Policy BG/GI: Green and blue infrastructure

1. All development must demonstrate how it protects and enhances green and blue infrastructure appropriate to the development’s scale and location. 

2. Major residential and commercial development must demonstrate how green and blue infrastructure has been integrated into the design approach at an early stage, to ensure that on-site green and/or blue infrastructure is: 

  a. Multifunctional – individual features in combination contribute to a network of multiple benefits 

  b. Connected – provides or fills a missing natural link in the landscape for the benefit of nature and people 

  c. Sympathetically placed – reflects and/or creates a sense of place, considerate to the context and character of the local environment and priorities of its people and wildlife 

  d. Resilient – responds to the climate emergency in a positive, contributory way 

  e. Responsibly managed – has a sustainable mechanism to support its life-long function and benefits 

  f. Environmentally sensitive – mitigates its own local impact and improves the quality of the immediate natural environment 

3. Strategic development will be encouraged to seek accreditation under the Building with Nature Standards. 

4. All major residential development proposals, or proposals that are predominately residentially led, must meet a minimum Greening Factor of 0.4. All major non- residential development, or proposals that are predominately non-residentially led, should aim to meet a Greening Factor of 0.3. Where the Greening Factor cannot be met on site, then the Local Planning Authority will work with applicants to identify offsite opportunities to enhance local green infrastructure, to be secured by planning conditions and/or obligations and delivered in line with locally identified needs. 

5. The following strategic green infrastructure initiatives are identified priorities for enhancing strategic green infrastructure across

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

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  1. Revitalising the chalk stream network 

  2. River Cam Corridor 

  2a. River Cam Corridor (North East Cambridge to Waterbeach)

  2b. River Cam Corridor (through Cambridge City) 

  2c. River Cam Corridor (south of Cambridge City) 

  3. Gog Magog Hills and chalkland fringe 

  4. Enhancement of the eastern fens 

  5. The Great Ouse fenland arc 

  6. North Cambridge green space 

  7. West Cambridge

Green Infrastructure is a multi-functional network of public green spaces and routes, landscapes, biodiversity and heritage. It includes a wide range of elements such as country parks, wildlife habitats, rights of way, commons and greens, nature reserves, waterways and bodies of water, and historic landscapes and monuments.

buffer – Coton Corridor 

  8. Western gateway multifunctional

Green Infrastructure is a multi-functional network of public green spaces and routes, landscapes, biodiversity and heritage. It includes a wide range of elements such as country parks, wildlife habitats, rights of way, commons and greens, nature reserves, waterways and bodies of water, and historic landscapes and monuments.

corridor 

  9. Pollinator corridors 

Dispersed initiatives 

  10. Expanding Greater Cambridgeshire’s 'urban forest' 

  11. Woodland expansion and resilience 

  12. Urban greening and 'de-paving' 

  13. Allotments and community gardening 

  14. Environmentally friendly farming 

6.

For housing, development where 10 or more homes will be provided, or the site has an area of 0.5 hectares or more. For non-residential development it means additional f loorspace of 1,000m2 or more, or a site of 1 hectare or more, or as otherwise provided in the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015.

located within an area identified for one of the strategic green infrastructure initiatives must demonstrate how the design of on-site green infrastructure has had regard to the relevant initiative’s objectives.

For housing, development where 10 or more homes will be provided, or the site has an area of 0.5 hectares or more. For non-residential development it means additional f loorspace of 1,000m2 or more, or a site of 1 hectare or more, or as otherwise provided in the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015.

located elsewhere should provide financial contributions to projects that will deliver on the objectives of one of the green infrastructure strategic initiatives, including relevant for establishment, enhancement and the on-going management costs.

The term green infrastructure encompasses a wide range of multi-functional green and blue spaces and other natural features, urban and rural, which can deliver a wide range of environmental, economic, health and wellbeing benefits. Green infrastructure includes, but is not limited to, parks, playing fields, other areas of open space, woodland, allotments, private gardens, sustainable drainage features, green roofs and walls, street trees and ‘blue infrastructure’ such as streams, ponds, canals and other water bodies. 

The Councils have been working to translate Natural England’s

Green Infrastructure is a multi-functional network of public green spaces and routes, landscapes, biodiversity and heritage. It includes a wide range of elements such as country parks, wildlife habitats, rights of way, commons and greens, nature reserves, waterways and bodies of water, and historic landscapes and monuments.

Framework (NEGIF) at a local level to develop a suite of green infrastructure standards applied through the policies in this

A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

theme to ensure the quantity, accessibility and quality of green infrastructure provided through development. Published in 2023, the NEGIF offers a new and innovative way to plan for GI. Its complexity means that we are still working to confirm a locally justified approach that is clear and proportionate to different scales of development. At this draft plan stage, the policy set out here forms a work in progress position; further work will be done to confirm a refined position for the Proposed Submission stage. 

