Green Infrastructure News
Please note that all of the information within this page relates to news stories from August 2011 or before.
The Great Fen project wins top prize
The Great Fen has won two prestigious awards at the Royal Town Planning Institute's awards, including the top award - the Silver Jubilee Cup, and the Award for Rural Areas and the Natural Environment.
The Great Fen protects two National Nature Reserves (Holme Fen and Woodwalton Fen) while providing employment and managed access for recreation and education.
As well as creating Green Infrastructure the project will promote tourism, craft industries, farm diversification, biomass crops and access to the countryside.
£16.5 million has been raised towards the project so far, including support from the 2006-2008 Growth Area Fund.
Work progressing at Byron's Pool and Hobson's Conduit.
Work funded by Cambridgeshire Horizons' Housing Growth Fund at Byron's Pool Local Nature Reserve and along Hobson's Conduit in Cambridge has been completed. At Byron's Pool a natural looking bypass channel constructed around the weir is now open and is already being used by fish! Four historic fishponds have also been restored to their former depth and are already being used by spawning frogs.
A section of Hobson's Conduit has been improved using willow faggots and coir rolls to create a natural edge to the watercourse. This has widened the bank alongside the Conduit and will protect the adjacent path from future erosion, whilst also creating additional habitats for wildlife.
Making Ely Country Park accessible to everyone
Work to make Ely Country Park more accessible to everyone, funded by the Housing Growth Fund (bid for by Cambridgeshire Horizons), is due to start on Monday 31 January. The work will take about six weeks to complete and is set to begin on improving three paths in and around the Country Park in Ely to allow people of all ages and physical ability to access the park.
Other work to be completed over the six weeks will include returfing and remodelling the hilltop slide, laying grass matting to improve the access to the maze and general tidying up of the park.
For more information click here.
Review of the Green Infrastructure Strategy
Cambridgeshire Horizons and partners have appointed consultants to undertake a review and second edition of Cambridgeshire's award-winning Green Infrastructure Strategy.
Work on the new Strategy started in June 2009, and the revised Strategy is due for completion in Spring 2011.
Public consultation on the Strategy took place between the end of January and early March 2010, and feedback is now being reviewed to inform further work on updating the Strategy. The reviewed Strategy will then go out for another public consultation in early 2011.
More Green Infrastructure awards in Cambridgeshire
Cambridge Sustainable Drainage System Design and Adoption Guide, by the Landscape Partnership funded through our Housing Growth Fund grant to Green Infrastructure projects, received two awards at yesterday's Landscape Institute Awards - winning both the Landscape Policy category, and also the President's award for Best Landscape Architecture Scheme of the Year.
There was also an award for Cambourne Green Infrastructure by Randall Thorpe, which won the Design: Over five hectares category. This brings another excellent day for Green Infrastructure in Cambridgeshire with endorsement of these submissions from the landscape profession.
For our colleagues in Natural England, the Environment Agency and in Bedfordshire, there was also an award for the Milton Keynes South Midlands Green Infrastructure Design Guide, which won the Local Landscape Planning category.
River Cam Habitat and Access Enhancement Project wins Green Apple Award.
On Monday 15th November 2010 South Cambridgeshire District Council were awarded the District, Borough and Parish Councils Regional Silver Winner Green Apple Award for the River Cam Habitat and Access Enhancement Project.
The project took place at Trumpington Meadows where a 60-hectare community Riverside Park is planned alongside a proposed development of 1,200 new homes. The main funding for the project was provided by Cambridgeshire Horizons' Housing Growth Fund with additional funding support from Trumpington Meadows Land Company, Environment Agency, Wild Trout Trust, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Biodiversity Partnership and the Cam Valley Forum.
Local residents and wildlife will benefit from the work carried out, which included:
- creating gravel shoals to form fish spawning habitats
- re-grading 200m of riverbank to create safe public access to the water's edge once the Riverside Park is opened
- creating 300m of sensitive riverbank protection to provide cover for fish
- creating flow deflectors to scour silt from the riverbed
- replacing sluices to hold water in adjacent ditches
- managing ditches to improve protection for kingfishers and otters
- creating backwaters to give fish refuge during flood periods
Cllr Dr David Bard and Rob Mungovan (Ecology Officer) from South Cambridgeshire District Council, Mick Sullivan representing Grosvenor/Trumpington Meadows Land Company, and David Bethell, our Green Infrastructure Project Manager, collected the Green Apple Award at the House of Commons.
