Milton, Cambridgeshire

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Milton

Milton shown within Cambridgeshire
Population	4,275
District	South Cambridgeshire
Shire county	Cambridgeshire
Region	East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CAMBRIDGE
Postcode district	CB24
Dialling code	01223
Police	Cambridgeshire
Fire	Cambridgeshire
Ambulance	East of England
European Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	South East Cambridgeshire
List of places: UK • England • Cambridgeshire

Coordinates: 52°14′37″N 0°09′41″E / 52.24347, 0.16147

Milton is a village just north of Cambridge separated from the city by the A14. It has a population of approximately 4,300 with 3,200 being on the electoral register. It expanded considerably in the late 1980s when two large housing estates were built between the bypass and the village resulting in a doubling of the population between the 1981 and 1991 censuses.^{[citation needed]} In the next decade its population remained static and according to the 2001 census it was still around 4,275.^[1]

In Cambridge, Milton is perhaps best known for its Tesco supermarket; however Milton is more than just a series of housing estates with a supermarket tacked on: the old parts of the village have a great deal of charm and it retains its village character despite being so close to Cambridge.

Church of All Saints

The village possesses four pubs and a brewery, Milton Brewery. 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 in Impington or Cottenham.^{[citation needed]} There is also an Agricultural College, part of the College of West Anglia.

The Cambridge Science Park technically lies within the village although it is on the Cambridge side of the A14^[2]. Milton is also the home of the Pi Group and Symbian's Cambridge offices.

In the early 2000s, Milton acquired a reputation for having an unpleasant smell - the "Milton Pong" - caused by its proximity to the Cambridge Sewage Works.^[3] In 2003 the South Cambridgeshire District Council took legal action against Anglian Water^[4] and as a result improvements have been made which considerably improved the situation; however the smell still occasionally reoccurs,^[5] most recently (as of March 2008) due to the sewage works using their "storm lagoon".^[6]

The land between Milton and Waterbeach has been purchased for building a rowing lake by Cambridge Sport Lakes.^[7] Plans for an international-standard 8-lane rowing lake have been on the cards in Cambridge for many years. The original planning permission for the rowing lake was granted in 1995, but lapsed in 2005.^{[citation needed]} However, permission was granted again in 2007.^{[citation needed]} The scheduled completion date is 2009.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Milton Country Park

Entrance to Milton Country Park

Milton Country Park is located at the southern edge of the village. It is built on the site of a former gravel quarry and has offered sanctuary for wildlife and plants since 1993. Two flooded pits now form freshwater lakes, one of which is available for fishing. 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 visitors' 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 due to the 2005 Council Tax capping,^[8] causing South Cambridgeshire District Council to announce that they could not continue to fund the park and were looking for a new body to do so, or if that was unsuccessful, to close the park. A campaign to save the park collected over 10,000 signatures.^[9] In July 2007, the council agreed in principle to hand the management of the park to Cambridge Sport Lakes Trust.^[10]