During the summer of 2026, residents living in the areas surrounding Saxon Pit were invited to take part in a community survey about their everyday experiences of living locally.
This work formed the basis of a Cumulative Health Impact Assessment (CHIA), which brings together information about local conditions and residents' experiences to help understand how different aspects of the local environment may affect health and wellbeing over time.
It follows the recommendation made in the Public Health risk assessment, which highlighted the importance of gathering residents' views and experiences alongside other sources of evidence.
The CHIA was undertaken by Volterra Partners LLP and ECF, with support from Public Health. Three residents provided invaluable input through our advisory group.
Evidence was gathered through the four-week survey, which received 238 responses, and 18 in-depth interviews, with the majority of residents living within 1km of the site.
Key findings of the Cumulative Health Impact Assessment
The Cumulative Health Impact Assessment (CHIA) does not establish cause and effect or attribute impacts to any specific operator or activity. However, it provides valuable insight into how residents say local environmental conditions affect their daily lives.
Its findings are based on the views and experiences reported by the local community, rather than environmental monitoring data.
What local people told us
The assessment captured a range of experiences. Among the issues reported by residents:
- Dust was the most commonly identified environmental concern – 88% of survey respondents said they had experienced dust in the previous 12 months.
- Perceived poor air quality (73%), odour (61%) and noise (58%) were also frequently reported in the survey data.
- Reported impacts generally reduced within distance from the site – this pattern was strongest for noise, with 51% of households within 200m reporting a high impact, compared with 35% between 200 and 500 metres and 17% between 500m and 1km.
- Most respondents said they experienced multiple issues at the same time – 93% reported experiencing two or more environmental stressors during the previous year, while 84% reported three or more.
The CHIA also identified several common themes:
- Many residents felt environmental conditions had worsened over recent years.
- 82% said they felt that the combined effect of local issues was worse than each individual problem they experienced, while 71% felt impacts on them had built up over time.
- Residents with a self-reported health condition or disability, and those who spend most of the day at home, tended to report feeling more severe impacts.
- Concern about potential impacts on children, older people and vulnerable residents emerged as a significant theme, with 91% of respondents expressing concern for these groups.
- Some residents had adapted their daily routines in response to conditions experienced in the area – 68% of respondents kept windows/doors shut often and spent less time outdoors and 64% avoided particular roads, routes or times of day.
Some residents also reported little to no impact.
What will happen next
Cambridgeshire County Council’s Public Health team will review the Cumulative Health Impact Assessment alongside the recommendations from the original risk assessment to determine whether any existing recommendations should be strengthened, or whether further public health action is required.
The findings and the review by Public Health will also be considered by the Oversight Group which was set up following the recommendations of the risk assessment.
Any strengthened or new actions on public health will be taken forward through this group and findings, and any other further recommendations, will be shared with regulators as appropriate.
