Overview of the nationally significant infrastructure planning process for members of the public and others’. Advice Note 8.1: ‘Responding to the developer’s pre-application consultation’ Advice Note 8.2: ‘How to register to participate in an Examination’. Please be assured that anyone interested in the proposed developments, their potential impacts and any planning matters can be fully engaged in the examination process.