Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

It is hard to see how this option could achieve high sustainability standards due to the increased travel that would be contrary to the aim for net zero carbon. Small scale developments providing for local village needs will often be accommodated with no significant impacts on biodiversity or a nature recovery network, however significant growth would be unlikely to meet many sustainability tests.

There is clearly an argument for this option in climate change and net zero carbon terms. However, it would only be acceptable from a biodiversity and nature recovery network perspective if these corridors avoided priority areas for habitat creation and landscape enhancement within the nature recovery network, as well as protecting any high value nature conservation sites along those corridors. As in practice a mixture of approaches is likely to be chosen, we will judge the sustainability of the Local Plan based on whether it is likely to avoid impacts on high value nature conservation sites and connecting nature recovery areas, helps deliver a doubling of nature and a nature recovery network, and results in a net gain in biodiversity.