Coton Vision
The Reserve was established in 2004 to provide public access to the countryside and address declining nature. It includes habitats, paths, visitor facilities, and over 200 acres of leased arable farmland, generating funds for our work.
This will involve transforming arable farmland into a mosaic of habitats including woodland, wildflower meadows, scrub, wetland and orchard. There will be public access and low-key visitor facilities appropriate to a nature reserve. The initial focus will be on the Bin Brook corridor that runs through the reserve and Red Meadow Hill.
Our aspiration is to see the greenbelt on the western edge of Cambridge become a “wild-belt”; this would be larger than our own land and involve neighbouring landowners, to help to deliver the vision of the Cambridge Nature Network to significantly increase the amount of habitat for nature and space for people.
In 2024 we asked people how we could achieve even more benefits for nature, public well-being and climate mitigation, in ways that are financially sustainable.
We received a very positive response to our ideas and we are now finalising our vision to create a nature rich landscape, with an abundance of wildlife, colour and sound, where common species thrive, and rarer species can recover.
At its heart will be a large new nature reserve, where the land will provide wider environmental benefits such as reducing flood risk, climate change mitigation and fostering the wellbeing of the Cambridge community. Meadows will be a riot of colourful plants and buzzing with insects; hedgerows, scrub and woodlands will be full of bird song; and streams and ponds will throng with life.
The diagram below shows the area that would become a new nature reserve. The green shaded areas are habitats that we have already created and that we currently care for. The orange areas are new projects that we are progressing to create more habitats and green space. The lilac shaded areas are arable farmland that we want to transform in future to create the new nature reserve.
What happens next?
At the moment, the farmland provides a rental income that supports our charitable work. This means that to create new habitats, we first have to find other sources of income to offset the loss of rental income and also cover our increased costs that would be associated with managing a nature reserve. That’s what we are working on. If you think you could help then please get in contact with us. development@cambridgeppf.org
