Cambridgeshure Country Council – June Report
Residents across Over and neighbouring villages have recently raised concerns about the potential impact of large-scale logistics developments along the A14 corridor.
These concerns include increased lorry traffic, pressure on local roads, air quality, flood risk, and the wider impact on the character of our rural communities.
In response, I successfully brought forward a motion at Cambridgeshire County Council calling for a strategic, area-wide freight study.
The study, to be commissioned by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, will look at the long-term and combined effects of freight and logistics developments across the county. This includes impacts on:
- Traffic, congestion and road safety
- Flood risk and drainage
- Air quality and public health
- Carbon emissions and the environment
- Overall community wellbeing
Importantly, it will also explore opportunities to reduce reliance on road freight and consider more sustainable alternatives, including increased use of rail where possible.
Residents are not opposed to growth, but they are rightly asking for it to be planned responsibly. Many of the lorries we see locally are not even serving local needs, they are passing through because our wider transport system is under pressure. We need to take a step back and plan this properly.
The motion was supported at Full Council on the 19th of May 2026 by a majority of councillors and reflects growing recognition that these issues cannot be looked at site-by-site, but require a joined-up, long-term approach.
This is about making sure that growth works for our communities, not against them. With the right planning and evidence, we can support the economy while protecting the places where people live.
I will continue to work with Parish Councils, residents, and other local representatives to ensure that community concerns are properly reflected in future decisions.
Luis Navarro
County Councillor
