Residents say they were not given any warning about a proposal to close their streets for a month after a consultation was held between Christmas and New Year.
The roads in Newnham are set to be closed in February for four weeks to install power cables for new student accommodation planned by Queens’ College.
Cllr Jean Glasberg with residents, who want a chance to give their input Picture: Keith Heppell
Cambridgeshire County Council held a consultation on the road closures between December 23 and December 31, but residents say they had not been made aware it was happening.
And the chair of governors of Newnham Croft Primary School, Matt Day, said the school needed more time to understand the implications of the road closures.
City councillor Jean Glasberg (Green, Newnham) set about raising the alarm with residents after she became aware of the consultation, but feared many would be away for the Christmas holidays.
She said: “I was not notified until 23 December, with only a week for comments over the Christmas holiday period, though the application was submitted on 18 November, and I understand that Queens’ College has been in discussions about the Temporary Traffic Regulation Order with the council over several months.
“There has been no attempt to communicate with city councillors for the ward, or the primary school, local shops and businesses, or the residents who will be most affected by these street closures and parking restrictions. I was able to inform some of them of the plans through the Newnham Croft Residents Association, and many have written to object, although most people still do not know what is proposed.
“I think this is completely unacceptable and would like to see a proper consultation with local input on what is needed to mitigate the worst of the disruption before any approval is given. The impact will be very significant and this work should not be undertaken in term time.”
She added that the tight deadline “shows a lack of respect for the views of our community that is very disappointing”.
The Temporary Traffic Regulation Order says that the closures are necessary to excavate “approximately 156m in carriageway for installation of high voltage electricity ducts and cables”. The roads affected at various times during the period of 15 February to 14 March are Eltisley Avenue, Grantchester Street, Merton Street, Derby Street, Newnham Croft Street and Grantchester Meadow.
City councillor Hugh Clough (Green, Newnham) has demanded to know which stakeholders the county council contacted during the consultation.
And in a letter to its Streetworks team, he said: “We need thorough consultation about this proposal with ward councillors, the school, local businesses and the community.
“It is a complex and crowded location. It should definitely not happen during school term-time.”
Mr Day said: “Our main concern is pupil safety and we need more time to understand what these closures will mean for the school.”
Newnham resident Dr Piers Brendon said: “As far as we know there has been no consultation about this work, which will cause chaos in the neighbourhood, especially as the prolonged road closure is scheduled to occur during the school term.”
And Ira Katznelson, of Chedworth Street, added: “Who would have thought that a major step in the process would have called for comment during the one week least likely to produce participation?”
A Queens’ College spokesperson said: “Queens’ College is not responsible for the consultation period for the power upgrade and is not able to comment on any decisions that have been made in this regard. Queens’ College would like the works to take place as soon as possible to maintain our services to our students and local community. If Cambridgeshire Highways and UKPS are able to undertake these works during the school holidays then the college has no issue with this scheduling.”
A county council spokesperson said: “We received an application for a temporary closure of Grantchester Street for utility works. Local stakeholders were contacted for comment, and all feedback received has been considered. We’re in ongoing discussions with the applicant and have recommended that they undertake local engagement in the coming weeks so as to ensure disruption would be minimised.
“A decision on whether to approve the application has not yet been made.”