The revised version of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan is now available for consultation and comment. One of the proposals has a direct impact on my ecological study area – this is Proposal S/CBC (Cambridge Biomedical Campus) which forms part of the ‘Site allocations’. I attach a pdf of the relevant section at the end of this post.
This map shows what is proposed. Two of the fields I study – Fields 1 and 2 – have already been released from green belt, and Field 1 is already all developed or under development while Field 2 is awaiting detailed planning proposals. Fields 7 and 8 are the areas which the local councils would also like to release from green belt for further development of the Biomedical Campus:
In the first round of local plan proposals the only mitigation offered was habitat improvement to Field 6. I had commented that this would be insufficient to replace vital habitat for threatened farmland birds, and the revised proposals also include three fields adjoining my study area (which I have called Fields A, B and C) as additional mitigation.
This leaves a real dilemma. On the one hand the combined release of the four fields removes around a third of the land in my study area available for farmland wildlife. On the other hand, the proposed three additional fields could possibly, if appropriately managed, offer threatened farmland birds and other wildlife an equivalent habitat.
I am working on my submission to the consultation at the moment and am consulting with local people and conservation organisations. I would welcome any comments and suggestions – you can message me either by leaving a comment below, or by using the email form on my contact page.
Here is the full S/CBC proposal: