Agenda item

The Cabinet Member for Nature, Open Space and City Services introduced the report.

The report referred to the revised Strategy incorporated consultation feedback while retaining the supported vision, themes, and objectives. It added new actions and projects to reflect the statutory Biodiversity Reporting Duty, the Urban Forest Strategy, the emerging Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Local Nature Recovery Strategy, the BIG Chalk partnership, and the ambition to work with communities toward future Nature City Accreditation.

In response to questions from Cabinet Members and those Councillors present, the Cabinet Member for Nature, Open Space and City Services said:

      i.         Targeted community support had been provided through several programmes, including Nature City Accreditation to help residents, businesses, and institutions improve local spaces; promotion of the Parks Biodiversity Toolkit to enable communities to enhance nearby parks with planting, ponds, or wildlife corridors; and the Nature Recovery From the Ground Up programme, supported ward‑based Local Nature Recovery Strategy  (LNRS) delivery over four years, focused on areas with the poorest access to greenspace.

    ii.         Additional support had been offered for Friends Groups, volunteering, swift boxes, neighbourhood canopy projects, and community nurseries for elms and black poplars, which provided practical opportunities for community participation regardless of neighbourhood constraints.

   iii.         The 2026 consultation showed strong support for publicly sharing progress on the Council’s biodiversity ambitions. Annual reporting would continue through an online Biodiversity Strategy Progress Report, outlining project delivery, habitat condition changes, and progress against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as biodiversity net gain.

  iv.         Regular biodiversity updates would continue in the Council’s monthly newsletter, Cambridge Matters, alongside a bi‑monthly online chalk streams newsletter for Councillors and communities.

    v.         The Council would work with the Combined Authority and partners to develop shared performance monitoring for LNRS delivery. Together, these tools would provide a clear year‑on‑year picture of improvements and areas needing further focus.

  vi.         Residents should expect clear, place‑based improvements across the city, such as the expanded wetlands at Logan’s Meadow, new diverse habitats were already attracting water voles, otters, and kingfishers. More species‑rich grasslands and wildflower areas would replace closely‑mown turf in parks and on commons, while the Urban Forest Strategy would deliver additional shade trees and climate‑resilient planting on streets and estates, creating greener, cooler neighbourhoods and better habitats for wildlife.

 vii.         Chalk streams one of Cambridge’s most distinctive habitats, making improvements especially significant. The Council’s wider streams project used restoration, monitoring and citizen‑science to support long‑term recovery in watercourses such as Cherry Hinton Brook and Hobson’s Brook. The outcomes were intended to be visible to the public through clearer, healthier and more natural streams that better support wildlife and are easier for residents to value.

viii.         Practical improvements would also be seen in parks through enhanced meadows, wetlands and pollinator habitats, and in short streams through more natural banks, cleaner gravels, improved flow and stronger aquatic vegetation, demonstrating measurable biodiversity net gain on the ground.

  ix.         Noted the comments made by the Chair of the Services, Climate and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

·      The Committee expressed broad approval for the policy.

·      Members noted that the definition of measurable net gain needed strengthening, as it appeared vague.

·      Highlighted the importance of joint working with external partners and effective communication with the public and community groups.

·      A discussion took place regarding the impact of dog fouling on soil composition and biodiversity, illustrating some of the practical challenges in delivering the strategy.

·      Overall, the Committee was supportive of the strategy.

Cabinet unanimously resolved to:

           i.       Note the outcome of the midterm Biodiversity Strategy review, public consultation and recommendations of the Services, Climate and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

          ii.       Approve the content of the midterm review of the Cambridge City Council Biodiversity Strategy (2022 – 2031) for corporate design and publication.