Well. Not quite, but almost.

Plans for the new Octagon Park business complex off Angel Drove in Ely, reaching to the northern border of Little Thetford, are far advanced though there has not yet been planning approval which is scheduled for submission in October 2012. In addition, plans have been approved for the £31m route B southern bypass, an A142 diversion to Stuntney, which avoids the low railway bridge outside Ely railway station closed to traffic 35 minutes in every hour. This council approval, which has occurred despite English Heritage concerns, now also requires a planning application.

Tesco plan to build a larger supermarket on the Octagon site to replace their present building off Angel Drove. The new site will have wider aislesnote and three-hour parking. Healy Investments, developers of the Octagon site, say the site will also include “office and industrial units, pub, restaurant and a hotel”.

Some Little Thetford villagers do not welcome the news. They fear that the A10 Thetford junction, the only route out of the village, is already congested going north at peak-times and will only get worse as traffic is further encouraged to visit the Octagon shopping centre.

We should all hope that the behaviour of planning committee member Councillor Jan French, who is alleged to have promoted approval of Whittelsey’s Tesco plans against rival Sainsbury, is not endemic throughout East Cambridgeshire.

Comments?

John McCullough

note We submit that, in context, our spelling of aisles is better than Cambs Times 24 spelling of isles!