Conservation - What We Do
We manage several sites in the greater Cambridge area to protect and enhance their value for nature and we campaign to ensure that new development is beneficial for nature.
Nature & Ecology
Managing for nature at Wandlebury Country Park
This 110 acre site is designated as a County Wildlife Site and is important for its chalk meadows and mature woodland. The Park also has a traditional orchard, a pond and hedgerows which all add to the biodiversity of the site, as do some of the historic buildings and structures, which are home to roosting bats. Important species include Perennial Flax, White Helleborine, Daubenton’s Bat and Slow-worm.
We manage the chalk meadows in a variety of ways, including grazing with cattle and sheep, through cutting and removing hay and by leaving areas unmanaged each year. Our meadow management is supported by a Higher Level Countryside Stewardship grant from Natural England.
Wandlebury has a wide diversity of tree species and woodland types, from magnificent mature beech trees to newly planted oaks. We retain standing deadwood for wildlife when it is safe to do so and ensure that there is plenty of lying deadwood.
We carry out coppicing in order to increase the biodiversity within our woodlands.
Our overall aim is to have a healthy and safe woodland that supports a wide range of woodland species and is resilient to climate change and disease.
We have created a wildlife station with small ponds and we put out bird feed between Oct-March. We have installed a range of bird nesting and bat roost boxes around the park.
Wandlebury is an important historic and archaeological site which is designated as a Scheduled Monument and has many listed buildings and structures. We try and strike a balance between conserving the historic and the natural heritage of the site.
Managing for nature at Coton Countryside Reserve
In 2004 we began an ambitious long-term project for a new 300 acre Coton Countryside Reserve on the edge of Cambridge, which combines nature, public access and a working farm. So far, this work has included creating new ponds and meadows and planting two new orchards, new hedges and new woodland copses.
In 2004 we began an ambitious long-term project for a new 300 acre Coton Countryside Reserve on the edge of Cambridge, which combines nature, public access and a working farm. So far, this work has included creating new ponds and meadows and planting two new orchards, new hedges and new woodland copses.
The farmland on the Reserve is managed by our tenant farmer to provide habitats for wildlife,
such as field margins and Skylark plots. This work is supported through a Higher Level Countryside Stewardship grant.
Coton Countryside Reserve is long-term project and we are still working to try and realise all our plans. For example, since 2018 we have been developing a project to create a new wetland area.
Managing for nature at Barnwell Meadows
Barnwell Junction Pastures (also known as Barnwell Meadows) City Wildlife Site, is adjacent to the historic Leper Chapel and was the site of the medieval Stourbridge Fair. The 4 acres of meadows support a range of neutral grassland plant and invertebrate species, including a good population of Yellow Meadow Ant. Coldham’s Brook flows along the side of the meadows supporting aquatic species including Water Vole and occasionally Kingfisher. There are smaller areas of woodland and scrub.
The Meadows were leased for around 60 years and most recently used for horse pasture, as a result they were not in good ecological condition. As part of a new Chisholm Trail project, in 2018 we took back the management
of the meadows and we are working to enhance their biodiversity. Since then we have planted 300m of new hedge, installed bird boxes and re-instigated meadow management (grazing with livestock). The Chisholm Trail runs through the meadows.
Managing for nature at Stocking Toft, Balsham
This small site was gifted to us in 2000 and has been planted with native trees and shrubs. We are allowing the woodland to develop and mature as a small wildlife sanctuary. It is connected by hedgerows to Balsham Wood SSSI and we hope that some of the woodland species from there will eventually colonise our site.
Other sites
We also protect a number of other small sites in the area which have an ecological value, such as linear woodland at Comberton and a short stretch of the River Cam at Hinxton Watermill, where Kingfishers are often seen hunting small trout.
Ecological Monitoring for Biodiversity and Long-term Environmental Management (EMBLEM Project)
Our EMBLEM Project was started in 2016 to carry out long-term ecological monitoring of our sites in order to inform our conservation management work, enhance biodiversity and increase ecological resilience.
This involves working collaboratively with expert ecological recording groups and individual volunteers to record the species using our sites and monitor their changes over time, including in response to our habitat management and conservation work. Groups we have worked with include Cambridgeshire Bat Group, Cambridge University and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Reptile & Amphibian Group.
