Draft Green Infrastructure Strategy Review 27/10/2010 Foreword This is a consultation draft of the Cambridgeshire Green Infrastructure Strategy. When adopted by Partners including the Local Authorities this will replace the 2006 Green Infrastructure Strategy published by Cambridgeshire Horizons. The Public Consultation will take place during January- February 2011 as a follow up to an earlier consultation undertaken January – March 2010. The timetable for finalising the Cambridgeshire Green Infrastructure Strategy is the end of March 2011. Local Authority Partners and key stakeholders will look to adopt the strategy during Spring/Summer of 2011. Formally adopting the Cambridgeshire Green Infrastructure Strategy will mean that a robust evidence base is in place across Cambridgeshire that can inform policy making as part of the Local Development Frameworks. In addition, the Green Infrastructure Strategy will provide an evidence base for seeking developer contributions and other sources of funding. It will also serve as a coordinating plan for the delivery of Strategic Green Infrastructure in Cambridgeshire up to 2031. Page 1 of 76 Contributors The development of this Second Edition of the Green Infrastructure Strategy for Cambridgeshire has been shaped and informed by a wide range of Partners including: The Green Infrastructure Forum Anglian Water Cambridge City Council Cambridge Past, Present and Future (formerly Cambridge Preservation Society) Cambridge Sports Lake Trust Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Biodiversity Partnership Cambridgeshire County Council Cambridgeshire Horizons Cambridgeshire Primary Care Trust East Cambridgeshire District Council East of England Development Agency (EEDA) English Heritage Environment Agency Fenland District Council Forestry Commission Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group GO-East Huntingdonshire District Council Natural England Peterborough Environment City Trust Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) The National Trust The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough The Woodland Trust Project Group A Project Group of key stakeholder organisations was established to manage the review and report progress to the Green Infrastructure Forum. Cambridge City Council Cambridgeshire County Council Cambridgeshire Horizons East Cambridgeshire District Council Environment Agency Fenland District Council Huntingdonshire District Council Natural England South Cambridgeshire District Council The Wildlife Trust Consultants LDA Design Page 2 of 76 1.0 Executive Summary Text to be agreed. 2.0 Background and Context 2.1 Introduction Green Infrastructure is vital to quality of life for both existing and future residents of Cambridgeshire and is nationally regarded as an important component of well designed and inclusive places. This Strategy plays its part in helping to deliver Cambridgeshire’s Countywide Sustainable Communities Strategy 2007 – 2021: Growth – accommodating growth, creating flagship communities and ensuring the benefits of growth and infrastructure are enjoyed by all. Economic Prosperity – supporting the special role of Cambridgeshire as a centre of knowledge and innovation, especially in low carbon technologies. Environmental Sustainability – meeting the challenges of climate change while maintaining a high quality environment. Equality and Inclusion – supporting vulnerable groups and enabling them to participate fully in community life, and encouraging healthier and more sustainable lifestyles. Strong Communities – engaging citizens in service planning and improvement and ensuring our communities enjoy good quality of life and health, with low crime, unemployment, discrimination and inequalities. The planned growth for Cambridgeshire provides an exciting opportunity to create sustainable and vibrant new communities. Cambridgeshire’s population is estimated at 600,800 (mid 2009) and is amongst the fastest growing in the country. 73,300 new homes are planned for the county between 2001 and 2021, concentrated in and around Cambridge and in the county’s market towns. Delivering this growth poses a number of challenges for the county, particularly; the adaptation and mitigation of climate change, the health and wellbeing of our communities and the development of sustainable transport networks. The Cambridgeshire Quality Charter for Growth sets out principles covering climate change, character, community and connectivity and the level of quality to be expected in new developments in Cambridgeshire. The importance of green infrastructure runs through all themes. For further details www.cambridgeshirehorizons.co.uk/cambridgeshirequalitycharterforgrowth (insert in footnote) Page 3 of 76 (INSERT MAP OF CAMBRIDGESHIRE) 2.2 