Milton, Cambridgeshire

History

Milton grew from a population of 31 peasants in 1086, growing slowly up to 170 people making up 40 families in 1728. The population expanded to around 740 then remained fairly static in the period of the 1910s to the 1950s, the parish then grew more rapidly to greater than 1,700 in 1971.

Milton expanded considerably in the late 1980s when two large housing estates were built between the bypass and the village. This resulted in a doubling of the population between the 1981 and 1991 censuses.

The latest expansion started in 2012 with the development of the North Lodge Park consisting of 88 homes, two football pitches, pavilion and car park, with the first residents moving in April 2014.

The A10 bypass was built between 1976 and 1978 around the west edge of village, splitting Butt Lane into two parts. As part of the Great Eastern Railway the Cambridge-Ely line was opened in 1845 bypassing the village to the east but with no station. The nearest station is to the north in the village of Waterbeach, until the Cambridge Science Park railway station opens (due to be operational by 2016).

Facilities

The village currently possesses three pubs, all of which are Grade II listed buildings. A fourth pub, The Waggon and Horses, closed July 2014 and reopened as an Italian Restaurant October 2014. A brewery, Milton Brewery, established in June 1999, moved to nearby Waterbeach in July 2012. There are two churches: All Saints' Church, which serves the Church of England parish of Milton, and a New Apostolic Church.

The village has a primary school but no secondary school. Most pupils continue their education at Impington Village College, Cottenham Village College or St. Bede's School, Cambridge. There is also an Agricultural College, part of the College of West Anglia.

The Cambridge Science Park lies within the civil parish boundaries.

Land between Milton and Waterbeach has been purchased for building a rowing lake by Cambridge Sport Lakes. Plans for an international-standard 8-lane rowing lake have been under consideration in Cambridge for many years. The original planning permission for the rowing lake was granted in 1995 but subsequently lapsed. However, permission was granted again in 2007.

On 25 February 2015 the UK Footgolf Association opened its East of England headquarters in Milton on the site of the former Milton Park Golf Course.

Environmental issues

Milton has acquired a reputation for having an unpleasant smell – the "Milton Pong" – caused by its proximity to the Cambridge Sewage Works and two recycling centres. South Cambridgeshire District Council took legal action against Anglian Water in 2003. In 2014, residents were asked to use an online "pong log" to encourage the authorities to make improvements. A£21 million upgrade to the sewage works, due to be completed in 2015, is intended to reduce the smells.

Milton Country Park

Milton Country Park is located at the south-eastern edge of the village. It is built on the site of a former gravel pits. For many years it was a haven for wildlife but was formally designated as a country park in 1993. Two flooded pits called Todd's Pit and Dickerson's Pit now form freshwater lakes, both being available for fishing, the former for carp, the latter for general silver fish and pike. A smaller pool named Hall's Pool between the pits has a dipping platform, while Deep Pool, the deepest pit in the park lies to the north of Dickerson's Pit.

A network of over two miles of paths leads around the park; many of these paths are suitable for bicycles and wheelchairs as well as those on foot. A sensory garden next to the Visitor Centre gives has plants selected for aroma and texture, and opposite it a sustainable garden is being built. A wheelchair loan scheme is in operation.

The park's financial future became uncertain when South Cambridgeshire District Council announced that, due to the 2005 Council Tax capping, they could not continue to fund the park and were looking for a new body to do so, and that if that was unsuccessful they would close the park. A campaign to save the park collected over 10,000 signatures. In July 2007, the council agreed in principle to hand the management of the park to Cambridge Sport Lakes Trust which it did on 31 March 2008.