Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member and Biodiversity Manager presented the report.

The report referred to the new Biodiversity Reporting Duty and sought approval for the first report covering 2022 to 2025 to be submitted to central government and be published on our website.

In response from questions from the Cabinet Members and other Councillors present the Cabinet Member for Nature, Open Spaces and City Services and the Biodiversity Manager said the following:

      i.         The Council’s preference was to always achieve biodiversity on-site within the city, as close as possible to the development location, rather than offsetting it elsewhere.

    ii.         The offset site used for planning was large, attractive, and offered significant space, however it was a distance from the city. Despite this, the site contributed to the wider environmental objectives, including climate change mitigation.

   iii.         Compliance with the Environment Act 2021 required the Council to report biodiversity actions in line with published guidance. The first reporting deadline was March 2026.

  iv.         The Equality Impact Assessment indicated that completed and planned actions in the Biodiversity Duty Report were likely to have positive socioeconomic and equality impacts by improving access to high-quality green spaces. Benefits include better mental and physical health, reduced stress, and increased climate resilience, particularly for children, older adults, disabled people, pregnant women, residents in deprived areas, and ethnic minority communities.

    v.         Evidence showed greener neighbourhoods reduced health disparities and provided the greatest benefits for disadvantaged groups; prioritising improvements in areas with low access to nature was essential.

  vi.         The assessment noted risks if projects failed to address barriers such as safety, accessibility, and cultural relevance.

 vii.         Research had highlighted that women and girls often felt unsafe in poorly lit or neglected areas, and ethnic minority communities may underuse green spaces if not designed inclusively.

viii.         To mitigate the risks mentioned, the strategy included accessibility audits co-designed with diverse communities

The Biodiversity Manger said the following:

      i.         The Biodiversity Duty Report included biodiversity net gain, with a section prepared by Planning Officers addressing this mandatory requirement. It covered sites within the area, including private land and a County Council-owned habitat bank.

    ii.         A habitat bank operated by setting an agreed baseline, registered with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFR) and assigning biodiversity units to achieve a target condition. These units could be sold commercially, but once established, the site must be managed and monitored for 30 years. Each site had a defined biodiversity level required for credits to be sold.

   iii.         The baselines had been calculated for each core site in the city, assessing both habitat area and condition (quality). This followed the same system used for habitat banks, even though the Council were not trading credits.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Transport said the following:

      i.         Currently, the official biodiversity net gain site through planning was the County Farm. Additional sites were expected, with organisations such as Cambridge Past, Present & Future and the Wildlife Trust considering options. These sites had to meet strict criteria to guarantee 30-year investment commitments. It was hoped that city-based biodiversity projects, such as chalk stream initiatives, could meet these criteria and would be ideal if Section 106 contributions through planning could be directed towards city biodiversity projects.

Cabinet unanimously resolved to:

      i.         Approve the content of the draft Biodiversity Duty Report for final document design and publication by the statutory submission deadline of 20th March 2026.