Since the late 1940s, the growth of Haverhill has been an issue. It was named an ‘expansion town’ by the then Haverhill Urban District Council and Greater London Council. The population quadrupled between 1951 and the present time and Haverhill continues to grow, with new facilities and new housing.

In the late 60’s Linton was by-passed to cope with increasing traffic levels but sadly the local railway station was shut. The community is left today with a road that everyone has problem accessing and that creates a real barrier to residents.

Cambridgeshire County Council have already told villagers that the A1307 is too congested to take major road improvements such as roundabouts and we all know how difficult it is to access the road. The growth of Haverhill has caused this high level of congestion with no money being spent on transport infrastructure.

 In January 2008, a planning application was passed by St Edmundsbury Borough Council that allows a distribution centre to be built that will increase HGV traffic by 250 vehicles per day, but neither of the local councils responded to the planning application or requested any development monies to mitigate it effects on the villages on the A1307. Amazingly Cambridgeshire County Council believes it has the capacity for all the lorries but not for the improvements that would make a difference to the villagers.

 It is now time that everyone took a stand to make sure that Haverhill has the infrastructure to supports its growth. Linton Conservatives will make sure that all local councils respond to any consultations and make sure that Haverhill councillors make informed decisions.