We carry out regular surveys for moths, bats, butterflies, slow worms and chalk grassland plants as well as spot surveys for other species.
The project also aims to improve the ecological skills of our Estate Team and volunteers through training and shared learning.
Through this project we also carry out exhibitions and events for the public, such as our annual Wandlebury Wildlife event that takes place in March as part of Cambridge Science Festival.
We need more volunteers to get involved in the project, so if you have a keen interest in nature or you are an amateur or professional expert looking to volunteer your expertise, please get in touch at ecology@cambridgeppf.org
We have been grateful to receive small grants from Cambridge Water (Pebble Fund), People’s Postcode Lottery and a private charitable trust to help towards some of the costs of our EMBLEM project. You can follow our ecology and nature conservation work via our dedicated twitter feed @CamPPFnature or WandleburyWarden Instagram
A Wilder Coton
Find out how you can be part of helping to create a wilder future in Cambridge for wildlife and everyone in the city to enjoy.
Habitat Bank
For many decades the English planning system has included a process whereby ecological damage caused by a development can be counteracted by creating positive ecological outcomes nearby, either elsewhere on the development site, or off-site. This system had mixed success.
Since January 2024 it has become a legal requirement that new development must deliver a net gain for nature. This is known as Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and it is achieved by creating new habitats, for example planting a new woodland or sowing a wildflower meadow. The idea of BNG is that a new development has a measurably positive impact (‘net gain’) on biodiversity, compared to what was there before development.
Developers must deliver a BNG of at least 10% but organisations like ours are pressing for this to be higher. Often developers will be able to provide the BNG required within their own development or on land they own.
However, when this is not possible, developers can buy into habitat creation carried out by other landowners.
Cambridge Past, Present & Future (CPPF) has an active program of habitat creation on land we own. If the biodiversity gain from our new habitats is measured then they can be registered as ‘habitat banks’ and this creates the possibility that a developer can buy some of the biodiversity ‘credits’ in our habitat bank.
This could provide a source of financing that would enable us to scale up our work to benefit nature and public well-being at Coton Reserve.
The following principles will guide CPPF decisions on Biodiversity Net Gain delivery on CPPF land:
- ensure no overall net loss to biodiversity and secure genuinely additional and permanent gains in biodiversity to support nature’s recovery
- ensure CPPF provides good quality habitat schemes in a consistent way, which inspires confidence in CPPF and environmental services generally
- ensure transparency
- ensure a diligent approach when selling biodiversity units
You can read our full BNG Policy (click here), which sets out how this will be achieved.
Any approach to buy credits from us would be the subject of very careful scrutiny. We would have to be satisfied that any planning application had been carefully considered and all the correct processes followed before permission had been given. We will also make it clear that any offer to buy BNG from CambridgePPF will not remove any objection that we may have to a particular development.
We will continue to oppose and campaign against harmful development proposals.
Our BNG habitat bank is at Coton Reserve, on the western edge of Cambridge. We are creating a range of new habitats including woodland, scrub, meadow and wetland. Click here for a brochure about buying BNG credits or please email ceo@cambridgeppf.org or call 01223 243830
Conservation Areas & Buildings of Local Interest
Our fantastic team of volunteers helps to assess Conservation Areas and Buildings of Local Interest in Cambridge.
Cambridge Conservation Areas
Conservation Areas are created where a local planning authority (in our case Cambridge City Council or South Cambs District Council) identifies an area of special architectural or historic interest, which deserves careful management to protect its character.
As part of this process, a document is created that describes the history and evolution of the area. It highlights things that are noteworthy, including buildings, trees, open spaces, and other architectural or significant features. The document also highlights potential threats to the area, as well as suggesting opportunities for improvements.
There is an obligation for the council to review and amend this document every five years (known as a Conservation Area Appraisal).
However, the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service has limited capacity to undertake this work.
Any proposals for new development must take account of their impact on a Conservation Area.
Cambridge has 17 Conservation Areas at present, although the large Central Core Conservation Area has been broken down into smaller areas. Visit Cambridge City Council conservation areas to find out more.
Buildings of Local Interest in Cambridge
Buildings of Local Interest are buildings that make a positive contribution to an area but are not sufficiently important to be Listed. Buildings of Local Interest are designated by Cambridge City Council (click here for a list of BLIs in Cambridge) and South Cambs District Council (they don’t currently have a list).
