National Trust Expresses Concern at Potential Bus Service Cuts

The National Trust has expressed concern over the potential reduction in bus services and the impact on visitors to Anglesey Abbey, Wicken Fen and the wider Wicken Fen Vision lands.

The Trust were responding as part of a public consultation held by Cambridge County Council into the future of subsidised bus services and in particular potential reductions on routes 10 & 10A from Cambridge to Newmarket on evenings, Sunday's and Bank Holidays.

The Trust are concerned that proposed reductions in services could severely restrict the ability of visitors, staff and National Trust volunteers to travel to Anglesey Abbey particularly if they do not have access to private transport.

Nationally the National Trust is keen to promote environmentally friendly and sustainable travel options for visitors to its properties. Visitors arriving at Anglesey Abbey via public transport are offered a discount on admission on production of their bus ticket. The Trust are also aware of traffic and parking congestion at peak periods around Anglesey Abbey particularly affecting the neighbouring hamlet of Lode; the reduction in services could potentially add to this problem by forcing more visitors to arrive by private car.

The National Trust is currently in the process of formulating an Access Strategy for sustainable visits and tourism as part of the development of the Wicken Fen Vision, specifically looking at how visitors arrive and move around the Vision area. The Trust wish to encourage visitors to arrive under their own steam or public transport and then use access routes such as the Spine Route being developed to link Waterbeach, Anglesey Abbey and Wicken Fen to access the wider Vision lands for leisure and recreation. The Trust believes that the planned introduction of cycle hire at key access points such as Anglesey Abbey, will in itself encourage greater numbers of visitors to arrive by public transport. Eventually the Trust would like to see the introduction of a form of shuttle bus service to assist the transportation of visitors and local residents around the communities bordering the Vision lands. The viability and success of such a service would to a large extent be governed by the ability of local residents and visitors to make onward connections to either Newmarket or Cambridge.

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Note to Editors
The Wicken Fen Vision is an ambitious project by the National Trust to create a new landscape scale Nature Reserve covering 56 sq Km between Cambridge and Wicken Fen. The aim is to increase fenland habitat to secure the survival of threatened species and to provide open countryside access for leisure, recreation and education. Further information on the Wicken Fen Vision can be found on this web site