Decision details

This report responds to the resolution of Full Council in July 2026 requesting an officer report reviewing current Council activity relating to the River Cam and its tributaries, existing partnership arrangements, opportunities for improvement, and alignment with the Council's Biodiversity Strategy, Climate Change Strategy, Urban Forest Strategy and the emerging Greater Cambridge Local Plan.

 

The motion recognises the River Cam and its tributaries as important environmental, ecological, recreational and cultural assets and confirms that the Council will continue to have regard to the impact of its decisions on the health of the river, consistent with its statutory duties, powers and responsibilities.

 

The Council has an important role as a significant riverbank landowner, local planning authority, open-space manager, land drainage authority, project funder and delivery partner. It undertakes riverbank management, biodiversity enhancement, sustainable drainage and flood resilience work, manages public access and assets adjoining the river and is directly involved in a growing programme of river and chalk-stream restoration.

 

Responsibility for the health and management of the River Cam is distributed between several organisations. These include the Environment Agency, Cambridge Water, Anglian Water, the Conservators of the River Cam, Natural England, Cambridgeshire County Council, universities and colleges, other riparian landowners and local communities.

 

The report therefore considers both the activity for which the City Council is directly responsible and the wider partnerships through which the Council can influence water quality, water quantity, biodiversity, river infrastructure and the long-term resilience of the Cam catchment.

 

The report also covers investment in river infrastructure, including the Council-owned river wall and work relating to Jesus Green Lock; activity at Sheep’s Green; planning and water-resource work through the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service; and collaboration with statutory, voluntary, academic and community partners.

The Cabinet unanimously resolved to:

 

a. Chalk-stream restoration and external funding

 

i.  Note the significant programme of existing Council and partnership activity to protect, restore and improve the River Cam, its chalk streams and tributaries.

 

ii.     Note the evidence emerging from the Greater Cambridge Chalk Stream Project and support its transition into a Cambridge city-wide chalk-stream restoration programme.

 

iii.    Approve the acceptance of grant funding of up to £1.9 million from South Staffordshire Water (Cambridge Water) to support the development and delivery of restoration projects across Cambridge’s chalk-stream network, including Coldham’s Brook, Cherry Hinton Brook, Hobson’s Brook, Vicar’s Brook and associated springheads and connections to the River Cam.

 

iv.    Approve officers to secure grant funding of approximately £600,000, to develop and deliver a resilient, nature-based pollution-mitigation scheme for Hobson’s Brook, subject to final agreement of the funding terms.

 

v.    Delegate authority to the Assistant Director for Public Realm and Environment, in consultation with the Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer, to finalise the necessary grant and partnership agreements relating to the South Staffordshire Water and Hobson’s Brook pollution-mitigation scheme provided that the final terms do not create material unfunded liabilities for the Council.

 

vi. Support the continued development of an evidence-led restoration programme across Cambridge’s chalk-stream network, with individual interventions determined by hydrological, water-quality, ecological and other relevant evidence.

 

b. River infrastructure and Jesus Green

 

i.     Note progress on the Council’s River Cam infrastructure, including the proposed stabilisation and replacement of the Jesus Green River wall and its relationship with the future repair and management of Jesus Green Lock.

 

ii.     Recommend to Council to approve an increase in the Jesus Green River wall project budget from the £850,000 approved in October 2024 to a maximum of £2.441 million, to enable the stabilisation and replacement works to proceed and the competitive procurement process to commence.

 

iii. Approve an open, two-stage procurement process comprising:

 

a.    the appointment of a preferred contractor under a Pre-       Construction Services Agreement; and

b. subject to an acceptable final design, construction  methodology, cost plan and contract sum, entry into the main construction contract.

 

iv.    Support the Council using its convening role to work with the Conservators of the River Cam, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, relevant public bodies, businesses and other partners to:

a. explore sustainable financial and commercial

    opportunities for the repair and future management of

    Jesus Green Lock; and

b. strengthen the longer-term financial sustainability and

    resilience of the Conservators of the River Cam.

 

c. Water quality, water resources and environmental projects

 

 i.    Note the work undertaken and planned at Sheep’s Green, and the importance of Designated Bathing Water monitoring data in informing continued engagement with the Environment Agency, Anglian Water and other relevant partners.

 

ii.     Note the work being undertaken through the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service in relation to water scarcity, abstraction, water efficiency, wastewater capacity and sustainable growth.

 

iii.    Support the continued development of externally funded environmental improvement projects, including opportunities available through the Cambridge Water Pebble Fund, subject to the Council’s normal governance, financial and approval arrangements.

 

iv. Support the development, consultation and adoption of watercourse land drainage model byelaws, subject to the necessary consultation and approval processes, to strengthen the protection and management of the River Cam, associated chalk streams, water environments and adjacent public spaces.

 

d.  Coordination and partnership working

 

i. Support continued partnership working with statutory bodies, catchment organisations, voluntary and community groups, academic institutions and other partners to protect and improve the River Cam and its tributaries.

 

 ii. Agree that future river and chalk-stream activity should increasingly be developed and managed as a coordinated programme, enabling the Council and its partners to identify shared priorities, funding opportunities, intended outcomes, dependencies and gaps in provision.