The geography of Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire is a diverse, mainly rural county with numerous villages, a number of market towns and a main city, Cambridge. It is the most westerly county in East Anglia extending from the Wash in the north and borders Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire. The landscape is notably flat with claylands to the west and chalklands to the south and east. It is crossed by 3 distinct river valleys – the Nene, Cam and Great Ouse. The Fens extending across much of the north of the county are valued for their landscapes and for agriculture, which has led to the area being extensively drained and has contributed to its character. Holme Fen in Huntingdonshire is the UK’s lowest lying point. This low-lying land is also susceptible to both fluvial and (potentially) coastal flooding so it is essential that we plan our green infrastructure and blue (water) infrastructure to reduce the impacts of climate change on our communities. 2.3 What is Green Infrastructure? Green infrastructure is our natural life-support system. It is the network of natural ecosystems such as open spaces, woodlands, natural landscapes, rights of way, waterways and historic parks, which interconnect Cambridgeshire’s cities, towns, villages and its communities. 2.4 Why is Green Infrastructure important for Cambridgeshire? Green infrastructure provides a range of social, economic and environmental benefits for local people and communities. It helps to regulate our climate, store water to reduce flooding, clean and filter our water, as well as providing raw materials to support the economy. It supports soil formation and crop pollination and brings benefits such as cultural heritage, aesthetic value and recreational opportunities. Collectively these are known as ‘ecosystems services’ and underpin our economy and our health and well being. 2.5 The 2006 Green Infrastructure Strategy In May 2006 Cambridgeshire Horizons1 published the Green Infrastructure (GI) Strategy for the Cambridge Sub-region. It was developed by The Landscape Partnership, on behalf of Cambridgeshire Horizons and its partners and was one of the first in the East of England to plan the delivery of GI for the next 20 years. 1 The not for profit organisation responsible for driving forward the delivery of sustainable new communities in Cambridgeshire. Page 4 of 76 The Vision for the 2006 Strategy was to; “create a comprehensive and sustainable network of green corridors and sites that: enhance the diversity of landscape character, connect and enrich biodiversity habitats, extend access and recreation opportunities and enhance the historic environment, for the benefit of the environment as well as current and future communities in the Cambridge Sub-region”.2 Progress on the implementation of the individual projects can be found in the appendix (INSERT TABLE- BECCA Appendices) with X% of projects either delivered or in progress. A total of £23.6 million has been invested directly into green infrastructure in Cambridgeshire since 2004, of which £9million came from Growth Funding. This investment has helped to create and/or safeguard approximately 5.5 square miles of green infrastructure for the benefit of our environment and local communities. The 2006 Green Infrastructure Strategy has played a key role supporting decision makers in their investment priorities. It is important to take this role forward into a reviewed Cambridgeshire Green Infrastructure Strategy and ensure those projects that need continued and long term investment are taken forward. 2.6 Why review the 2006 Green Infrastructure Strategy? Since the publication of the 2006 Green Infrastructure Strategy, there has been greater recognition of green infrastructure’s contribution to sustainable communities and the importance of planning policy to secure long term implementation and investment. The impetus to review the 2006 Strategy includes: Extending the coverage of the Strategy to the whole of Cambridgeshire rather than just the Cambridge Sub-Region. This means that those areas in the county experiencing a greater deficit of green infrastructure and areas of socio-economic challenge are included. Strengthening the role of green infrastructure in the planning process by providing a robust evidence base to support local planning authority policies and plans. Supporting the development of Cambridgeshire’s Integrated Development Programme (IDP). The IDP identifies the strategic infrastructure requirements for Cambridgeshire’s growth and provides an evidence base for funding strategies. The IDP requires a robust evidence base for providing strategic green infrastructure. Integrating the wider benefits of green infrastructure delivery, particularly with regard