A decision on plans to build a new sewage works on the edge of Cambridge has been delayed until the new year.

The deadline for a decision on whether the project to relocate Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant could go ahead was set for this weekend (October 12).

However, the Secretary of State Steve Reed has now extended the deadline until January 12, 2025.

Mr Reed said the decision to extend the deadline had been taken to allow more time for officials to “conduct further consultation on emerging planning policy and analysis of responses to the consultation”.

Anglian Water applied for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to ask for permission to build the new sewage works on land north of the A14 between Horningsea and Fen Ditton, known as Honey Hill.

The plant is proposed to replace the existing sewage works in the north east of the city, in order for the land it sits on to be redeveloped as part of the North East Cambridge development, which is proposed to include around 8,000 new homes and new commercial buildings.

The government has committed £277million to the project to build the new sewage works, with the overall cost estimated to be around £400million.

The plans for the new sewage works have been met with backlash from people in the area.

During the six month examination process objectors questioned why green belt land should be “sacrificed” in order to build the new sewage works.

Some campaigners have spent four years fighting the plans to build the plant near to their homes.

The planning inspectorate has issued a recommendation on whether the project should go ahead, but this recommendation has not been made public, and will not be published until the Secretary of State has made a decision.

In a statement released this week (October 10) Mr Reed said: “The deadline for the decision is to be extended to January 12, 2025 to allow additional time for Defra officials to conduct further consultation on emerging planning policy and analysis of responses to the consultation.

“The decision to set a new deadline is without prejudice to the decision on whether to grant development consent.”