As Cambridge University’s rowing community looks to the future after Sunday’s Boat Race defeat, they have become the subject of a new controversy as local environmentalists object to plans for the new University boathouse.

The boathouse would be used by the University’s top rowers, jointly represented by Cambridge University Boat Club, Cambridge University Women's Boat Club and Cambridge University Lightweight Rowing Club.

Environmentalists have raised objections to the planned location of the facility at Fore Mill Wash, Ely, just outside Cambridge - where the elite athletes already train – as it lies between two Sites of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

As tensions and rhetoric rose before the weekend’s race, Mark Avery, previously a Head of Conservation at the RSPB and Cambridge student, called for a boycott of the boys in light blue, even suggesting he would like to see the Cambridge eight sink.

He said: “I hope that the Cambridge boat sinks in Sunday’s University Boat Race. Why? Because the Cambridge University Boat Club is planning to build a new boathouse (although it is far more than just a boathouse) on one of the best sites for otters in Cambridgeshire, and its impact on local wildlife will be severe”.

Pressure group Wildlife Trust Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (BCN) last week submitted a formal objection to East Cambridgeshire District Council.

Ewan Pearson, chair of the group managing the plans to construct the new boathouse, has been swift to respond to the concerns. He said: "Of course people are concerned and we understand those concerns. We want to respond to all of them properly and carefully, which we will do. Most importantly, from an ecological point of view, we're going to add a lagoon which will provide a better area nearby for wildlife to breed."

He gave further reassurances to activists that the proposed site has already been moved “away from the most sensitive end of the field”.

Sources close to the University’s rowing community told Varsity that the proposed boathouse would greatly benefit the development of the sport.

One said: “The fact is that both the men's and the women's clubs do world class rowing and they need appropriate facilities to maintain and develop their standard. At the moment, if the girls need to go to the bathroom, they have to go into the boathouse next door. It’s ridiculous. In the next few years we'll have Olympians coming in and top class athletes demand the best. If you compare it to what Oxford have, it's crazy.”

They added, “A new boathouse will be a really good way to cement equal status between the men’s and women’s clubs”.

Another commented: “Improving the facilities will make rowing safer and more enjoyable for all users of the river”.

The new state of the art boathouse would include a weights room, changing rooms, crew rest areas and ergo (rowing machine) rooms, as well as five boat bays. It is expected to be available to local clubs.

A final judgment is likely to be imminent. It was reported in February that the council would reach a decision “within eight weeks”