Any proposals for new development must take account of their impact on a designated Building of Local Interest. For example it may mean that the building can not be demolished.
What does Cambridge Past, Present & Future do?
Volunteers for Cambridge Past Present & Future’s Heritage Watch Group work with the local councils to help them update their Conservation Area Appraisals and Buildings of Local Interest Register. We work with the council’s Conservation Team on approx. one Conservation Area a year. Our volunteers:
- recommend the designation of Buildings of Local Interest
- identify threats and opportunities for the Conservation Area
- create an accurate photographic record of the buildings in the area
The process of assessment is the same for each area, which involves walking every street in the Conservation Area and noting changes since the previous appraisal, taking photos and writing up a report. Whenever possible we involve local residents and councillors in this process.
Sawston Conservation Area Appraisal
In 2020 our volunteers carried out an appraisal and updating for this Conservation Area in Sawston to the south of Cambridge. They identified a series of continuing strengths as well as a number of challenges. Historically, Sawston developed as a small linear village. It contains examples from mediaeval times through to the substantial transformations that took place in Victorian times as well as some more recent examples. There are over 30 listed buildings in the Conservation Area. These include the Church and Sawston Hall (both Grade 1) as well as the former Queen’s Head pub and the Drying Shed at the Old Tannery (both Grade 2*), although the latter is now in perilous condition.
Most of these buildings can be seen by following the High Street from one end to the other. Sawston Hall, however, is largely screened from public view by bands of trees although glimpses can be obtained from the graveyard behind the church. The Sawston community have recently restored and reopened the Mary Challis garden (just off the High Street) as well as a museum (also on the High Street) – both are worth a visit.
We completed a photographic survey of the Conservation Area which you can see by clicking here.
Chesterton and Ferry Lane Conservation Area Appraisal
In 2018 our volunteers carried out an appraisal for this Conservation Area in the northeast of Cambridge. This area is characterised as a suburb of Cambridge and is mainly residential, although there is a commercial core along the High Street with shops and services. Remnants of its former ‘industrial’ history are evident within the area such as the mid-19th century workshops off Union Lane and the 20th century former Pye factory
off St Andrew’s Road. We have submitted our amendments to the appraisal to the City for review but in 2021 we are still waiting for this review to be adopted by the council.
We completed a photographic survey of the Conservation Area which you can see by clicking here.
De Freville Conservation Area Appraisal
In 2017 we carried out a review of the De Freville Conservation Area in Cambridge. This area is characterised by the planned nature of its growth and fortunately remains largely intact today. The area was laid out on a grid plan that was characteristic of the development style for Victorian residential suburbs. There are a range of dwelling types with narrow streets and small mid 19th century terraced workers’ cottages.
Later in the evolution of the area, larger and more substantial dwellings or ‘suburban villas’ were built catering to the middle classes.
The review involved our volunteers coordinating with local residents and Councillors to walk
every street comparing and contrasting against the existing document, taking photos and reviewing the situation. We submitted an application to designate a building for the Council’s Building of Local Interest Register, which included getting permission from the owner to visit the building and view the interior as well as exterior.
We completed a photographic survey of the Conservation Area which you can see by clicking here.
In 2021 Cambridge City Council will be adopting the revised appraisal, accepting the majority of our recommendations and they have approved the BLI designation.
Storey's Way Conservation Area Appraisal
In 2016 we carried out a review of the Storey’s Way Conservation Area in Cambridge. This area is early 20th Century suburban and has three distinct areas: main central area lined with large detached dwellings, the Colleges and their grounds, and the Ascension Parish Burial Ground.
Another key feature are the large mature trees, which lessen the impression of ‘urbanity’ and present a compact, semi-rural ‘face’.
We completed a photographic survey of the Conservation Area which you can see by clicking here.
Central Core Conservation Area Appraisal
In 2015-16 we carried out a review of the Central Core Conservation Area in Cambridge. This was a very intense project as the Central Core area has been broken down into eight smaller areas. We had great support from our volunteers and submitted our recommendations to the City who took on board most of our comments as well as welcoming an accurate photographic record.
The Central Conservation Area was designated on 25 February 1969. It was the largest Conservation Area in the City and has recently been split into smaller areas: Castle and Victoria Road, The Kite, Mill Road, New Town and Glisson Road, and Riverside and Stourbridge Common.