Ten years ago this month, the review that planned this network was published. In the time it then took Greater Cambridge to appoint the consultants who would design its routes, Copenhagen's equivalent partnership of councils built a finished cycle route connecting one of its towns to the capital. A decade on, Greater Cambridge has finished one route of twelve.

Finish the Greenways

Corridor 6 of 12

Linton Greenway

The most delivered of the rural greenways — and the one where both major structures were quietly replaced or shelved.

Under construction

Map from the 2016 review showing the proposed Linton Greenway and its links
The corridor as drawn in 2016. Reproduced from the review commissioned by Cambridgeshire County Council; base mapping © OpenStreetMap contributors. See the full document →

What became of the 10 proposals for this corridor

Built and open · 3 In design or planning · 4 Delivered differently · 2 Paused on cost · 1

What the 2016 review asked for

  • New 1.5 km link from Dame Mary Archer Way to Babraham Road Park & Ride
  • Babraham village link through the Institute grounds, 1.2 km
  • 2.4 km of new paths around the A11, and a new crossing under the A11 beside the Granta
  • A new bridge over the A1307 near Hildersham
  • New Greenway between Hildersham and Linton, 2.5 km
  • New path Great Abington to A1307, 750 m

What happened

  • 2016Initial consultation — the only greenway consulted before the review was published.
  • March 2017Executive Board approves construction.
  • July 2021Section 1 work commences.
  • March 2023Section 1 opens: the A1307 path between Addenbrooke's and Babraham Research Campus.
  • 2024The Hildersham signalised crossing is built — an at-grade solution in place of the recommended bridge.
  • December 2024Section 2 completes on Newmarket Road, Little Abington, serving around 1,500 residents.
  • Early 2025A 16-week scheme builds the active travel path east of the Hildersham crossing to Dale Head Foods.
  • 2025Section 4 is refused planning permission: no workable way to reconcile the proposed lighting with legal protections for the local bat population.
  • 2026Section 4 redesign under way; Linton Village College and Icknield Way links programmed for summer 2027; construction on section 4 possible from 2027.

Where it stands, September 2026

Partly open, partly building, partly stalled. Sections 1 and 2 and the Babraham link are in use. The A11 crossing has been folded into Cambridge South East Transport phase 2 — a £162m busway with no confirmed funding, whose Transport and Works Act Order inquiry was confirmed in June 2026 and expected before year end. CSET proposes improving the existing A11 footbridge rather than the Granta underpass route the review preferred. The Hildersham bridge is gone.

2026/27 budget £2,147kOpen Sections 1, 2, BabrahamBlocked on CSET funding; bats
Audit

Every proposal on this route

Proposed intervention (2016)Type ScaleStatus 2026What happened
New link from Dame Mary Archer Way, Biomedical Campus, to Babraham Road Park & Ride New route 1.5 km Built and open Built as Linton Greenway section 1; opened March 2023.
Improve access crossings on the A1307 at the Gog Magog farm shop and Wandlebury Upgrade — Built and open Delivered alongside section 1.
New refuge crossing of the A1307 at Copley Hill and new path south-west of the A1307 New route 1.2 km In design or planning Partly superseded; the eastern path from the Hildersham crossing was built 2025–26.
Complete the Babraham village link through the Institute grounds New route 1.2 km Built and open Built.
New paths linking Babraham High Street, Granta Park and the A505 path around the A11 New route 2.4 km Paused on cost Folded into Cambridge South East Transport phase 2, which has no confirmed funding; a public inquiry is expected before the end of 2026.
New route crossing under the A11 beside the River Granta New structure underpass Delivered differently The preferred 2016 option was dropped. CSET phase 2 instead proposes improving the existing A11 footbridge with new ramps.
New bridge over the A1307 near Hildersham New structure new bridge Delivered differently Replaced by an at-grade signalised crossing, which has been built. The bridge is not in the programme.
New path between Great Abington and the A1307 New route 750 m In design or planning Section 4 is being redesigned after a planning refusal over lighting and protected bat populations; construction could start 2027.
New Greenway between Hildersham and Linton New route 2.5 km In design or planning Still in design; Linton Village College and Icknield Way links are programmed for summer 2027.
Improved path beside the A1307 between Linton and the Hildersham junction Upgrade — In design or planning Partly delivered through the A1307 safety programme.
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