It shouldn’t take a drought to make us realise that water is an acutely limited natural resource.

According to a report by the hydrology consultancy HR Wallingford, the development of the new town of Northstowe has diverted groundwater from the neighbouring village of Longstanton, where ponds have dried up, trees have died, and wells are running dry. This has been ongoing for the past 7 years.

On behalf of residents, Fews Lane Consortium, a local community group, has brought legal action challenging the decision of South Cambridgeshire District Council to approve 4,000 houses at Northstowe without an adequate Environmental Impact Assessment.

Local residents are asking South Cambridgeshire District Council to participate in mediation to avoid further adversarial legal proceedings, save costs, and arrive at a workable environmental solution for the communities affected by the development of Northstowe.

But the district council won’t agree to engage in mediation unless the public support this approach to dispute resolution.

If you think that South Cambridgeshire District Council should agree to sit down at the mediation table with local residents and work out a sustainable environmental solution for local communities, please sign this petition calling on the district council to do so.