| Milton | |
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Milton
Milton shown within Cambridgeshire |
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| Population | 4,275 |
|---|---|
| District | South Cambridgeshire |
| Shire county | Cambridgeshire |
| Region | East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CAMBRIDGE |
| Postcode district | CB24 |
| Dialling code | 01223 |
| Police | Cambridgeshire |
| Fire | Cambridgeshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | South East Cambridgeshire |
| List of places: UK • England • Cambridgeshire | |
Milton is a village just north of Cambridge, England. 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.[1] In the next decade its population remained static and according to the 2001 census it was still around 4,275.[2]
The village possesses three running 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 at Impington Village College, Cottenham Village College or St. Bede's School, Cambridge.[3] There is also an Agricultural College, part of the College of West Anglia.
The Cambridge Science Park lies within the parish boundaries.[4] Milton is also the home of the Pi Shurlok's head office and Nokia's (formerly Symbian) Cambridge office.
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.[5] In 2003 South Cambridgeshire District Council took legal action against Anglian Water[6] and as a result improvements have been made which considerably improved the situation; however the smell still occasionally reoccurs,[7] most recently (as of March 2008[update]) due to the sewage works using their "storm lagoon".[8]
The land between Milton and Waterbeach has been purchased for building a rowing lake by Cambridge Sport Lakes.[9] 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[10] but subsequently lapsed. However, permission was granted again in 2007.[11]
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 due to the 2005 Council Tax capping,[12] 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.[13] In July 2007, the council agreed in principle to hand the management of the park to Cambridge Sport Lakes Trust[14] which it did on 31 March 2008.[15]