OBJECT

As highlighted in the submitted Vision Document, the promoted development at South West Cambridge would include new accessible parkland and green infrastructure with potential connections to Coton Countryside Reserve. It would retain and enhance existing ecological features on the site and provide biodiversity enhancement including a new wetland habitat at Bin Brook which would also retain floodwater. It is considered that this approach would be consistent with the aims of the following policies in Section 3.2: Policy BG/BG: Biodiversity and Geodiversity; Policy BG/GI: Green Infrastructure; Policy BG/RC: River Corridors; and Policy BG/EO: Providing and Enhancing Open Spaces. It is the large-scale development with sufficient land available that can deliver significant benefits for all these policy areas.

Figure 54 in the GCLP Preferred Options document identifies green infrastructure initiatives, including one at West Cambridge GI Buffer – Coton Corridor, which is located on the western side of the M11 and opposite the South West Cambridge site. The objective for this green infrastructure initiative is to “Enhance the recreational and habitat offer to ensure there is sufficient high-quality and accessible GI to keep pace with growing development (and associated recreational pressure) west of Cambridge. This includes improving accessibility to and between GI assets and surrounding settlements, providing more opportunities for recreation and nature (making sites 'work harder'), expanding GI where possible, and enhancing habitats” – see pg.8 of Greater Cambridge Green Infrastructure Opportunity Mapping Part 2 Recommendations Report (LUC September 2021). The green infrastructure proposed for the promoted development at South West Cambridge would be consistent with this initiative, in terms of providing additional opportunities for recreation and nature, improving accessibility to green infrastructure for Cambridge residents, and connecting green infrastructure areas.

Cambridge Past Present & Future (CPPF) owns and manages the Coton Countryside Reserve, which involved taking land out of agricultural use to create habitats for wildlife including trees, hedges, orchards and meadows. It is considered that the proposed new wetland habitat within the promoted development at South West Cambridge would represent a continuation of the environmental work that CPPF undertakes at the Coton Countryside Reserve.

There is a real opportunity to deliver green infrastructure improvements on the western edge of Cambridge in conjunction with development at the South West Cambridge site, and complement existing initiatives and activities.

Requested Change

It is requested that the promoted development at South West Cambridge is allocated in emerging GCLP to deliver substantial green infrastructure benefits and complement the West Cambridge GI Buffer – Coton Corridor initiative and CPPF’s work at Coton Countryside Reserve.