All development is expected to protect and enhance green infrastructure. Planning applications for major development will be expected to submit a

Green Infrastructure is a multi-functional network of public green spaces and routes, landscapes, biodiversity and heritage. It includes a wide range of elements such as country parks, wildlife habitats, rights of way, commons and greens, nature reserves, waterways and bodies of water, and historic landscapes and monuments.

Plan; this can be submitted as a standalone document or as part of a design and access statement. 

The Councils continue to explore the use of Natural England’s

Green Infrastructure is a multi-functional network of public green spaces and routes, landscapes, biodiversity and heritage. It includes a wide range of elements such as country parks, wildlife habitats, rights of way, commons and greens, nature reserves, waterways and bodies of water, and historic landscapes and monuments.

Framework and also Building with Nature standards to be applied to different scales of development in a way that is clear and proportionate to the scale of development. The list of GI principles set out in the current draft policy are the Building with Nature Core principles which align but go further than the Natural England

Green Infrastructure is a multi-functional network of public green spaces and routes, landscapes, biodiversity and heritage. It includes a wide range of elements such as country parks, wildlife habitats, rights of way, commons and greens, nature reserves, waterways and bodies of water, and historic landscapes and monuments.

standards. For strategic-scale developments, achieving external accreditation via full Building with Nature accreditation will demonstrate excellence in integrating green infrastructure into its design. 

Urban greening means the incorporation of plants, trees, and other natural elements into urban environments to create more sustainable, liveable, and resilient places. The Councils continue to explore how to deliver urban greening through development, alongside other policy tools. The current draft policy proposes applying an Urban Greening Factor (UGF). An Urban Greening Factor provides a figure for the proportion of urban greening in comparison to the total area of the development site. It is calculated by multiplying the area of each surface cover type by its “factor” – a weighting factor from 0.0 to 1.0 assigned to each cover type reflecting its environmental and social value in urban greening; its functionality in providing ecosystem services, including improving permeability; and its benefit in supporting biodiversity and habitat creation. Each figure is then added together and divided by the total area within the development site. The resulting score is then compared with the target UGF score for the development site set by the planning policy and the score indicates whether the urban greening proposals achieve, exceed or fail to meet the defined target.

The target scores in the draft policy are taken from Natural England’s

Includes transport, energy, water, waste, digital/smart, social and green infrastructure.

Framework, and would be applied using guidance informed by Natural England’s Urban Greening Factor for England User Guide, alongside local evidence. 

Drawing on extensive engagement with partners and local groups, our

Green Infrastructure is a multi-functional network of public green spaces and routes, landscapes, biodiversity and heritage. It includes a wide range of elements such as country parks, wildlife habitats, rights of way, commons and greens, nature reserves, waterways and bodies of water, and historic landscapes and monuments.

Opportunity Mapping Final Report (2021) identified fourteen area-specific and dispersed long term priority enhancements to this network – described as strategic initiatives – helping to provide the wide-ranging benefits that green infrastructure brings. The Councils continue to explore how they can best support delivery of these through the policies of this plan as a part of the emerging suite of green infrastructure standards referred to above. As such the current draft policy approach may be refined at Proposed Submission stage. 

• The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

  A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

  : Topic Paper 3:

  The variety of life in all its forms. This includes the plant and animal species that make up our wildlife and the habitats in which they live.

  and Green Spaces

• The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

  Green Infrastructure is a multi-functional network of public green spaces and routes, landscapes, biodiversity and heritage. It includes a wide range of elements such as country parks, wildlife habitats, rights of way, commons and greens, nature reserves, waterways and bodies of water, and historic landscapes and monuments.

  Oppotunity Mapping Baseline Report (2020)

• The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

  Green Infrastructure is a multi-functional network of public green spaces and routes, landscapes, biodiversity and heritage. It includes a wide range of elements such as country parks, wildlife habitats, rights of way, commons and greens, nature reserves, waterways and bodies of water, and historic landscapes and monuments.

  Oppotunity Mapping Final Report (2021)

• The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

  Green Infrastructure is a multi-functional network of public green spaces and routes, landscapes, biodiversity and heritage. It includes a wide range of elements such as country parks, wildlife habitats, rights of way, commons and greens, nature reserves, waterways and bodies of water, and historic landscapes and monuments.

  Strategy  - Volume 1 - emerging strategy and standards (2025)

• The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

  Green Infrastructure is a multi-functional network of public green spaces and routes, landscapes, biodiversity and heritage. It includes a wide range of elements such as country parks, wildlife habitats, rights of way, commons and greens, nature reserves, waterways and bodies of water, and historic landscapes and monuments.

  Strategy  - Volume 2 - supporting evidence (2025)

We will consider all comments while developing the next version of the

A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

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All comments must be received by 30 January 2026 at 5pm.