The Green Apple Awards began in 1994 and attracted more than 500 nominations this year. They are organised by The Green Organisation, an independent, non-political, non-activist, non-profit environment group dedicated to recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world.
Three new green spaces approved
On the 3rd November 2010 the joint planning committee granted planning permission for three new green space projects:
- Trumpington Meadows Country Park - 148 acres of parkland and riverside walks - it will include new woodland, ponds and river channels, made accessible to walkers, cyclists and horse riders over the next few years. The park will be given to the Wildlife Trust for Cambridgeshire to manage by the developers of the Trumpington Meadows housing development. Housing Growth Funding was used to restore a section of the River Cam, which forms the western boundary of the new park, through improving the river for wildlife, landscaping and future public access once the park is completed.
- A new fish pass and landscaping by the weir at Byron's Pool, an existing Cambridge City Council Local Nature Reserve. This project will enhance the river environment for fish as well as adding to the attractiveness of the reserve and has been funded by Housing Growth Fund monies awarded to Cambridgeshire.
- Approval of the strategic landscape plan for the 123 acre Green Corridor at Clay Farm, which will be east of the proposed new housing area, west of the railway line and north of the recently opened Addenbrooke's access road. This is a large area which will be used for sport and allotments as well as providing grassland and wetland areas.
All of the above projects will deliver key elements of Cambridgeshire's Green Infrastructure Strategy (which is currently being reviewed). The Green Infrastructure Strategy seeks to ensure the environment is protected and enhanced as the Cambridge area and the County grows.
SuDS Guide and the Landscape Institute Awards 2010
Today (5th October 2010) the Landscape Institute announced that the Cambridge Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS) Design and Adoption Guide has been shortlisted for an awarded.
The award will be announced at a lunchtime ceremony at The Brewery in London on Thursday 18th November. This project was funded by the Housing Growth Fund successfully obtained by Cambridgeshire Horizons.
Reach Lode Bridge and Lodes Way officially opened
A new bridge over Reach Lode was officially opened on Sunday 12th September 2010 to form part of a 9 mile virtually traffic-free public access, known as Lodes Way. The route has been created by the National Trust to link Wicken Fen to Anglesey Abbey and Bottisham. The opening day included a community picnic, BBQ, representatives of four local communities playing a giant game of Connect4, story telling, nature walks and the opportunity to have a go at stand-up paddle boarding.
The Lodes Way is being developed by the National Trust as part of the Wicken Fen Vision. The bridge and associated access routes have been funded by a combination of grants from Natural England, Sustrans and Communities and Local Government's Housing Growth Fund, administered by Cambridgeshire Horizons. By improving public access to the countryside for leisure, relaxation, exercise and education the route will enhance links to local villages and create a number of circular routes and trails for local residents and visitors.
New education centre at Paxton Pits officially opened
A new environmental education centre for Paxton Pits Nature Reserve was officially opened on Friday 10th September 2010.
The classroom was funded by Natural England (through Defra's Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund) with match funding from Community and Local Government's Housing Growth Fund (administered by Cambridgeshire Horizons).
The project was completed between Huntingdonshire District Council, the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough, the Friends of Paxton Pits and Cambridgeshire Horizons.
TheWildlife Trust will run their Paxton Pits education programme from the new education centre. They will also be working with Huntingdonshire District Council to start up a Little Bugs Club for pre-school children, a Greenwatch group for 12 - 18 year olds as well as adult learning workshops and health walks.
New route to Wandlebury Country Park
A new cycle and pedestrian route from Babraham Park & Ride to Wandlebury Country Park was officially opened on Friday 6th August.
The 2.5m wide 1 mile route extends from the existing network of cycle and pedestrian routes in Cambridge out to Wandlebury and the Gog Magog Hills alongside the main road on the highway verge. It enables Cambridge residents and visitors safe and sustainable access to Wandlebury and the Gogs.
The project was funded through Communities and Local Government (CLG) Housing Growth Fund and involved Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridgeshire Horizons and Cambridge Past, Present and Future working in partnership.
In late summer the second phase of works with the Country Park will begin, which will include enhanced cycle parking and visitor information.